Ronald James of north St. Louis, a former federal prisoner, was shot and killed with an assault rifle this morning. He had just gotten into his car. Ronald James was 31 years old.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, homicide is the leading cause of death for black men between the ages of 15 and 34.
For white men in that age range, the leading cause of death is accidents. The second-leading cause is suicide.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
12 comments:
UBM- I agree with you that this is most definitely a problem of the highest order. But would you agree with CNu on some level that the vast majority of these murders are drug related? And a lot of them done by those they know or a rival faction? Would like to hear your thoughts...
But would you agree with CNu on some level that the vast majority of these murders are drug related?
I have no way of knowing what the "vast majority" of these murders are due to, IW. But if they are... what does that mean?
Nulan uses that argument (ridiculously) to try to de-legitimize a public discussion of the racial disparity in homicide stats.
He thinks it's no big deal that black folks commit murder at seven times the rate of white folks.
Yet he pounds the pulpit over the profound injustice of racial disparities in drug sentencing, for example. And the large number of black men in prison.
But see... Nulan has, up to now, avoided the built-in contradiction of his argument. If black people commit more than half of all murders in U.S. because of their involvement in the drug trade... then why doesn't he praise the incarceration of as many black drug dealers as possible? Isn't incarceration saving black lives by reducing the number of black drug dealers -- and the lethal violence they generate (per Nulan) -- on the street?
In other words: Nulan wants to talk about black drug dealers as victims (of racist sentencing laws) all day long... but never wants to talk about the 20 murders a day they're largely responsible for (according to Nulan).
Based on things he's written online over the past two years, Nulan seems to find that much murder a rather tolerable fact of American life.
I have no way of knowing what the "vast majority" of these murders are due to, IW. But if they are... what does that mean?
UBM: What do you think it means?
^ Means people shouldn't sell drugs.
^Could also mean this.
KST: The black poverty rate is three times higher than the white poverty rate.
The black homicide rate is seven times higher than the white homicide rate.
Evidently, then, it's not merely about poverty.
About 4 or 5 years ago the City Paper in Baltimore had a column that expanded on the police blotter. It didn't just focus on the Black men murdered, but it highlighted all the murders that occurred that week and it stated the criminal record of the victim as well as the shooter. What it showed was that an overwhelming majority of the murders were drug related. Of course people complained and eventually the paper removed the criminal record info. With it's removal the murders seemed more stark and senseless...exactly what they weren't
So while we do not have independent info on whether the murders listed on this blog were a result of criminal activity, my guess is that they are.
I don't know the point of these posts. I have flipped past all of them so far with the exception of this one. Is this gonna be a regular feature?
^"With it's removal the murders seemed more stark and senseless...exactly what they weren't"
What makes these murders less sensless? How do you make sense of taking another life, unless it is in self-defense? We are killing one another at an alarming rate. Understanding why is only part of the solution, but it's the first step.
They weren't senseless because these people made the choice to enter into this lifestyle. (So now I am sure that you are going to go on about how they have no choice. Of course that is not true because there are people in their same neighborhood living in the same manner who for some reason did not choose their path.) A child, woman or man caught in the crossfire is a senseless killing. One drug dealer killing another is not. Obviously you differ in your opinion.
^"Obviously you differ in your opinion."
Actually, I do not. I am not an apologist for bad behavior. Drug related homicides, in my opinion ARE senseless. When I see children dying, neglected, abused, living in extreme poverty it makes no sense. There are reasons for this -not excuses. You cannot eradicate a problem without understanding why it exists to begin with.
People make choices, but many times their choices are based on their life experiences. Again, not an excuse, but you cannot ignore the underlying factors here. Where were the parents, extended families, churches, community activists?
Poverty and the programs that are supposed to eradicate it generate a lot of money in this country - yet the problem still exists. Crazy-ass liberal white guilt designed to soothe poor hurt feelings has been one of the biggest detriments to our society.
I cannot tell you how many young men and women I have seen, worked with, and lived near who are involved in the drug trade.
These children think nothing of their future, the consequences of their actions, or the effect is has on the communities in which they live. Do I mourn the loss of a drug dealer or those he was dealing to? Yes, I do.
Is this gonna be a regular feature?
Maybe.
Ronald James is my daughter's father. He had 4 children. He was the best father he knew how to be, so for all of your BS comments on the UBM I say, reach one, teach one instead of bashing one
Post a Comment