Last week I wrote about Michael Brown, Ferguson,
Missouri, and the expanding turmoil that has buffeted that St. Louis suburb, now
entering day 12. As I engaged a
cross-section of individuals in discourse about the subject, a number of those
people raised a variety of issues. Some
of those issues were offered as catalysts, others as part of an array of
interrelated matters; some causal, others part of the multi-faceted effects.
Rather than break down the various issues into
discrete categories, and spend time dissecting each one, I am going to elevate
and briefly explore the one with which I take greatest exception…and for which
there is wealth of easily accessible disproving data. Many of my friends and associates, and a
number of media mouth pieces are quick to default to “Black on Black Crime” as
the presumed elephant in the room that automatically shuts down all discourse
about tragic situations such as Michael Brown being killed by a white police
officer.
The typical dialogue tends to go along the lines of,
“But what about “Black on Black Crime or, what about black folk who kill other
black folk? Let me make this perfectly
clear. I abhor situations in which
people kill other people. When the
victim and the perpetrator are both black, it saddens me. Deeply!
To that end, I do not downplay such instances, nor give a pass to the
initiators of such violence. Full stop.
Having said that, what then irritates me so
thoroughly about inserting the axiomatic “Black on Black Crime label to shut
down discourse when a white law officer kills an unarmed black man? I am perturbed on many levels.
First, the comparison zeroes in on two events at such
polar opposite ends of the spectrum that enlisting apples and oranges does not
provide metaphorical justice. When an
individual kills another individual, even when unarmed, it is often a tragic
matter.
However, police officers are representatives of the
state (government). They are paid with
taxpayer dollars to protect and serve the public. To wit, when an officer of the law uses
his/her service revolver, Taser, night stick, choke hold, or any other
available mechanism to kill an unarmed black man, he or she has acted as an
extension of the state to kill a citizen.
In too many instances, such actions take on the appearance of a state
sponsored execution.
Therefore, when individuals, or groups, or the media conflate a black man killing an unarmed black man with the state, or as some may prefer, a public servant killing an unarmed black man, there is and should be a higher standard of scrutiny. This should be an automatic and systemic response. Unfortunately, we have become collectively inured to a particular narrative. “Black people are inherently prone to crime, and therefore deserving of summary justice…even when and if that justice is fatal.
That fairly long preamble was necessary to set the
stage for my main point. When is the
last time you heard the phrase “White on White Crime?” In all likelihood, reading it in the
preceding sentence was the first time you ever even heard of such a
concept. The absence of that term as a
regular talking point, compared with the prevalence of “Black on Black Crime”
is an example of the subtle mind-bending and thought harvesting that frames our
thinking…or lack thereof.
Well, put on your big boy/big girl pants; it’s time
to shatter the myth! Did you know, on a
macro scale, “White on White Crime is more prevalent than “Black on Black
Crime?” Don’t lie…hell no! You did not know that because no one ever
told you, and why would you ever consider such a possibility, unprovoked? Consider yourself provoked.
But the point is not just irritate you, as I am
irritated by the irresponsible, and inappropriate use of the “Black on Black
Crime” metaphor to shut down discourse about police killing unarmed
blacks. I want to share some information
that can move the dial on recognizing when someone is trying to blow smoke up
an orifice rather than engage you in a genuine dialogue about this important
matter.
In order to be reasonably informed on the issue,
there are some things you need to know, including:
·
In America, a
white person is almost six times more likely to be killed by another white
person than by a black person (FBI Homicide Data)
·
In 2011, there
were more cases of whites killing whites than of blacks killing blacks
o According to Bureau of Justice Statistics:
o For the period 1980-2008 53.3% of gang homicides were
committed by white offenders
o For the same period, 56.5% of gang homicide victims
were white
o White men are more likely to kill than any other
racial group or subset
o Other than gun violence, which is significant, white
men top the list in almost all other categories of homicides
o Whites are more likely to kill children
o Whites are more likely to kill the elderly
o Whites are more likely to kill family members
o White are more likely to kill their significant
others
o Whites are more likely to kill at their places of
employment
o Whites commit more sex-related crimes
o Whites commit more gang-related crimes
·
Studies show that blacks are no more likely than whites to use or sell drugs, and make up only 14% of regular drug users, yet blacks are more likely to be arrested for drug crimes, and they receive longer sentences than whites
Studies show that blacks are no more likely than whites to use or sell drugs, and make up only 14% of regular drug users, yet blacks are more likely to be arrested for drug crimes, and they receive longer sentences than whites
A simple truth is, white people kill lots of white
people and black people kill lots of black people. This is not because either group is burdened
by self-hate, but because murder is usually a crime of passion, or a crime of
convenience. Moreover, because we have
created or inherited an intensely segregated culture, within our own subgroups
is where our opportunities for interaction occur most often and most
organically.
White people who commit crime are considered deviant
individuals. Conversely, black people
who commit crime have their actions attributed to their race. Thus Chicago gang-bangers have become a
symbol that black men should be feared.
Yet, there seems to be no corollary assignment of fear to white men base
upon brutal murders committed by Neo-Nazi skinheads.
I am reminded of the eternal wisdom of the manager on
my first real job. In response to a
colleague’s protestation about the unfairness of a particular “management
decision,” the boss replied, “Whoever said life was fair?”
In other words, don’t get it twisted. I’m not whining about unfair treatment. In fact, I’m not whining. I am providing a public service. It behooves all of us to recognize, confront,
and dispute the myths that permeate our attempts to deal with issues of race,
ethnicity, and diversity (or lack thereof) in American society. If we do not, we are bound to repeat the
misadventures of Ferguson. It is long
past time for “A Frank Discourse: Revealing America’s Dirty Little Secret!”
I’m done; holla back!
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