"The White Man is our mortal enemy, and we cannot accept him." Louis Farrakhan
Actually, Louis Farrakhan is wrong. African-Americans have more to fear from other African-Americans than they do from the likes of George Zimmerman. The facts:
Where is the outrage? Yesterday and today, we've witnessed the indignation across the nation in response to the Zimmerman verdict. Yet, the wrath at blacks shooting and murdering other blacks at a horrific rate largely has gone unnoticed nationally especially by the media. In fact, the media makes it a point to racially charge incidents such as the Zimmerman/Travon tragedy (read my previous two posts regarding the shameful behavior of the media in this sad episode. The media should take a cue from Travon's family who have acted and responded with grace and dignity throughout this sad period in their lives). It's morally shocking. It should be unacceptable for any society to tolerate that kind of assault on any of its citizens regardless of race and ethnicity.
And the leadership in the white community does not get a pass either. These crimes affect everyone in society regardless of race. To many in the white community (as in the media which is largely white) enable this type of behavior or turn a blind eye to it.
The fact is law enforcement cannot be everywhere. The police generally respond to incidents. They rarely are able to prevent most murders. That leaves the leadership in the black, white and brown communities to be the chief drivers of change in their communities. Leading from behind won't work. In addition, leaving candles, flowers and a few cute stuffed animals at the site of a murder don't stop crimes. They might make the community "feel" better to honor the victim. However, in my experience, it appears to stop there. So over time, the candles burn out, the flowers die and the cute, stuffed animals begin fraying until the next victim. And then the grieving process starts all over again to be replaced by more candles, flowers and stuffed animals.
It was Martin Luther King, Jr., who reminded us, "We must love together as brothers or we will perish together as fools."
It's time to stop the insanity, to stop the foolishness or we'll continue to see the outcomes Martin Luther King, Jr., warned us about.
Actually, Louis Farrakhan is wrong. African-Americans have more to fear from other African-Americans than they do from the likes of George Zimmerman. The facts:
- This week Mediaite reported that about 11,000 blacks have been murdered since Travon was killed in February of 2012. Did you hear or see the likes of Sharpton and other race baiters and race inflamers show any concern about such extreme violence?
- Over the recent July 4th weekend in Chicago, there were 70 people were wounded from gun shots and 10 killed. While African-Americans make up approximately 33% of Chicago's population, in 2012 they made up approximately 78% of the homicide victims. Chicago Tribune
- Of the 500 murders in Chicago in 2012, 62 were school aged children.
- In New York City in 2012, murder victims were more frequently black at 61% (Hispanics approximately 27%). The known murder suspects who were black stood at 53.7%( Hispanics at 34.8%). White suspects accounted for 8.7%. NYPD Enforcement Report
Where is the outrage? Yesterday and today, we've witnessed the indignation across the nation in response to the Zimmerman verdict. Yet, the wrath at blacks shooting and murdering other blacks at a horrific rate largely has gone unnoticed nationally especially by the media. In fact, the media makes it a point to racially charge incidents such as the Zimmerman/Travon tragedy (read my previous two posts regarding the shameful behavior of the media in this sad episode. The media should take a cue from Travon's family who have acted and responded with grace and dignity throughout this sad period in their lives). It's morally shocking. It should be unacceptable for any society to tolerate that kind of assault on any of its citizens regardless of race and ethnicity.
And the leadership in the white community does not get a pass either. These crimes affect everyone in society regardless of race. To many in the white community (as in the media which is largely white) enable this type of behavior or turn a blind eye to it.
The fact is law enforcement cannot be everywhere. The police generally respond to incidents. They rarely are able to prevent most murders. That leaves the leadership in the black, white and brown communities to be the chief drivers of change in their communities. Leading from behind won't work. In addition, leaving candles, flowers and a few cute stuffed animals at the site of a murder don't stop crimes. They might make the community "feel" better to honor the victim. However, in my experience, it appears to stop there. So over time, the candles burn out, the flowers die and the cute, stuffed animals begin fraying until the next victim. And then the grieving process starts all over again to be replaced by more candles, flowers and stuffed animals.
It was Martin Luther King, Jr., who reminded us, "We must love together as brothers or we will perish together as fools."
It's time to stop the insanity, to stop the foolishness or we'll continue to see the outcomes Martin Luther King, Jr., warned us about.
