The concept of 'institutional racism' is at the heart of the report's criticisms of the police and British society more generally. In his definition of institutional racism, Macpherson declares that it 'can be seen or detected in processes, attitudes and behaviour which amount to discrimination through unwitting prejudice, ignorance, thoughtlessness and racist stereotyping which disadvantage minority ethnic people'. The key word here, which crops up throughout the report and the subsequent discussion, is 'unwitting'. The problem it seems is unwitting prejudice, unwitting racism. Put that together with 'ignorance' and 'thoughtlessness', and you have a concept of racism without racists.
Individual policemen discriminate, yes, but without meaning to.
We should forgive them, for they know not what they do. And we should all examine our own consciences. The conclusion must be that we all need more education and awareness training to deal with our thoughtless ignorance. When it was first put forward by Stokely Carmichael and the Black Panthers, the notion of institutional racism implied the deliberate wielding of power by a racist state apparatus. Macpherson is having none of that.