> I wotked with an older african american many years ago who in his own words grew up in the ghetto. He told me once that, "If we don't beat our kids at home the cops will do it in the street."

I suspect a thorough investigation of the African Americans beaten in the streets by cops would find that being beaten by their parents as a child is not substantial protection against being beaten in the streets by cops.

Its a convenient rationalization, though.