Native American Paul Castaway - killed by Denver Police
In the wake of
the Denver Police killing (and apparent coverup) of Paul Castaway, a Lakota Sioux, some much-needed attention is being given to the plight of America's indigenous people. What the research shows is likely shocking to everyone except for Native Americans, who are painfully familiar with the brutality of American law enforcement.
In a new report covered by AJ Vicens of Mother Jones:
Native Americans are more likely than most other racial groups to be killed by police. Indian Country Today noted that according to the Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice, a nonprofit organization that studies incarceration and criminal justice issues, police kill Native Americans at a higher rate than any other ethnic group.
While far fewer Native Americans are killed by police than African Americans, when adjusted for age and percentage of the population, the numbers are staggering. See the graph from the Centers for Disease Control and the Center on Criminal and Juvenile Justice below.
While we must take into account that the numbers of people killed by police were severely underreported until the media began covering and valuing this statistic, this report is mind-blowing nonetheless.