Black Lives Matter is undergoing “growing pains,” according to a recent article that was carried in the Philadelphia Tribune, as it “evolves from social media hashtag to full-blown movement.”
Maybe it should consider adding a question mark, and a few letters to pose, “Do Black Lives Matter — to us?”
Black Americans are nearly eight times as likely as aWhite ones to be homicide victims, according to American statistician Nate Silver. In a huge majority of the cases, those victims died at the hands of another Black person. Should we tailor our level of outrage based on who’s behind the killing? No matter who kills the person, he or she is dead.
Black Lives Matter, despite its growing pains, has played a phenomenal role in raising awareness about police brutality, police cover-up and a racially biased justice system. It has forced America to take a good look at the historical mentality of law enforcement personnel, and it has led to such reform ideas as police body cameras. This editorial in no way is meant to diminish the very valid points of this movement.
But the success of its example stands in stark contrast to the inability to focus any effective attention on the high rate of Black homicides. Would critics intensely shining a disapproving spotlight on the murder of every single Black murder victim — with hashtags, banners and adjustments in law enforcement tactics — make a difference? Would it turn the tide against the violent behavior that has taken a room in our house?
The mayor of Philadelphia, where the homicide rate is slightly down from this time last year, was quoted in last month’s issue of The Atlantic magazine, with some advice for other mayors, “when young people are dying in the streets, you’ve got to take a forceful stand against the violence, or you’re going to be criticized for not fighting it and not caring about young African-Americans.”
Mayor Nutter bid those words in reference to Mayor Mitch Landrieu of New Orleans, where 6,000 African-American men have been murdered since 1980. Although White, Landrieu has become particularly outspoken about Black murders.
“I’m absolutely certain we have the money and the capacity to solve this problem, but we do not have the will,” he argued in The Atlantic. “This problem doesn’t touch enough Americans to rise to the level of a national crisis. But these are all our children. I’m embarrassed by it. How could this be normal?”
His city launched a program called “NOLA for Life,” which features mental-health counseling, substance-abuse counseling, job training, summer camps, midnight basketball leagues and counseling designed to discourage retribution from shootings. A gang violence reduction program targets the activities of small networks of gang members in specific locations.
Landrieu said of the violence, “This is absolutely not the state of nature. It’s treated like it is, but this is a lie.” He said the nation must embrace as unacceptable, “schools that are not working, people who don’t have jobs, and, consequently, young men killing each other because they don’t see anything better for themselves.”
So if Black lives are being snuffed out by people for whom life does not matter, then we must convince them — and us — that they do. Let’s create a hashtag and start a movement
About Post Author
