Post by Anja on Jun 24, 2006 20:38:40 GMT -5
The New Orleans Killings
When the FBI released its latest annual crime report that showed violent
crime on the upswing in many big cities, a bevy of law enforcement, state
and federal officials, and criminologists hoped and prayed that the report
was just an aberrant blip on the crime chart. There was good reason to
hope that. Murder rates have plunged in big cities during the past decade,
and there was every expectation that things would stay that way.
The recent slaughter of 5 teens in New Orleans and a desperate plea from
Mayor Ray Nagin to send in the National Guard to help patrol the streets
shattered that hope. While the murder rate in big cities is still lower
than it was a decade ago, the terrifying reality is that in New Orleans
and other big cities, the victims and their killers are almost always
young black males. In the quarter century of homicide record keeping from
1976 to 2002 by the Bureau of Justice Statistics, blacks are 6 times more
likely to be murdered than whites, and 7 times more likely to kill than
whites. They are far more likely to be gunned down over gang or drug
disputes. New Orleans police speculate that that was the reason the 5
teens were killed.
President Bush recognized that big city violence was a crisis problem. In
his State of the Union Address in 2005 he pledged to shell out $150
million to youth education and violence prevention programs. It was well
intentioned, but it was still a far cry from what was needed to stem the
gunplay on urban streets. And as has been the case with other Bush's
initiatives, unveiled with much public fanfare, the attack on urban
violence has fizzled out due to lack of money, lack of political will to
push it through. But even if the money and will were there, that would not
get at the cause of why so many young blacks kill each other.
More police, prosecutors, three strikes, and mandatory sentencing laws,
the death penalty, and the nearly one million blacks behind bars, have
been done little to curb this carnage. Despite the pet theories of
liberals and conservatives, blacks aren't killing each other because they
are violent or crime prone by nature, or solely because they are poor and
oppressed. Or even because they are acting out the obscene and lewd
violence they see and hear on TV, films, and in gangster rap lyrics on the
streets. The violence results from a combustible blend of cultural and
racial baggage many blacks carry.
In the past crimes committed by blacks against other blacks were often
ignored or lightly punished. The implicit message was that black lives
were expendable. It would be no surprise if the killer or killers of the
New Orleans teens had long violent laced rap sheets, but still roamed the
streets. Many studies have confirmed that the punishment blacks receive
when the victim is white is far more severe than if the victim is black.
This perceived devaluation of black lives by racism has encouraged
disrespect for the law and has forced many blacks to internalize anger and
displace aggression onto other blacks, especially those that are perceived
as weak, and defenseless.
Far too many young black males have become especially adept at acting out
their frustrations at white society's denial of their "manhood" by
adopting an exaggerated "tough guy" role. They swagger, boast, curse,
fight and commit violent self-destructive acts. When many black males
indulge their murderous impulses on other black males, they are often
taking out their pent-up frustrations on those whom they perceive as
helpless and hapless.
This is a twisted, and warped response to racism and deprivation, blocked
opportunities, powerlessness and alienation.
The Bureau of Justice Statistics noted that the other powerful ingredient
in the deadly mix of black-on-black violence is the gang and drug plague.
The resurgence of the drug trade in recent years and the flood of felons
from prisons have made black gangs even bigger and more dangerous. Drug
trafficking not only provided illicit profits but also made gun play even
more widespread. Gang members used their arsenals to fend off attacks,
protect their profits from hostile predators, and to settle scores with
rivals. Broken homes, miserably failing inner city public schools, and a
chronic unemployment rate among young blacks that's double and triple that
of white males in urban areas haven't helped matters.
Other than Comedian Bill Cosby and some outraged, and terrified local
black leaders, mainstream civil rights leaders haven't said or done much
about the black murder carnage. The sight of the National Guard on New
Orleans streets may be a temporary comfort to residents and city officials
but it's only that temporary comfort. An impassioned Mayor Nagin put it
best, local residents and community groups must put their foot down and
say enough is enough, and take back their streets. That's still the best
way to stop the violence.
(source: Chicago Defender - Earl Ofari Hutchinson is a columnist for
BlackNews.com, an author and political analyst)
When the FBI released its latest annual crime report that showed violent
crime on the upswing in many big cities, a bevy of law enforcement, state
and federal officials, and criminologists hoped and prayed that the report
was just an aberrant blip on the crime chart. There was good reason to
hope that. Murder rates have plunged in big cities during the past decade,
and there was every expectation that things would stay that way.
The recent slaughter of 5 teens in New Orleans and a desperate plea from
Mayor Ray Nagin to send in the National Guard to help patrol the streets
shattered that hope. While the murder rate in big cities is still lower
than it was a decade ago, the terrifying reality is that in New Orleans
and other big cities, the victims and their killers are almost always
young black males. In the quarter century of homicide record keeping from
1976 to 2002 by the Bureau of Justice Statistics, blacks are 6 times more
likely to be murdered than whites, and 7 times more likely to kill than
whites. They are far more likely to be gunned down over gang or drug
disputes. New Orleans police speculate that that was the reason the 5
teens were killed.
President Bush recognized that big city violence was a crisis problem. In
his State of the Union Address in 2005 he pledged to shell out $150
million to youth education and violence prevention programs. It was well
intentioned, but it was still a far cry from what was needed to stem the
gunplay on urban streets. And as has been the case with other Bush's
initiatives, unveiled with much public fanfare, the attack on urban
violence has fizzled out due to lack of money, lack of political will to
push it through. But even if the money and will were there, that would not
get at the cause of why so many young blacks kill each other.
More police, prosecutors, three strikes, and mandatory sentencing laws,
the death penalty, and the nearly one million blacks behind bars, have
been done little to curb this carnage. Despite the pet theories of
liberals and conservatives, blacks aren't killing each other because they
are violent or crime prone by nature, or solely because they are poor and
oppressed. Or even because they are acting out the obscene and lewd
violence they see and hear on TV, films, and in gangster rap lyrics on the
streets. The violence results from a combustible blend of cultural and
racial baggage many blacks carry.
In the past crimes committed by blacks against other blacks were often
ignored or lightly punished. The implicit message was that black lives
were expendable. It would be no surprise if the killer or killers of the
New Orleans teens had long violent laced rap sheets, but still roamed the
streets. Many studies have confirmed that the punishment blacks receive
when the victim is white is far more severe than if the victim is black.
This perceived devaluation of black lives by racism has encouraged
disrespect for the law and has forced many blacks to internalize anger and
displace aggression onto other blacks, especially those that are perceived
as weak, and defenseless.
Far too many young black males have become especially adept at acting out
their frustrations at white society's denial of their "manhood" by
adopting an exaggerated "tough guy" role. They swagger, boast, curse,
fight and commit violent self-destructive acts. When many black males
indulge their murderous impulses on other black males, they are often
taking out their pent-up frustrations on those whom they perceive as
helpless and hapless.
This is a twisted, and warped response to racism and deprivation, blocked
opportunities, powerlessness and alienation.
The Bureau of Justice Statistics noted that the other powerful ingredient
in the deadly mix of black-on-black violence is the gang and drug plague.
The resurgence of the drug trade in recent years and the flood of felons
from prisons have made black gangs even bigger and more dangerous. Drug
trafficking not only provided illicit profits but also made gun play even
more widespread. Gang members used their arsenals to fend off attacks,
protect their profits from hostile predators, and to settle scores with
rivals. Broken homes, miserably failing inner city public schools, and a
chronic unemployment rate among young blacks that's double and triple that
of white males in urban areas haven't helped matters.
Other than Comedian Bill Cosby and some outraged, and terrified local
black leaders, mainstream civil rights leaders haven't said or done much
about the black murder carnage. The sight of the National Guard on New
Orleans streets may be a temporary comfort to residents and city officials
but it's only that temporary comfort. An impassioned Mayor Nagin put it
best, local residents and community groups must put their foot down and
say enough is enough, and take back their streets. That's still the best
way to stop the violence.
(source: Chicago Defender - Earl Ofari Hutchinson is a columnist for
BlackNews.com, an author and political analyst)