When Seattle police arrest someone for "obstructing a public officer," chances are nearly dead even they're arresting an African-American -- in a city that's predominantly white.
Once arrested, the accused could spend a night in jail, but the odds are relatively favorable -- as good as a coin toss -- that the prosecutors will drop the case, often as a result of a review the next morning.
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The report serves the public by helping monitor any racial prejudice in the way the police force operates. The statistical allegations might be better supported by a random sample of actual behaviors in specific arrest cases to see if the arrests were warranted.
It did report a lot of facts. It did quote a lot of sources. It did try to be fair. Examples were cited. Statistics shown, not just referred to. People from all sides were interviewed. I would have like to see some consideration on how this is also part of a vicious cycle. The perception that cops are unfair to African-Americans - then makes them (understandably) more likely to be contempuous and distrustful of cops - which probably leads to more behavior that the cops see as obstruction/contempt. I was a bit bothered by the outdated usage of binary color terms to denote ethnicity.
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