Black Lives Matter

 

It is true that young black men are being killed disproportionately — killed brutally, ruthlessly, and unjustly. And we need to talk about it if we hope to put an end to it.

We have data, and that data has been studied carefully. We know, based on that, that police are not the ones doing the killing. We know, based on that data, that police do not disproportionately kill young black men.

We also know that, overwhelmingly, young black men are the victims of other young black men — that young black men are both killers and victims at a vastly higher rate than are other groups in the United States.

It isn’t ambiguous. It isn’t even close. It isn’t subject to misinterpretation. It’s simply the truth.

And we have to talk about it.

Because what the activists of BLM and their ilk are saying — that the police are the problem — is simply incorrect: they are speaking out of ignorance, or greed, or some other motive. But they’re wrong, and it’s easy to demonstrate that they’re wrong.

And every day that we spend ignoring the actual, demonstrable problem of violence among black Americans, is a day we can’t spend identifying and solving that problem.

And every day that we spend weakening and marginalizing the police is a day spent making the problem worse, because it is more policing, not less, that is required to reduce crime in our black communities.

We have to be free to talk about everything.

Published in Policing
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  1. KCVolunteer Lincoln
    KCVolunteer
    @KCVolunteer

    namlliT noD (View Comment):

    Henry Racette:

    We also know that, overwhelmingly, young black men are the victims of other young black men — that young black men are both killers and victims at a vastly higher rate than are other groups in the United States.

    It isn’t ambiguous. It isn’t even close. It isn’t subject to misinterpretation. It’s simply the truth.

    And we have to talk about it.

    It’s blazingly obvious, but we’re not allowed to talk about it.

    Which is quite the accomplishment from an Orwellian “2+2=5” point of view.

    But it seems to leave the problem unsolvable.

    But also, talking about race won’t solve the problem either.

    And none of it makes sense. After all, the head of the Chicago police department is black. Appointed by a black mayor. If it was racial issue, Chicago would be thriving and peaceful.

    Which strongly suggests that we’re being distracted from the real problem.

    There are two choices the black mayor could have made. 1) Adopt ‘racist’ white conservative culture that has been proven to advance the lives of Asian Americans. 2) Adopt white liberal culture. She’s chosen poorly. See “Black Rednecks and White Liberals” Thomas Sowell.

    • #31
  2. Henry Racette Member
    Henry Racette
    @HenryRacette

    Don, KE,

    I guess it’s possible that the problem of crime in our black communities can’t be addressed by changing the narrative and bringing public attention to failed policies and their social consequences. I think it probably can be, but we can simply disagree.

    There are other compelling reasons to change the narrative. The myth of “racist America” is distorting and corrupting our institutions throughout the nation. I believe that only by attacking the fiction at the heart of it with lots of rational discussion will we be able to stop and reverse that trend. That can be done whether or not we manage to address the tragedies within the Democrat fiefdoms of our worst urban centers.

    H.

    • #32
  3. Fake John/Jane Galt Coolidge
    Fake John/Jane Galt
    @FakeJohnJaneGalt

    Henry Racette (View Comment):

    namlliT noD (View Comment):

    Henry Racette (View Comment):

    JustmeinAZ (View Comment):

    There’s not going to be a conversation because those at fault do not want there to be a conversation.

    I’m sorry, that’s just a little too defeatist for me.

    Not necessarily. Such a conversation is unlikely to solve the problem.

    If my theory is correct, that the major cause of black people murdering black people in a given city is not due to race, but rather a side effect of terrible city management and corruption where a lot of black people happen to live… then it pretty much describes its own solution, right?

    Don,

    Your comment confuses me. It seems to suggest that, per JAZ, the conversation can’t happen, OR that, even if it happens, it’s unnecessary and unproductive because the answer is obvious.

    But the current reality is that “racism” is being blamed for violence against black Americans. Unless we have some kind of discussion about that, it’s reasonable to assume that racism will continue to be blamed for this.

    Where I think some of you are mistaken is in the apparent belief that “the conversation” must necessarily engage the people most responsible for the problems we’re having. I don’t think that’s true. What’s required is that enough people come to understand the actual problem that we’re able to influence, or eject from positions of authority, those people most responsible. We don’t need to talk to them. We need to talk to each other, and agree to throw them out of office.

    We can do that.

    Look, the point is that whites are causing the situation where blacks are being killed.  If we can not agree with that then you are a racist.  

    The above is the perspective the Left is coming from.   If you do not agree with them then you are a racist, part of the problem and thus not worthy of discussion.  

    • #33
  4. namlliT noD Member
    namlliT noD
    @DonTillman

    Henry Racette (View Comment):

    Don, KE,

    I guess it’s possible that the problem of crime in our black communities can’t be addressed by changing the narrative and bringing public attention to failed policies and their social consequences. I think it probably can be, but we can simply disagree.

    We don’t really disagree.  At least not much.  I certainly agree that the narrative and policies have been, and still are, horribly destructive.

    But that doesn’t point to an actionable solution.

    • #34
  5. Henry Racette Member
    Henry Racette
    @HenryRacette

    namlliT noD (View Comment):

    Henry Racette (View Comment):

    Don, KE,

    I guess it’s possible that the problem of crime in our black communities can’t be addressed by changing the narrative and bringing public attention to failed policies and their social consequences. I think it probably can be, but we can simply disagree.

    We don’t really disagree. At least not much. I certainly agree that the narrative and policies have been, and still are, horribly destructive.

    But that doesn’t point to an actionable solution.

    *sigh*

    All I’m saying is that, in order to have any hope of finding an actionable solution, we’re going to have to stop acting on the fiction currently promulgated. And that means we’re going to have to talk about the truth.

    So talking about it isn’t sufficient, but it is necessary.

    Fake John/Jane Galt (View Comment):
    The above is the perspective the Left is coming from.   If you do not agree with them then you are a racist, part of the problem and thus not worthy of discussion.  

    There seems to be a persistent belief here that I’m calling for a conversation with activists on the left. I’m not. I believe that American political opinion is largely distributed on a bell curve, and that the activists — right and left — are the minorities out on the ends. I’m saying that the folks in the middle hear from the activists out at the left end far more than they do from the activists out on the right end (that is, from people like me), and that we need to fix that by being more vocal.

    I don’t imagine that the left and right tails can productively engage each other. But they don’t have to.

    • #35
  6. RushBabe49 Thatcher
    RushBabe49
    @RushBabe49

    President Trump made some headway with black people.  We need to be engaging with the black people where they live, in the inner cities where they can’t let their kids play outside for fear of flying bullets.  There are some black families that are ripe for “conversion” if we appeal to their emotions, like love for their kids, and fear for their lives.

    • #36
  7. kedavis Coolidge
    kedavis
    @kedavis

    RushBabe49 (View Comment):

    President Trump made some headway with black people. We need to be engaging with the black people where they live, in the inner cities where they can’t let their kids play outside for fear of flying bullets. There are some black families that are ripe for “conversion” if we appeal to their emotions, like love for their kids, and fear for their lives.

    But if they are still living in those same awful places, it seems likely they’d still go along with that “game” in order to not “out” themselves.

    And that’s just the first complication I can think of.

    • #37
  8. Henry Castaigne Member
    Henry Castaigne
    @HenryCastaigne

    RushBabe49 (View Comment):

    It’s The Culture, Stupid. No black person will admit that the Street Culture is murderous. Black kids without fathers joining gangs. Black women with more than one partner, and kids by many fathers, none of whom helps raise the kids. Etc. Not fixable with any amount of money.

    There are many many blacks who say this exact thing. Some of them are even on the left. It’s still a mainstream taboo among leftists of all colors to say it though. 

    • #38
  9. kedavis Coolidge
    kedavis
    @kedavis

    Henry Castaigne (View Comment):

    RushBabe49 (View Comment):

    It’s The Culture, Stupid. No black person will admit that the Street Culture is murderous. Black kids without fathers joining gangs. Black women with more than one partner, and kids by many fathers, none of whom helps raise the kids. Etc. Not fixable with any amount of money.

    There are many many blacks who say this exact thing. Some of them are even on the left. It’s still a mainstream taboo among leftists of all colors to say it though.

    And even if they recognize/admit that problem, there’s still too much like some of my former neighbors in Phoenix.  “Wow the Democrats have really made a mess!  We have to elect more Democrats to fix it!”

    • #39
  10. Flicker Coolidge
    Flicker
    @Flicker

    Henry Racette (View Comment):

    Don, KE,

    I guess it’s possible that the problem of crime in our black communities can’t be addressed by changing the narrative and bringing public attention to failed policies and their social consequences. I think it probably can be, but we can simply disagree.

    There are other compelling reasons to change the narrative. The myth of “racist America” is distorting and corrupting our institutions throughout the nation. I believe that only by attacking the fiction at the heart of it with lots of rational discussion will we be able to stop and reverse that trend. That can be done whether or not we manage to address the tragedies within the Democrat fiefdoms of our worst urban centers.

    H.

    Attacking the “racist America” narrative is worthwhile.  It should be easy to rebut it, except for the strangle hold the Press has on people’s communications, and speech and, therefore, their thinking.

    • #40
  11. Henry Castaigne Member
    Henry Castaigne
    @HenryCastaigne

    namlliT noD (View Comment):
    “Racism” is the default go-to weapon of the Dems.  When “racism” is mentioned they’re not being serious, they’re not acting in good faith, it’s simply a hand grenade over the transom.

    I think they are acting in good faith and are just completely irrational. What do we do then? 

     

    • #41
  12. JustmeinAZ Member
    JustmeinAZ
    @JustmeinAZ

    Henry Castaigne (View Comment):

    namlliT noD (View Comment):
    “Racism” is the default go-to weapon of the Dems. When “racism” is mentioned they’re not being serious, they’re not acting in good faith, it’s simply a hand grenade over the transom.

    I think they are acting in good faith and are just completely irrational. What do we do then?

     

    Cannot believe they are acting in good faith. It is only a weapon.

    • #42
  13. kedavis Coolidge
    kedavis
    @kedavis

    JustmeinAZ (View Comment):

    Henry Castaigne (View Comment):

    namlliT noD (View Comment):
    “Racism” is the default go-to weapon of the Dems. When “racism” is mentioned they’re not being serious, they’re not acting in good faith, it’s simply a hand grenade over the transom.

    I think they are acting in good faith and are just completely irrational. What do we do then?

     

    Cannot believe they are acting in good faith. It is only a weapon.

    Delusional people say ridiculous and obvious false things “in good faith” all the time.  The problem is not that they’re not acting “in good faith,” it’s that their “good faith” is delusional.  At least for many of the followers, if not their leaders.

    As Londo said to Vir, “when you are insane, you say things like that as we might discuss the weather.”  (more or less)

    • #43
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