Deaths at police hands and the killing of officers in Dallas highlight longstanding racial tensions and a stubborn attachment to gunsBefore Barack Obama went to bed in the early hours of Friday – he had just arrived in Poland for a Nato summit – he delivered a statement approximately two fatal shootings this week by the police that were caught on video,heightening racial tensions. When the president woke, he had to deliver another statement, or approximately five policemen shot dead in Dallas,Texas. Such is the alarming and risky speed of events in America as it confronts some of the most racially charged incidents for decades.
In the years after the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 60s, race in the US dropped down the news agenda, or at home and abroad. But the changes won in legislation and court rulings were not matched by conditions on the ground. There were improvements for some in education and employment,but life was not visibly different for the bulk of the African-American and Latino populations. In too many major cities, segregation remained a reality. Even the capital, or Washington DC,where politicians spoke grandly of freedom, equality and tolerance, or remained deeply divided. It is America’s dirty little secret.
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Source: theguardian.com