The

The Welcome to another supporter-only episode of Conversations with Coleman.

Today I'm going to talk about the only thing anyone is talking about, race, and the

police. I'm going to read an essay that I wrote for City Journal called Stories and Data, and I'm

going to provide some additional thoughts in the margins. Before I do that, I want to thank everyone

who supports the podcast and everyone who sends me messages of support on Twitter or through email.

Though I can never guarantee a response to your messages, please rest assured that I do read many of them.

The resounding theme in many emails I'm receiving lately is that people are having trouble discussing current events with their friends and family.

The fear of being seen as a bad person merely for asking questions is palpable and widespread.

The prospect of losing jobs or simply losing face understandably terrifies people. I'll have more

to say about this towards the end, but for now suffice it to say that if you're in that situation,

I hear you and I very much feel your pain. Okay, on to the essay.

The brutal death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police officers has sparked protests and riots around the United States.

We have witnessed humanity at its finest and at its ugliest.

Citizens of faraway nations have expressed solidarity with black Americans, police officers have marched alongside protesters,

protesters have defended businesses against looting and destruction, at the same time, rioters have

burned down buildings and looted businesses, protesters have been pepper sprayed beaten. Cops have been shot and run over with

cars. At the root of the unrest is the Black Lives Matter movement, which began with the acquittal of

George Zimmerman in 2013 and rose to national prominence in the wake of Michael Brown's death in

2014. My view of BLM is mixed.

On the one hand, I agree that police departments too often have tolerated and even

enabled corruption.

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