Thursday, March 28, 2024

Black-on-Black Crime: Who’s the Real Enemy Black America?

September 28, 2022 by  
Filed under BM, News, Opinion, Politics, Weekly Columns

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(ThyBlackMan.com“If there is no enemy within, the enemy outside cannot hurt you.” –African Proverb

Few topics of African-American bedlam have been as hush-hush and controversial as Black-on-Black Crime. We’ve discussed our hair, our bizarre dislike of each other. And thanks to Oprah, we have had a national debate about color consciousness (dark skin vs. light skin). But when it comes to Blacks victimizing other Blacks, we refuse to talk about it. Why? To find the answers, indulge me for a second as I direct you to the following sentence.

Picture this fictional scenario: Reverend Bayruth Madison is addressing a huge crowd on the state of  Blacks in America. Among the people in attendance, are celebrities, politicians and folks of every socio-economic status. Acknowledging the masses, the Nebraska native walks to the podium and greets his audience.  “I’m hear to talk about all  the terrible things African-Americans have endured.  You know what they are; slavery, racism, lynching, inequality, and every type of injustice you can imagine,” says Madison suppressing a groan. “And don’t forget the thousands of Black men in jail and prison,” someone yelled.

Oh yeah,” says Madison adjusting his tie. “How can we forget the deplorable social conditions, that’s responsible for our young men, wasting their lives behind bars? Men who could have made great contributions, were it not for the fact they are Black, and at the mercy of a racist society.”

Black on Black Crime.

As the minister’s words resonated with emotion, the crowd chanted, “No Justice, No Peace.”   Suddenly, from out of nowhere came a lone voice. “What about Black-on-Black Crime Mr. Madison?” The sound continued, “You and other Black leaders, who shall remain nameless for obvious reasons, protest, and take to the streets when African-Americans are murdered by people of European descent. However, you can’t be found when Blacks kill each other. Why is that?”

Stunned by the comments, everyone turned to see who had the audacity to bring up a topic, that many African-Americans refuse to acknowledge. But there she stood, an attractive Black woman in a pinstripe suit, who knew the controversy her question incited.

Observing the mood of the crowd, the curious woman repeated the question. “Why is it that when Blacks kill other Blacks, no one in the African-American community blinks an eye? And since you have all the answers Reverend, would you care to respond?”

You know Black people don’t air their dirty laundry in public,” Madison mumbled. “Yes,” proclaimed the woman, clenching her fist. “And that is the problem. Perhaps, if we focus on how we treat each other,  we could drastically reduce Black-on-Black crime. But that doesn’t interest you does it Mr. Madison, because you’re too busy pretending the problem doesn’t exist.”

Hearing the anger in the woman’s voice, Bayruth Madison was rendered speechless as he looked down at the podium. Not surprisingly, silence is the general reaction of African-Americans  when discussing this issue. It is a topic no one wants to talk about, but I do, and I will.

 Stop Pointing Fingers!

Do you know who is responsible for the high homicide rate among Blacks?  If you say Caucasians you’d better guess again. The # 1 group responsible for killing Blacks, are Blacks. That’s a “stunning” revelation isn’t it? So are the statistics: In 2016, 90.1% of Black victims were murdered by African-Americans. According to the Justice Department, young Black men aged 15 -19 are the leading victims of homicide at the hands of other Blacks. These figures show that instead of trying to live peacefully, we are committing crimes against each other. Why is that?

 Speak Up Now!

Black leaders address racism and police brutality. But how many times have they had a candid discussion about Black-on-Black Violence? Moreover, can you recall the last time the issue appeared on a race relations panel?

So, where is the outrage? Where is the outcry from the Black community?  Sadly, our voices are eerily quiet. Why do we get angry when a racist skinhead shoots a Black woman at point-blank range, but remain unaffected when a 16-year-old African-American teen breaks into a home and stabs the 87-year-old  Black home owner 30 times? Have we become so predisposed to violence in our community we simply don’t care?

For too long we’ve been thinking the enemy was the other race; but if they were our enemy then, who is the enemy now?  Unfortunately, our enemy has changed his color to Black. Or is that the way it’s always been? Yes, we have met the enemy, and when it comes to crime and violence, it is US.

How to Combat Black on Black Crime

* Stop denying that the problem exists. It’s easy to say Black-on-Black crime doesn’t affect you, it does. It affects all of us, from the richest of the rich, to the lowest of the low.  Similarly, we should stop saying this is not a problem. The truth is, it’s our problem. Therefore, don’t ignore the facts. Arm yourself with information about the physical and psychological impact this is having on our community.

* When Blacks kill each other, show as much anger as you would if the situation was reversed. Have you given much thought to the message we send when we protest White-on-Black violence, yet look the other way when we commit crimes against each other?

* We should instill in ourselves that violence is not the answer, and everyone’s life is valuable. So let’s put away the guns and knives, as we work to stop the flow of  blood that threatens every Black man, woman and child. How’s that for a dose of reality?

Staff Writer; Peggy S. Butler

One can contact this sister at; PeggySB@ThyBlackMan.com.


Comments

11 Responses to “Black-on-Black Crime: Who’s the Real Enemy Black America?”
  1. This is a KKK parody site right? Just a bunch of redneck white boys posing as black people. Or maybe Russian propaganda. There aren’t any black people actually this stupid and oblivious. Can’t be. I see you RNC. Come on out from beneath the robes. Is Mammy Owens your editor? Do you love Judge Crowe? How do you feel about helping Miss Scarlett fight dem yankees? Gotta love CONservative “black folk”. There’s nothing they won’t do for masta.

  2. thetruthalwayshurts says:

    After reading the comments about this article I totally agree that crime has no color assigned to it. I also realize that their many from outside our community that will sensationalize acts of violence when it happens to be black on black, or just when the culprit is black and victim is nonblack. With all that said, I will go out on a limb and reinterpret want the Author is suggesting. Which is too many in the black community make it a habit to glorify negative behavior in a number ways. And this does have an impact on especially our youth. Pushing ideas that being Thug, Drug Dealer, Gangster, Pimp, Stripper, whore of slut has never been healthy for us.

  3. Jai says:

    I hope ppl realize that white on white crime, Asian on Asian crime and insert any other group/community is a Thing. Crime tends to happen in proximity. So this article is out of touch , unnecessary and a major disservice to the black community.

    • Brian says:

      True points, but the difference is that whites and Asians generally don’t act like they’ve no idea what you’re talking about, or scream “RaCiSm!!”, when you bring those two categories up. Many white people would be perfectly happy to have people like James Holmes or Charles Manson executed, while the black community makes martyrs out of their garbage and condemns those who raise themselves up and excel in life, as not being black enough. Al Sharpton said it best, in his eulogy for Michael Brown; “… some of us act like the definition of blackness is how low you can go… now we get to the 21st century, we get to where we’ve got some positions of power. And you decide it ain’t black no more to be successful”

  4. csm says:

    Some points of fact:

    First, you could replace “black-on-black” with “white-on-white” and every point made would still apply. That’s because crimes are typically committed where criminals are; 84% of crimes against whites are committed by whites. “Black-on-black” crime is a destructive and racist connotation that implies crime is a feature of being black, as opposed to the reality that crime is a feature of poverty.

    Secondly, to say that black folk don’t speak out about crime is typical of those who shop “black-on-black” crime. That is also simply not true. I lived in Chicago for 20+ years up until recently, and people in communities affected by gang violence are constantly marching, meeting with CPD for more police presence, and outright condemning gang violence, on a regular basis. The problem is national media ignores these protests and people in the community who have been speaking out, instead preferring to highlight when a black person is killed by police. Just because that’s all you see doesn’t mean black people aren’t speaking out.

    Violence is not the answer, and that’s what people in the community have been saying, but it falls on deaf ears so as to perpetuate “black-on-black” crime as a narrative designed to present black people as inherently criminal and out of control. Nothing could be further from the truth.

    Crime in the black community is not a civil rights issue, its a crime issue. We need more police who will hold criminals accountable, prosecutors who will keep violent criminals locked up without bail, and stiff sentences for gun crimes. Black folk in the community have been saying this for years. But that’s ignored so that crime in the black community can be racialized.

    Instead of falling into racist stereotypes, visit the black community, talk to community leaders about their ongoing efforts to combat crime and gang violence.

    That’s my two cents…

    • Rodney McCorley says:

      It is a feature of black communities and not just poor communities though. West Virginia is the 3rd poorest state in the country and yet it’s got a homocide rate of 7/100k. Meanwhile the District of Columbia is only the 9th poorest and has a murder rate of 33/100k.

      The difference is WV is 91% white, and DC is 44% black.

      This difference becomes more stark when you break it down by county.

      Owsley county in Kentucky has an average income of 17,776 dollars a year. 25k below the national average, and has a violent crime rate below the national average as well. It’s 98% white.

      Meanwhile the blackest county in America, Jefferson MS, is similarly impoverished, and has crime rates 50% over the national average.

      • Al says:

        You are aware that you’re comparing predominately white rural areas with predominately black urban areas, aren’t you?

        That’s the main difference, yet to fail to even mention it.

        Crime rates are typically considerably higher in poor urban areas throughout the world, in comparison to poor rural areas.

        The article should be titled poor people in urban areas-on-poor people in urban areas crime.

        People that live in poor urban areas are inherently more likely to commit crime than the national average, regardless of the colour of their skin.

    • Daren Thomas says:

      But what you are missing in your reply is the fact that on a per capita basis, black people are committing violent crimes 7 times more often than the next closest group (whites). And most of those violent crimes are against other black people, as mentioned here. So yes, while most violent crimes against other groups are committed by the same groups, it is happening at a seriously dis-proportionate rate compared to other groups. This should sadden anyone, regardless of ethnicity, and all of us should be able to discuss it without being vilified. Once we can do that, we can all work to make change. And by all I mean ALL. This is a problem that needs to be addressed by all and we cannot do it by burying it or pretending like someone is a villain for bringing it up. The article is spot on.

    • Brian says:

      “We need more police who will hold criminals accountable, prosecutors who will keep violent criminals locked up without bail, and stiff sentences for gun crimes. Black folk in the community have been saying this for years. But that’s ignored so that crime in the black community can be racialized.”

      It’s not ignored by anyone except the rest of the black community. If you truly want that stuff, then you need to stop voting for people whose entire campaign platform is built on promising the exact opposite of all of that, and then acting shocked when you get what you voted for.

  5. J says:

    LOL We speak out about this all the time! Why doesn’t that get the coverage that your talking point does? We already know why there is black on black crime, whenever a group of people are fighting for limited resources to survive violence happens. It doesnt matter what demographic youre in.

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