U.N. experts see 'systemic racism' in U.S. policing, urge reform

U.N. experts found systemic racism against Black people in U.S. policing and justice systems, calling for urgent reform. They heard testimonies of victims denied justice, and found African Americans three times more likely to be killed by police and 4.5x more likely to be incarcerated.

United Nations rights investigators said on September 28 they had found systemic racism against black people throughout the U.S. policing and justice systems, and stressed the need for urgent reform.

In a report following a visit to the United States, they pointed to "the entrenched systemic racism against people of African descent in the United States".

"(This) legacy of slavery ... permeates the entire spectrum of the law enforcement and judicial system."

Over 12 days in April and May, the team visited five detention centres and held meetings with victims, civic groups, the judiciary, police unions and officials in Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, New York and Washington.

"We heard dozens of heart-breaking testimonies on how victims do not get justice or redress," investigator Tracie Keesee said.

"This is a systemic issue that calls for a systemic response. All actors involved, including police departments and police unions, must join forces to combat the prevailing impunity."

The team of independent experts was set up in 2021 — a year after the murder of George Floyd, an African American, by a white U.S. police officer — to investigate racially fuelled police violence worldwide.