“But What About Black-on-Black Crime?”
Dispelling the myth that black-on-black crime is the greatest threat to the lives of Black Americans.
The Black Lives Matter movement has gained massive momentum these past couple of months after the killings of Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Aubery and George Floyd. During this time, I have heard both words of allyship and of ignorance from my peers. An argument that has been commonly brought up is, “But, what about black-on-black crime?”
The Root of Black-on-Black Crime
There is nothing peculiar about black-on-black crime when you examine the social realities of most crime.
In most street/urban areas,
- Most criminal offenses occur five to six blocks from where the offender lives.
- Most homicides occur among people known to the offender.
This is not to defend black-on-black crime but to provide insight into why it may be occurring at such high rates.
Considering most black people in America are systematically housed in overcrowded, slum areas, the chances of the victim being the same race as the offender is significantly increased.
“In a capitalist society such as the United States, social and economic relations are basically competitive and generate substantial inequities in the allocation of material resources.” — source
