[meanmrmustard92]

Some speculated that prosecutors had gone soft on looting after the Black Lives Matter protests in 2020. But it is hard to see any such trend in the data: generally states with more shoplifting prosecute more shoplifters

The claim is about the time-series comparison, and the rebuttal is about the cross section comparison. Is the journalist in question stupid, gaslighting, or both?

[joenot443]

It's funny they say it's "hard to see any such trend in the data" of arrests in a post-Ferguson America when the data is so apparent and its meaning so contested that it has its own Wikipedia article.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferguson_effect

It would be totally illogical to pretend that such massive sweeping change in public perception of policing would have no effect on the activity of the police themselves.

[lupire]

The rebuttal was explaining the trend that does exist.

[pitaj]

Where do they explain that the trend doesn't exist? They make no statement that applies over time.

[hellfish]

You just don't get the message ig? Maybe if you just stop thinking and accept that 2+2=5 it will make sense :)