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Executive
Summary 
by Paul Mattessich
Executive Director

Police have a racist predisposition to shoot black males - true or false? Do we have any evidence to know the extent to which this statement has validity? Sadly enough, we do not, contends Michael Wines, whose recent column in the New York Times noted that statistics which could support or refute the contention that police shootings unfairly target blacks "do not exist. And because of that, the current national debate over the role of race in police killings is being conducted more or less in a vacuum."

While not a criminologist, I did attempt to search for data on the prevalence of shootings, including homicides, by police in the United States. Academic and government statistics provide little insight. More than 20 years ago, the federal Office of Justice Programs noted the absence of data on police use of deadly force and called for a national reporting system. Such a system never evolved; sound data about shootings by the police does not seem to exist.

The St. Louis Post Dispatch reported, as did Wines, on one of the few credible studies of the topic. Interestingly, in Wines' view, the St. Louis study revealed something counterintuitive: that black police officers shared participation, in proportion to their numbers in the department, in the homicides of black male suspects. Nothing to change the assumption that racism plays a role, but the study...
August-September 2014
New From the Wilder Blog

Recently released Census Bureau estimates show Minnesota's median age rising from 35.4 in 2000 to 37.7 in 2013. That might not seem dramatic, but the data also confirm a striking trend: Minnesota's aging population is like a jet airplane that has just lifted off. Minnesota Compass Project Manager Craig Helmstetter highlights 5 implications for Minnesota.
Updates from Minnesota Compass
Did you know that the median household incomes of Minneapolis' neighboring North Loop and Near North neighborhoods differ by about $70,000? Or that almost one-third of people living in Saint Paul's Thomas-Dale (Frogtown) neighborhood were born in another country, compared with only 7 percent right next door in the Como neighborhood? Find the most recent facts about residents, housing, and jobs in your neighborhood.
How well do you really know your neighborhood?
Learn how Betsy Leach, executive director of the District 1 Community Council in Saint Paul, uses neighborhood profiles to dispel misconceptions and advocate for resources. Read it now.
Save the Date!

About 1 in 6 Minnesota students have had an incarcerated parent. Join us on November 17 to learn about the impact of incarcerated parents on students and to participate in a discussion focused on finding ways to support these students in the classroom. The forum is hosted by the Strengthening Families Affected by Incarceration Collaborative, which includes Wilder Research.

 

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New Staff
Please join us in welcoming Laura Birdsong to Wilder Research! Laura will be working with our Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) team by facilitating trainings and providing end-user support. Before joining Wilder Research, she worked for the Wilder Foundation providing direct service to formerly homeless families and very-low-income community members. Welcome, Laura!
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