America is facing an epidemic of homicides among young black males.
According to a recent study conducted by Professor James Alan Fox of
Northeastern University, one of the nation’s leading criminal justice researchers, from
2002 to 2007 the number of black male juvenile homicide victims rose by 31 percent.
The number of young black homicide victims killed by guns rose at an even sharper
rate: 54 percent.1
This study examines the growing problem of black homicide victimization at the
state level.
The devastation homicide inflicts on black teens and adults is a national crisis,
yet it is all too often ignored outside of affected communities.
This study analyzes unpublished Supplementary Homicide Report (SHR) 2 data
for black homicide submitted to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). 3 The
information used for this report is for the year 2006 and is the most recent data
available. This is the first analysis of the 2006 data on black homicide victims to offer
breakdowns of cases in the five states with the highest black homicide victimization
rates, and the first to rank the states by the rate of black homicides.
National Data
For Welsing, the world's most pressing problem is the disturbing issue of white supremacy, or racism. "I put the discussion of melanin on the board in order to [describe how pigmentation] was a factor in what white supremacy behavior was all about," Welsing noted in an interview with Michael Eric Dyson for Emerge. "If I had my way, there wouldn't be all the discussion about melanin. I would say, Discuss white supremacy." Welsing laid the foundation for her ongoing discussion of white supremacy in her groundbreaking 1970 essay The Cress Theory of Color-Confrontation and Racism. In it, she reasoned that because whiteness is a color deficiency and white people make up only a small percentage of the earth's population, they tend to view people of color as a threat to their survival and therefore treat them with hostility. She stated that their defensive reaction has been to impose white supremacy, or racism, on people of color throughout history. Basing part ... more
According to the FBI SHR data, in 2006 there were 7,425 black homicide
victims in the United States. The homicide rate among black victims in the United
States was 20.27 per 100,000. For that year, the overall national homicide rate was
5.38 per 100,000. For whites, the national homicide rate was 3.14 per 100,000.
Additional information contained in the FBI SHR data on black homicide includes:
Gender
Of the 7,425 black homicide victims, 6,383 (86 percent) were male, and 1,041
(14 percent) were female. Gender was not recorded for one victim. The homicide rate
for black male victims was 38.14 per 100,000. In comparison, the overall rate for
male homicide victims was 8.73 per 100,000. For white male homicide victims it was
4.71 per 100,000. The homicide rate for female black victims was 5.66 per 100,000.
In comparison, the overall rate for female homicide victims was 2.11 per 100,000.
For white female homicide victims it was 1.60 per 100,000.
Age
As America pauses to honor the life and dream of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., we must take a hard look at the work that remains to be done to make Dr. King’s dream a reality. A toxic cocktail of poverty, illiteracy, racial disparities, violence and massive incarceration is sentencing millions of Black children to dead end lives and threatens to undermine the past half century of racial and social progress.
On Thursday January 13, leaders of the Children’s Defense Fund and the Black Community Crusade for Children (BCCC) will release two studies showing the deepening crisis facing America’s Black children and young adults. Marian Wright Edelman and Geoffrey Canada will announce the goals of a new crusade to save Black children and all children. The press conference will be streamed live at 9:30 a.m. Eastern time Thursday. Register to watch the event live on the Web.
The Black Community Crusade for Children is calling on America to take action for all children. We must raise a ruckus, a loud and persistent ruckus, to staunch the growing racial and class segregation in America, close the achievement gap, reweave the fabric of family and community; in sum we must build an effective voice for all children, especially the most vulnerable. Find out on Thursday why key Black leaders representing millions of Black stakeholders have taken up the challenge, learn about the ideas that work, and how you can get involved.
In the meantime, watch this video which includes children’s voices that contributed to the new research and outlines the portrait of inequality among Black children in America. Share the video with your friends and colleagues and help spread the word about the press conference.
We hope you will join us for this important event and throughout this campaign to save our youth.
Yours in service,
Children's Defense Fund
Six hundred seventy-seven black homicide victims (9 percent) were less than
18 years old and 126 black homicide victims (2 percent) were 65 years of age or
older. The average age was 30 years old.
Most Common Weapons
For homicides in which the weapon used could be identified, 82 percent of black
victims (5,722 out of 6,942) were shot and killed with guns. Of these, 79 percent
(4,501 victims) were killed with handguns. There were 671 victims killed with knives
or other cutting instruments, 258 victims killed by bodily force, and 175 victims killed
by a blunt object. Would MLK Support the War Today? Definitely Not. http://t.co/3HJMgit via @campusprogress Victim/Offender Relationship ,
For homicides in which the victim to offender relationship could be identified,
74 percent of black victims (2,607 out of 3,502) were murdered by someone they
knew. Eight hundred ninety-five victims were killed by strangers.
Circumstance
For homicides in which the circumstances could be identified, 69 percent (3,081
out of 4,490) were not related to the commission of any other felony. Of these, 56
percent (1,721 homicides) involved arguments between the victim and the offender.
Twelve percent (377 homicides) were reported to be gang-related. Forty-four percent
of these (167 homicides) were in California, which may be in part due to more
comprehensive reporting. In California, 45 percent of non-felony related homicides
were reported to be gang-related.
State Rankings
In 2006, the national black homicide victimization rate was 20.27 per 100,000.
For that year, Pennsylvania ranked first as the state with the highest black homicide
victimization rate. Its rate of 36.86 per 100,000 was more than one and a half times
the national average for black homicide victims. The remaining states that comprise
the top five are listed in the chart below. Additional information for each of these five
states can be found in Appendix One, including: age and gender of victims; types of
weapons used; relationship of victim to offender; and, the circumstances of the
murders. According to the SHR data, 20 states had a black homicide victimization
rate higher than the national per capita rate of 20.27 per 100,000. For an alphabetical
ranking of all states that submitted data to the FBI, please see the chart on pages four
and five.
Ranking State Number of
Homicides
Homicide Rate
per 100,000
1 Pennsylvania 490 36.86
2 Michigan 483 33.40
3 Indiana 184 32.65
4 Kansas 54 32.47
5 Nevada 63 32.26
Number of Black Homicide Victims and Rates by State in 2006, Ranked by Rate
Conclusion
Blacks in the United States are disproportionately affected by homicide. For the
year 2006, blacks represented 13 percent of the nation’s population, yet accounted
for 49 percent of all homicide victims. 4
As noted at the beginning of this study, the devastation homicide inflicts on
black teens and adults is a national crisis, yet it is all too often ignored outside of
affected communities.
For blacks, like all victims of homicide, guns—usually handguns—are far and
away the number one murder tool. Successful efforts to reduce America’s black
homicide toll must put a focus on reducing access to firearms
The End I Pray for Justice and B4 and until arrives ,and after ....God is my Friend an trust is with HIM .... http://wp.me/pyfak-2y
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