It's been a challenging time for many in this country, from the scene of George Floyd's death in Minneapolis, to the protests, riots, and even looting in New York City, Washington, D.C., and many other cities across this country.

We're seeing injustice, yes, also joined by expressions of anger and violence alongside tough questions in our policing practices in America.

Coleman Hughes and Ralph Menguel, both fellows at the Manhattan Institute, will join us today for a discussion on cities in crisis.

They will address the recent riots across urban America, and particularly in New York City, and their implications for public order, policing,

race relations, and even our city's reopening. And now, Coleman and Ralph.

Coleman, I wondered if you could kick us off with some opening thoughts and then we'll go to Ralph.

Sure. Thank you, Michael. Yeah, I am struck by a sense of very deep despair for my country right now.

I mean, it feels like the entire nation is on fire and it's a very, very grim time to be an American right now.

And I have a lot of thoughts about it, but for now, I'll just give you a sense of why I feel so pessimistic about this at the moment.

From what I can see, there is a very deeply felt and widespread perception among black Americans

and among white liberals that the police are unfair to black people and racist and quicker

to use force and quicker to pull the trigger.

And to me, this is a perception that is only partly true.

From what I know, the most rigorous studies such as Roland Friars, have found that the police are more likely to use non-lethal

force to rough up a suspect if he's black under similar circumstances that also

accords with common sense and life experience. On the other hand the police are not

more likely to shoot and kill a black suspect.

It actually isn't true.

It may have been true in the not too distant past, but in the living memory of the Black Lives Matter movement,

which really began in earnest in 2012 and ballooned in 2014. This whole time, it has been

false that the police are more likely to shoot and kill black Americans. And it's impossible

for people to keep this in their mind without feeling as if they're dismissing the entire history

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