Absolutely, the population of Black people was more dense in the south because of the chattel slavery system. Policing started as a method for controlling Black people. This happened before the first policing up North which deprived from the British model. Even in this system, their job was to control the poor, particularly as they trying to develop labor unions. Police are a system of control to get undesirables out the way under the guise of safety.

My mother’s family traveled north after slavery and my fathers stayed in the south. Black people are the minority but at one point we’re the majority in the south. They were not allowed to vote even after the 14th amendment in many states so even if they stayed, it is the oppressive governance rather than the spread that causes the most disenfranchisement. States like Mississippi, Alabama, and my state of Louisiana have high populations of Black people but still consistently vote for conservatives. While Black people vote in great numbers in urban areas like New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Biloxi, etc, many Black people in rural areas have their vote diluted by dispersement.

As a minority group, the only way change will happen is with allies. Thanks so much for providing some historical context 💡