Black Men and Violent Crime: A Nationwide Crisis

Photo from Raleigh Chronicle
Police are looking for this man, seen here using Eve Carson's ATM card in a digitally enhanced false-color image from surveillance tape. A photo expert told the Raleigh Chronicle he believes a second person can be seen in the rear seat of this SUV.

Disclaimer: I purposely did not put a lot of time into providing references to validate many of the "facts" presented in this article. However, if you doubt any of my "facts," please feel free to validate or refute them at your leisure.

When I first heard the tragic news stories about the young, white, smart, UNC female student being murdered, I have to admit that my first thought and fear was, "It was probably a young black guy who robbed and killed her." And guess what? It was a young black male... Does my assumption indicate that I am racist? I don't think so...

Here's the reality: A disproportionately large amount of crimes in America are committed by black people (in comparison to all other races), mostly by young black men.

Here's another reality: I am not the only person (White, Black, or Other) who made the assumption about the black ethnicity of the criminal suspect in the UNC murder case... (Yes, one could argue "innocent" until proven "guilty." However, the black man in the photo has NO JUSTIFICATION in having possession of her ATM card AND actually using it!)

When people actually state the facts about the statistics regarding the "ethnicity" of most convicted criminals in America, one or more things tend to happen:

1) People are automatically labeled "racist" (How is pointing out the truth an indication of hidden racism?)

2) People remain publicly silent in fear of being labeled a "racist"

3) People, especially many black people, get offended (How can you resolve a problem situation if you do not FIRST admit there there IS a problem?)

4) People insist that the murderer's race does not matter. But, race matters, especially in America.

It matters that Eve Carson was a White girl who, despite the negative stereotypes about other races, was "determined that she wanted to go to a public university because she wanted to be exposed to as much diversity as possible."

And what happened? She is killed by at least one black man...some exposure to diversity, eh?

Ok folks, that's not all... It wasn't just Eve Carson...There are recent headlines about the confession of another young black man who says he abducted, then shot Auburn University freshman from Georgia. This white young lady's name was Lauren Burk.

At one point, do we as a society say "NO MORE!" We are in crisis mode right now. This cannot continue to go on.

This article is not meant as an attack on black men at all. It was my desire to generate honest discussion about the epidemic of violent and non-violent crime perpetuated by black men.

As a society, our family needs an immediate intervention because not only is White America (and a high % of Black America) mad, but they are SCARED of black men. Stories like this do nothing to dispel negative sterotypes or perceptions about black men.

Many of my associates, both white and black, have vented to me regarding their private fears regarding the escalating problem of criminal activity by a subset of the black American population, mostly poor, urban blacks.

Of course, not all, nor many, nor most black Americans are criminals or will ever commit a crime. (That is a reality that we ALL must also admit).

However, there are enough black criminals (many repeat offenders) to warrant a courageous, honest conversation about the increasing occurrence and visibility of black criminals in America. Our prisons are overcrowded and are filled MOSTLY with black men and women.

How does anyone (White, Black, or other) even begin to honestly answer the following questions?

There are many more White people in America than any other race. Why are most of the prisons filled with Black people? (Of course, there is racism in America. However, no one in America is “forcing” any black people to resort to crime. Poverty and racism, no matter how extreme, do not justify criminal behavior.)

Why are most criminals in the news black? (Yes, there is bias in the news media. However, if blacks didn’t commit many crimes, they could not be shown as doing so…)

Are most crimes in America committed by black people?

Why are most of the kids in racially mixed schools who fight, disrupt class, and get suspended black?

Am I wrong to be afraid of black people, especially in certain urban areas?

America, we must have this conversation. And, we must have it now in the "Yet to be United" States of America.

We must also take responsibility for being part of the problem.

(By the way, why are “their” problems “our” problems ONLY when “their” problems spill over into “our” communities?)

White America cannot react by further segregating themselves from Black America. Perhaps, this segregation is part of the problem.

Across the color line, there is a direct link between poverty, lack of education, and crime.

As a former urban educator, I strongly believe that many, if not most, of the “root causes” for criminal activity in the Black community begin and end with education.

In my humble opinion, some of the “root causes” of increasing crime in the black community are as follows:

There has been a disparity in the quality of education received by Black students (Ask any urban educator about the quality of MOST urban education and learning…)

Many black students see no value in education (Thus, when we try to educate many of them, they resist)

Many black students are beginning to see themselves as the “violent, impulsive, aggressive, lazy, criminals” that they are constantly being marketed as in the media (Basically, many black youth fall victim to a self fulfilling prophecy being projected upon them by mainstream media and society as a whole. I taught and mentored many black students who would NEVER commit a crime, are actively involved in their community, and consistently achieve academic success. However, we rarely hear about these students in the media, unless it is Black History Month...)

Many black students have low self-esteem that is associated with America’s consistently negative view of blacks (On the whole, being 'black" is not perceived as being a “desired condition” in America, Africa, and throughout the world)

Because of hopelessness, poor living conditions, and exposure to crime, many black students develop what I term the "F&*# you"' attitude. Anyone who has ever interacted with blacks on a regular basis has encountered blacks who have the "F&8# you" attitude about EVERYTHING.

Many black students are bombarded with images of personal "worth" based on material possessions (expensive clothes, fancy cars, jewlery, cash, etc).

So, what do you get when you add all of that up?

No Education + Poverty + No Self-Esteem + Hopelessness + Bad Attitude + Materialism = The Continued Decline of America, Race Relations, and the Black Family

Yes, this "black crime problem" could be perceived as a "black problem" that blacks need to come together to solve.

However, there must also come a point in time in which we, as a nation, must take unified action; not in violence or retaliation, but in peace, community involvement, and with a strong sense of urgency.

Lastly, we must never forget that white people have no monopoly on morality (Remember slavery, colonialism, holy wars, lynching, genocide, etc..?)

And yes, I want people to get mad about what I am saying and how I am saying it. Then, I want people to actually take positive action in healing our nation and our communities...because in the end, all we have is each other...