Destroying the Myth of Black on Black Crime

The title of this blog may spark a double take considering what we've all been pre-conditioned to believe. ("Black on Black" crime being a huge issue.) Before you dismiss this as a naive assessment, please allow me to enlighten us all on a few compelling facts that may help in redefining some of our collective perceptions. Honestly this has been floating around in my head for quite a while. The internet is a powerful medium for information. I read college friends blog and was immediately challenged by the horrific story of yet another black youth slain in the streets due to America's fascination with the "gangsta/gangster" lifestyle.

We all are quite familiar with the news media's portrayl of "black on black crime" as the validation for the belief of excessive criminality by blacks. The subconcious and overt effort of our collective news media describes violent crimes commited against whites by their peers as simply "murder" (This a is more than a subtle clue to my theory) Homocidal criminal data has been analyzed by many intelligent people but they have never coined a phrase "White on White crime". Don't believe me? Consider this. When serial killer Ted Bundy's murders were reported; did any well known white journalist write an essay about stopping "white on white" crime? Did any famous white public figure lament the loss of yet another white youth to senseless violence.(With the exception of school shootings or workplace violence scenarios, these stories were always packaged as "a rare exception in surburban America")

Still not enough evidence? Ok consider the criminal statistics compiled by the Bureau of Justice. Eighty-Six percent of whites that were murdered from the years of 1976 to 2005 were murdered by other whites. Secondly ninety-four percent of the black people murdered in the same years were murdered by other blacks. Let's not confuse these quantitative numbers as a beauty contest of who's the worst criminals. That ideaology plays into the hands of racial supremacy. The main idea of sharing this information is to highlight that people are most likely to murder those that look like them.

Racial segregation coupled with cultural norms and customs created the current racial dichotomy amongst people groups in America. Throughout American history one can find the evidence of people "sticking to their own kind"as a means of survival. Black people were forced to adhere to that paradigm naturally due to our situation of "involuntary servitude". However that goes for the early 18th and 19th century Irish immigrants, Italians, Germans and West Indian black people. The criminal statistics from 1976 to 2005 is proof positive that social issues are still largely falsified and misrepresented by the mainstream media solely for the purpose of segregating and misdirecting the perception of their viewers.

I do appreciate the activist, authors and concerned citizens in our communities at large that believe in attacking this phenomna head on. Their work should be commended but we must redefine criminality in its entirety. When the mainstream media continues to distort issues such as violent crime it continues to stir up fear which creates a sense of superiority in whites and a sense of inferiorty in minorities. How can fear in American culture solve the problem of criminality as a whole if the media continues to segregate the problem? Will this bring about effective change in our communities at large?

Of course not!! Entertainment mediums (this spans all generes) continues to glorify violence and illegal activity as a respectable means of survival at a much faster rate than any grassroots coaltion can realistically deal with. That's alot to ask of our communities considering a problem that has morphed from a thimble to King Kong!

The American community must work together to collectively to reduce violence of any kind in every community. The fundamental question is whether or not American law enforcement is willing to put aside their predjudice long enough to stop a universal problem. Let's not buy into this myth any longer. A myth is simply a story based on embellished details that lack credible evidence that supports the truth.

We must start to demand more of the truth from our leaders in government, entertainment, religion and community organizations. If we continue to accept rhetorical terminology as the real problem then we will continue down the slippery slope of losing our children to senseless violence. It is up to us as consumers, parents, and gatekeepers. If we aren't combating the problem then we are just as responsible for the murder we here reported by our local and national news medium.

Sadly Law enforcement, Government officals and opportunistic business people have yet to take responsibility for their roles in helping to create criminal enterprises. When will our generation take a page from the previous generations that stood up? When will we challenge the status quo? Only time will tell. IF we don't then we experience self destruction as whole and not just as a "black community".

YES WE DID

Last night rekindled a memory that I haven't thought about in quite sometime. I was in my early twenties living in Memphis when a discussion about Kobe Bryant morphed into whether or not America would ever elect a "Black President". Of course it is common knowledge amongst those who are "connoisseurs" of black culture knows that the black barbershop is a unique meeting place of diverse intelligence, perspective and ideas expressed exclusively by black men. I was a huge Tupac fan and remember the line he wrote in the song entitled "I wonder if heaven gotta ghetto"? If you are a true Tupac fan you know the line. If you aren't then let me refresh your memory. Does the line "Though it seems heaven sent, we ain't ready to have a black president." Remember that? I sure do. Subconsciously it skewed my views of America causing me to accept the belief that America lacked the spiritual fortitude to even consider a black man for President let alone elect him.



I remember declaring on that day that America was too racist. My reasoning was that we were to committed to white leadership to ever pull of the inconceivable. What's strange is that in 1998 God had already had Obama in mind. The late 90's for me was a crossroads between the achievement of graduating from college and the challenge of finding the right career. My life though blessed was tough leading up to the crowning achievement of college graduation. Could this have clouded my vision? Did I allow the America's past blind the hope that was passed down by my Black, Native American and White fore parents? The answer to that question is yes. Barack Obama didn't allow the past to stop him from dreaming. He found hope in the words of King, Regan, Douglass, and yes JEREMIAH WRIGHT. Obama turned his hope to faith then he converted his faith into works.



Ten years ago when I made my declaration in "Micheal's Magnificent" Barbershop I was blinded by despair, fear and a lack of self identity. I wanted to block the achievement of someone else only because I lacked the moral compass and confidence to believe that America allowed the platform for us to achieve anything if one was prepared for the task at hand. Now ten years later, I'm proud to be an American. I proud of my heritage that spans many ethnic backgrounds but most notably I'm proud to be aligned with the struggle of "blackness". Barack Obama is the culmination of the dreams deferred of freedom fighters of all races and backgrounds. He is the answer to the prayers uttered in the negro spirituals of yesteryear that cried out to GOD for deliverance.



This isn't a black victory but an American one. All of the lies and distortions of facts by the Right Wing media couldn't stop the destiny and destination of the train we now affectionately embrace as change. Sam Cooke, the legendary soul singer prophesied in the song "A change is gon come". That change showed up and it couldn't have come at a more opportune time. All of America has something to be proud of. Hopefully this election sparks healthy debate on other areas of opportunity we have in various sectors of American life. The next four years is a wonderful will us to do just that. America, YES WE DID... YES WE DID!!!