BLACK ON BLACK CRIME? BY WHO'S STANDARDS?

I’m angry as hell, not only with the violent crime that’s taking place here in Indianapolis, but our response to it. Yea, our response! I’m gonna give you some Angry Black Man 101. "Black-on-Black crime" is a myth, a socially accepted lie made up to introduce confusion, fear, and anti-Black sentiment. The term, along with the word "homeycides", summons this belief that we Black folks are inherently dangerous and the crime that occurs within our beloved Black community is an epidemic. 

The media, the politicians and the police don’t sensationalize "white-on-white crime.” I hope I don’t have to explain why! I found that most crime happens when: 1. A very serious need arises, 2. A helluva opportunity presents itself to fulfill this very serious need, 3. Proximity, or access to a person, place or thing, provides a helluva opportunity to fulfill this very serious need. HUM ya say? Hell, crime sure doesn’t occur in a vacuum. Our identities are informed by our privileges and the oppressions we face. Crime works in the very same way.

 The intersection of social problems (generational poverty, the school to prison pipeline etc.) and systems of oppression (white supremacy, patriarchy and capitalism) are undeniable factors ain’t they? Some folks say that poverty isn’t an excuse for crime. I agree a lil. However, to analyze Indianapolis crime fairly and accurately, I used an intersectional lens. Economic status, race and crime are linked in ways we have to understand before we can even try to reduce and stamp out violence in this city. “When you have what you need, opportunity and the means to sustain yourself and loved ones, you don't have to fight for it dammit!” As a street warrior, educator and speaker, I’ve met hundreds of young Black kids. All of them have dreams and determination. Ya see, it’s my hope that their circumstances will no longer dictate their potential. It’s easy for us to uplift and value those whose lives align with positive stuff. And in the same breath, we condemn and demonize young teenage killers….who commit heinous crimes, but we fail to ask ourselves the hard questions. Hum? “How do our children become so hopeless that they easily take the life of another person?

 What can we do to prevent these same circumstances from producing even more violence?” As a society, we often measure those we deem beneath us (in this case, Black youth) by some damn imaginary scale of goodness to determine whether they’re acceptable enough to be considered and treated as human. We decide a person's worth based on our own experiences and values! Truth! But what we don’t realize is that when we dehumanize others, we become inhumane our fuckin selves. Violence does not end by discarding "bad" people in favor of "good", law-abiding citizens. 

The cycle continues….. Dehumanization is violence. The anger with crime in Indianapolis is well justified. We Black folk must channel our collective emotions and resources….not into discarding our young and entire sections of this city….but into fighting a society that fuels a cycle of hopelessness so powerful that crime seems like the only option for a young brother. Only then can we build safe Black communities, restore hope and thrive, together. I’m out!