Blacks Talking About Black-on-Black Crime

I did a double-take when I saw the headline and photos to this story: black people talking about out-of-control crime rates among blacks in a public forum. Blacks account for 13 percent of the U.S. population but commit over half the country’s violent crimes. In fact, the disparity is worse when you consider the main perpetrators: young black men.

As encouraged as I am about the article, I’d like to see more blacks discuss the disproportionate rate of black-on-white violence as well and whether they’ve noticed the leftist media’s lack of interest.

“It is shameful that we have more African American men in penal institutions of Alabama than we have in colleges and universities,” said Bishop Calvin Woods, president of Birmingham’s Southern Christian Leadership Conference. “Our fight against tyranny, injustice, hatred, violence and crime must be diluted by the evil spirits of some of our own people.”

“We are outraged over the insane murders taking place in the City of Birmingham by African Americans to African Americans,” Woods said. “We’re doubly disturbed when we see the black race committing genocide upon itself. We have no one to blame but ourselves.”

We have no one to blame but ourselves. What is to be done, and who’s going to do it?

The 80-year-old Woods, echoing what he said in a similar announcement in May, said the SCLC is launching several initiatives to help curb the trend. The group is calling on Birmingham- area pastors and other concerned citizens to teach and train leaders, parents, and guardians in anger management classes, bullying and parenting. “In our churches, schools and other organizations, parenting skills should be taught,” Woods said. “Ministers should preach and teach sermons such as ‘The black man and what we can do to save the black family.”

The group plans to hold mass meetings each month, if not more often, Woods said. “Picketing and protest marches against black black-on-black murders must be accelerated,” Woods said. “Blacks must stop turning on one another and turn with love to each other.”

I mentioned in a previous post the need for black pastors especially to engage the community on the issue of black-on-black violence, or crime in general, really. Star Parker, among others, has put out a call to black pastors who are pro-life, and oppose homosexual “marriage” and government dependency to speak out on these issues. The crime rate definitely is worthy of discussion. Respect for life and for traditional marriage can lead to family stability, which helps shelter children from becoming violent crime statistics. But 75 percent of black children are born into female-headed (aka fatherless) homes. The majority of juvenile delinquents and adult prisoners grew up in female-headed households.

The high crime rate among blacks is well known, and the excuses range from the “legacy of slavery” to poverty. I call foul. Individuals are responsible for what they do, and being descendants of slaves or being “poor” or feeling oppressed doesn’t cut it.

“The problem is black criminal behavior, which is one manifestation of a black pathology that ultimately stems from the breakdown of the black family,” wrote Jason Riley, author of Please Stop Helping Us: How Liberals Make It Harder for Blacks to Succeed. “Liberals want to talk about what others should do for blacks instead of what blacks should do for themselves. But if we don’t acknowledge the cultural barriers to black progress, how can we address them? How can you even begin to fix something that almost no one wants to talk about honestly?”

Pastors, so-called community leaders, and others can get the ball rolling, but individuals must change how they live. Here’s something for people who claim to be Christians to remember: God accepts no excuses. Each of us is accountable for our own actions, not what someone else might have influenced us to do.

Photo credit: Brandon Anderson (Creative Commons) Some Rights Reserved