Indiana Makes Yet ANOTHER List...

Yessir, the state of Anemia....I mean INDIANA has made a rather "arrestive" (no pun intended) list, that being the "top ten" states regarding the homicide rate for blacks.

After reading About this, it was more anti-climactic for me than surprising. The two states that beat us (how dare they?) were Louisiana at #2, and Pennsylvania holding the #1 spot (and I know where the trouble is THERE).

The list is as follows: (per 100,000 people - compiled by FBI/DOJ for year 2004)

1) PA -29.52

2) LA - 29.48

3) IN - 29.30

4) CA - 28.95

5) MO - 28.63

6) MI - 28.27

7) MD - 24.64

8) MN - 24.45

9) NV - 23.67

10) AZ - 21.54

** Note - The national rate was 18.71 for black homicides The national rate was 2.97 for white homicides The national rate was 4.96 for ALL homicides.

website link: www.ojp.usdoj.gov

Now I COULD go on some (well-placed) tirade about how culling the herd in many cases is a good thing...like drug dealers shooting ONE ANOTHER, but I won't. Nor will I mention that around my neighborhood, it's not happening fast enough.I promise. What I will state is that Indianapolis is "averaging" about ONE homicide per EVERY THREE DAYS (they have EIGHT already). Fort Wayne/Allen County reported 19 homicides last year...and it was thirty the year before (thanks to Mr. Ramos killing his family and the Guitierrez girl). Sadly, tragedies such as that will tend to skew stats, and not properly elude to actual rates. Pennsylvania (my birth state and commonwealth that I still love) has only TWO major places that homicides regarding blacks would be an issue. Pittsburgh and Philly (and the immediatly surrounding areas) have the two greatest concentrations of blacks in the entire state. So there's where the problem is.... As to Louisiana, well, we ALL know the situation during and post-Katrina. It became blacks preying on blacks at the Superdome...nice, huh? You turn to killing when you should be HELPING one another...nice testament to the "human condition" (better to move to Darfur and practice your "trades"THERE). In all these numbers, about SEVENTY NINE PERCENT were killed with guns. And EIGHTY PERCENT of those deaths involved HANDGUNS. Now I'm a real big 2nd amendment guy, so this doesn't enter into MY equation. Rather it should send a message to those trafficking guns illegally. It's never about people LEGALLY owning guns of any sort...it's about those that skirt the law, straw-purchase, and steal guns to obtain them. THAT is the issue that needs to be addressed, and not MY right to own a few, and purchase them legally, so we won't even get into that. According to the Violence Policy Center (which supports gun conrol) EIGHTY-FIVE PERCENT of the homicides caused by handguns were black MALES. SO I guess the numbers really ARE on my side by living on the S.E. side...interesting.

If one were to peruse the DOJ website and check stats for the cities with the largest concenration of blacks AND the highest crime rates...there would be a very nice correlation between them. Almost city for city, the statistics reveal such glaring similarities.And is it such a surprise to us? Cities with drug problems, high poverty levels and large minority populations...it all comes together. But why? If I were to take another one of my "inside looking in" perspectives, I could see that a lack of MOTIVATION spurs much of the problem pertaining to poverty (see previous post about "poverty"). It's not really about not having enough money...it's about having to do actual WORK to get some. Why punch a CLOCK when you can punch a CLERK? That seems to be the mindset in many of these areas. The Walgreens (here) on E. Creighton was robbed TWICE within the past 7 days...and a customer just stood by and LAUGHED. The store is located in a predominantly black area of the S.E. side (as is most of it anymore).

I honestly feel for those in the black community that see this homicide rate as totally unacceptable. I grew up with friends of color, and they would be (and should be) appalled at the situation as it stands today. Now I suppose this type of self-inflicted genocide works well in a thrid-world country, but damn it, this is AMERICA, and we all should be a tad above this.. But I guess the lure of drugs, fast money, fast cars, and fast women is too enticing a carrot to let dangle.

It's long past time that the black community start DOING something about it...put an end to all this "stop snitching" crap, get PROACTIVE and take back YOUR neighorhoods, YOUR community, YOUR children, and YOUR future, because you don't like it when "whitey" intervenes. The police can't be everywhere and do everything...that much is a given.
What CAN be done is having citizens taking an ACTIVE part in changing the status quo in their community. It's not all about prayer meetings..it's about being responsible.

And let's face it...when things go wrong in your community...EVERYONE becomes "responsible"...real fast!