Many people have pointed out over the years that one race in particular has a gun violence problem, rather than America as a whole. The latest study by the CDC confirms that.
During the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. saw the highest firearm homicide rate in more than 25 years, according to a new analysis from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Firearms were involved in 79 percent of all homicides in 2020, an increase of nearly 35 percent from 2019.
Gun-related homicides increased across all demographics, in metropolitan and rural areas and among both men and women.
However, the increase was not equally distributed, and highlighted significant disparities in race, ethnicity and poverty levels. The largest increases in 2020 were among young Black males between the ages of 10 and 44.
The rate of gun homicides among the youngest Black males, between the ages of 10-24, was 21.6 times higher than white males of the same age, the CDC found.
There’s more at the link.
The report argues the usual reasons for the problem: family issues, poverty levels, and so on. However, it ignores the single biggest problem, namely the war on police. The cry to “defund the police”, and the increasing tendency to blame the cops for every shooting in which they’re involved, has had its inevitable effect. Many police departments no longer do their job diligently when it comes to run-down, high-crime neighborhoods. They know they’re going to be pilloried if they do: and even if they catch a criminal red-handed, in the act of his crime, they know that politically correct prosecutors are likely to either release him without charge, or administer a judicial slap on the wrist, rather than keep him off the streets and behind bars. Given that reality, is it any wonder that cops simply won’t put themselves at risk any longer? In their shoes, I wouldn’t, either.
If you could sort out the crime and violence problem in the black community alone, you’d reduce that problem in the USA as a whole, among all races, by something like 80%, perhaps even more. Unfortunately, because it’s not politically correct for police to focus on that, nothing will be done, and more and more young black people will go on dying.
Peter
I periodically do a post looking into homicides. Year after year, the numbers hold true. Those who live in large cities (over 100,000 in population) make up 29.13% of the population of the US. That same 29% is responsible for 53.34% of the homicides.
Overwhelmingly, the murderers and their victims are black.
The numbers don't lie. If you are a white or Asian, over the age of 30, and live anywhere where there are less than 100,000 people, your chances of being a victim of murder, or any violent crime, is virtually nil.
https://areaocho.com/2015-homicide-numbers/
My cynical side wants to say that this could be a self regulating problem. What have the high rates of aborting unwanted children among the black population done to the crime rates?
The problem with my cynical side is while there is a corrosive, toxic ghetto culture ethos running through the black experience, at the same time there is a black strain of intellectualism that runs through American discourse as well.
You can't pretend that the line from Fredrick Douglas, through Booker T Washington, through Thomas Sowell to Candice Owens isn't significant.
Any conversation about "gun violence" that isn't focused on black men is simply a political circlejerk. Of course none of the conversations focus on the obvious because the goal of gun control is not reducing gun violence but disarming White people.
You hit the nail on the head. To actually 'address' the problem would go counter to all the narratives out there about racism… so kids will continue to die in job lots.
I think you may have misidentified the main problem with the report's identification of problems.
@James – While the individuals you named are significant, there is no real "black strain" of intellectualism. These are intellectuals who happen to be black. Washington and Douglas did lend their considerable mental powers to the plight of their race, but unfortunately had little long-term effect.
Just the left continuing Margret Sanger's eugenics program via stealth.
@7916: I've said nothing about why the problem of violence is so severe in the black community specifically. That's a whole other ball of wax, and one I don't propose to touch with a ten-foot disinfected bargepole. Sadly, that's where political correctness effectively shuts down discussion – which is the worst thing that could be done, because it prevents any meaningful solution(s) from being discussed.
Peter – you did touch upon the culture issue in your very insightful book on prisons. Race was not mentioned specifically from what I remember.
"more and more young black people will go on dying" Not as tragic as more white folks will go on dying at the hands of blacks.
I'm past caring about this problem. We all know that a couple of specific socio-economic cohorts are responsible. My goal is to keep me and mine away from being the collateral damage. The ones responsible can kill themselves off completely for all I care. It's a shame, but not worth another ounce of concern or study. I learned a long time ago to not worry about things I can't change.
The reality is that some on the left like the dysfunctional minorities so they can get votes. If a lot of these folks were deported or repatriated elsewhere, the GDP of America would easily increase several points.
The problem is that there are too few blacks on the right to really make a difference. I listen to talk radio, and they are out there, and not the ones I would have a problem with. But show me any American black run city that is functional.
" That's a whole other ball of wax, and one I don't propose to touch with a ten-foot disinfected bargepole."
Really, Preacherman, I wish you would discuss this on your blog. I would love to hear your take on it. I think you would have a lot to add.
I'm concerned that the Black community have a general inability to think things through and foresee the problems that their actions will cause them. They are driven by emotion and desires rather than by logic.
"more and more young black people will go on dying."
Good.
They are proving, at an accelerating rate, they are worthless to an advanced Western society. Worse than dead weight. Totally without value. Their decision, not mine.
Lest I be accused of not being charitable; I have paid more in taxes than most people make a year. A great percentage those taxes were wasted – wasted – on social programs for those morons since the 1960's. Great Society my ass.
So good riddance. Between themselves and Planned Parenthood, society might stand a chance.
Peter,
Thanks for your honesty. I think there can be no discussions of solutions, for the unstated but known reasons.
Ruralcounsel has probably the most sensible course of action. Only partition and separation will make better neighbors.