So this "black on black" crime nonsense simply has to stop. In response to the police killings of innocent black people I saw so many folks posting "What about black on black crime?" on fb that I made a blanket retort and spent so much time out of my day posting this on every status I saw that referenced "black on black crime," it was exhausting... Anywho, here it is for your enjoyment :)
The issues IN our community are tied to violence from OUTSIDE of our community. You want to talk about what the community needs to do without addressing HOW it got that way. Address how it GOT that way FIRST instead of running to absolve white supremacy from conditions that it created. Secondly, the community has ALWAYS talked about violence and addressing ways to mediate it.
Criminals commit crime. People in poverty commit crime. People in close proximity commit crime. There is nothing unique about intraracial Black violence. But to say we need to address that FIRST before holding what's accountable for how we even got there is COWARDICE. There is nothing pathological about being Black that causes crime. Stop being so fearful of standing up to White Supremacy that it's easier to cower back on Black people. Telling people to pull themselves up by their bootstraps when they ain't even got laces. We have been free in this country for 50 years. Just 50. That's barely older than most people you know. An entire 80% of this nation's entire existence has been under legalized, government sanctioned white supremacy. VIOLENCE. But now it's our fault that our communities struggle as if these people didn't continuously divest resources from and build highways through Black neighborhoods. If you wanna be on some save my people first sh*t, fine. Do it. But TALK about how your people got in the condition where they need saving to BEGIN WITH. Let's do a timeline since I don't have time but I got time.
Slavery started in 1619
Declaration of Independence 1776 (slavery still poppin)
Constitution 1789 (3/5ths outchea)
Civil War 1861
Slaves "freed" 1865
Reconstruction for 12 years followed by 100 YEARS OF JIM CROW
Civil Rights 1965
It's 2017. That's 52 years.
I didn't even mention convict leasing which fueled this notion of inherent Black criminality. Those convicts mined In mines, made clothes, and dig ditches and roads. America NEVER let the negro free. War on Drugs in the 80s and 90s. When I see statements like this being made I can't help but think it is an attempt to curry White favor because you want to feel like one of the good and logical ones. Your respectability is not gonna help you. Acting like the projects weren't built to segregate Blacks then allowed to waste away. Acting like those corner boys had the resources to bring cocaine from South America or the guns. Acting like banks refused to loan in certain areas while home values grew to the hundred of thousands in others. Areas where Black families couldn't move or get loans even after serving. The wealth gap didn't magically appear. We didn't magically appear at the bottom through some natural instance. FOCUS ON ISSUES or learn something so you can. You're embarrassing yourself. And by focus on the issue for those who aren't aware: The problem ain't never been being Black, the problem is accepting a system that makes you believe you must be flawless and a bunch of strangers you don't even know need to be flawless just to get to base 1 for humanity. Allowing yourself to start in the negative instead of standing up like a man and saying treat me human because I am. Ain't no stipulations or hoops on that. Funny how people who would NEVER LET ANOTHER person treat them like less than a man are quick to suggest they must meet some arbitrary standards of white supremacy before feeling worthy of respect and common decency extended to your non Black peers. Only folks like you believe that you gotta do something first just to get respect for your existence. Internalized anti-Black bias has lots of faces. 😉