Grand Theft Auto V is, among many other things, the most immersive simulation of Southern California — and Los Angeles — ever created. And people on the internet have started to read into the game some of that region’s most vexed dynamics, particularly the relationship between police and people of color.

Franklin, one of the game’s three playable characters, is black, and as the MacArthur fellow Mike Davis wrote in his seminal history of L.A., City of Quartz, “Since the early 1950s, the LAPD has been regarded by L.A.’s Black community as a redneck army of occupation.”

Dozens of tweets and forum posts, sampled below, detail how players believe that Franklin is treated differently from the other two, white, playable characters, by the Los Santos Police Department (the game’s stand-in for the LAPD):

“Cops are racist towards the black character, Franklin.”

So, I was strolling down a boulevard, innocuous as any upstanding citizen, and suddenly, a white man begins assaulting me, making me flee as he pursued me with his frantic violence. Abruptly, I have 1 star - absolutely no reason besides the fact a citizen reported the situation and I was presumed the culprit… and the cops arrive. As I’m innocent, I raise my hands, knowing they’ll understand, but they abruptly say ‘HE HAS A WEAPON’ whilst I’m unarmed, opening fire…..

2 minutes later, I’m running down an alley as eight LAPD cops are behind me, GUNS DRAWN, and I still have absolutely no clue as to why. “Is it because I am black? Is this what happens? They think I am immediately guilty? I am armed? I am a huge threat? I’ve done something?” I see an escape, a rooftop with a ladder up it, and I begin climbing, but the police murder me - shooting me in the back multiple times as an ‘armed suspect’….. execution-style as I have my back to them.

I couldn't help but laugh once I read this article on BuzzFeed. If this is really true (which I doubt, but wouldn't know since I don't have the game), Rockstar took satire to a whole new level. I find it highly amusing when you think of the complaints and bad rep the real LAPD gets. Have any of you guys experienced this while playing as Franklin?

http://www.buzzfeed.com/josephbernstein/the-franklin-conspiracy-why-gamers-decided-the-police-in-gt

I haven't.

The person might be confusing the game being racist against Franklin to random civilians on the street who will attack any character who bumps into them. It's common that you'll see a group of civilian characters standing close to each other and all of them will attack you if you bump into any of them. Getting into a fist fight with them and winning, you'll have a one star on you regardless which of the three characters you're using.

On any GTA, it doesn't matter whether you have a one star or a five star. The cops are still going to either kill you or arrest you. I'd rather be killed than arrested since you lose all your weapons on other GTA games when being arrested. I haven't been arrested on GTA5.  It's easier on GTA5 to get away from cops though than any other game in the series.

Nope this hasn't happened to me either...

Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if it was. And if it was, it would be on purpose.

The game makes fun of our culture, fun of stereotypes, fun of *everything* so much that I wouldn't be phased at all if this were true.

People need to take a step back and remember that the GTA games are built on all sorts of crazy shit.

Are the main characters of GTA 5 serial killers? imo the racist aspect would make the game more fun since GTA like to point out problems in a funny wayXD.

If its a qeustion if GTA is racist....the dude who is complaining is realy lucky

The cops killed me,while I was playing with trevor. They must hate red-necks. I seem 2 get chased by the cops more as trevor. That article is such BS. If your taking a game that seriously then you have some serious problems. If your trying 2 relate the game to some real life racisim,then you also have some serious problems.

Did the person who wrote that article ever play GTA before? The cops are like that in every game. And it's LA, they're going for realism.

It makes all the black guys talk like idiots so that's a little racist. I don't know many black people but they have only talked like that about 1 out of 5 times. Using the N word all the time is just improper.

GTA is more of a satire of American culture than it is a masterpiece of a game. Given Rockstar's comedic nature I wouldn't doubt that cops would want to beat the shit out of Franklin whether he has a wanted level or not.

I dont need you to tell me I have serious problems lol