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| Beyond George Zimmerman: where's the outrage about black-on-black crime? | Beyond George Zimmerman: where's the outrage about black-on-black crime? |
| (5 days later) | |
| As the George Zimmerman murder trial heads towards its conclusion this week, race has taken center stage. Since last year when Zimmerman allegedly killed Trayvon Martin in self-defense, the mainstream media joined by so called black activists injected a racially charged narrative into the case. You know "racist" white man profiles and kills black kid. | As the George Zimmerman murder trial heads towards its conclusion this week, race has taken center stage. Since last year when Zimmerman allegedly killed Trayvon Martin in self-defense, the mainstream media joined by so called black activists injected a racially charged narrative into the case. You know "racist" white man profiles and kills black kid. |
| Sadly, this trial wouldn't be receiving wall-to-wall national media coverage if Zimmerman was black. That's what we should be talking about. | Sadly, this trial wouldn't be receiving wall-to-wall national media coverage if Zimmerman was black. That's what we should be talking about. |
| Startling statistics reveal that between 1980-2008, African-Americans were six times more likely than whites to be victims of gun violence and seven times more likely to kill with guns than whites, according to the Justice Department. African-Americans represent a mere 13% of the US population yet more than 50% of federal prisoners are black. You can claim racial bias in the judicial system, but that doesn't explain all of it. | Startling statistics reveal that between 1980-2008, African-Americans were six times more likely than whites to be victims of gun violence and seven times more likely to kill with guns than whites, according to the Justice Department. African-Americans represent a mere 13% of the US population yet more than 50% of federal prisoners are black. You can claim racial bias in the judicial system, but that doesn't explain all of it. |
| Why aren't so-called black leaders outraged and marching over the recent shooting rampage in Chicago. During the 4 July holiday weekend, including the Wednesday leading up to it, 62 people were wounded by gun violence in Chicago and 12 others killed. The holiday shooting spree raised Chicago's homicide tally to 200 for the year. Last year about 500 people were killed, and most of those killing and being killed in Chicago are black. According to the Chicago Tribune, "blacks make up about 33% of the city's population, they accounted for nearly 78% of the homicide victims through the first six months of 2012". | Why aren't so-called black leaders outraged and marching over the recent shooting rampage in Chicago. During the 4 July holiday weekend, including the Wednesday leading up to it, 62 people were wounded by gun violence in Chicago and 12 others killed. The holiday shooting spree raised Chicago's homicide tally to 200 for the year. Last year about 500 people were killed, and most of those killing and being killed in Chicago are black. According to the Chicago Tribune, "blacks make up about 33% of the city's population, they accounted for nearly 78% of the homicide victims through the first six months of 2012". |
| With the mainstream media's national attention on the Zimmerman murder trail, I think it's stunning that scant, if any, attention was given to the violence raging in Chicago or other cities across the country. As I've said many times during this case, Americans, especially black Americans, have come to accept blacks killing other blacks as normal. | With the mainstream media's national attention on the Zimmerman murder trail, I think it's stunning that scant, if any, attention was given to the violence raging in Chicago or other cities across the country. As I've said many times during this case, Americans, especially black Americans, have come to accept blacks killing other blacks as normal. |
| When a white person is accused of killing a black person, African-Americans seem to care more and cry racism, allowing race baiting voices like Al Sharpton, who's a reverend as much as I'm a Democrat (hint: I'm not), to organize marches and rallies. The same is now true when a non-white like Zimmerman is accused of killing a black 17-year-old like Trayvon Martin. Last year blacks even got the news media to basically convict Zimmerman as a racist murderer in the court of public opinion before the trial even began. | |
| Even President Barack Obama got in on the act, stoking the racist flames before any facts were revealed, "If I had a son he'd look like Trayvon". Yet Obama has been a lot less vocal on the killings in Chicago, the city from which he hales and served as both an Illinois state senator and US senator. | Even President Barack Obama got in on the act, stoking the racist flames before any facts were revealed, "If I had a son he'd look like Trayvon". Yet Obama has been a lot less vocal on the killings in Chicago, the city from which he hales and served as both an Illinois state senator and US senator. |
| The tragedy is that blacks who are shouting about racism aren't offering real solutions, especially to the violence issue in African-American neighborhoods. Interestingly, Senator Mark Kirk (an Illinois Republican) has a plan to end gun violence in Chicago. Since 15-year old Hadiya Pendleton was murdered in January in Chicago after performing at Obama's 2013 inaugural, Kirk has been pushing the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and federal prosecutors to crack down on gang violence related to drugs, which police believe is driving the gun violence. | The tragedy is that blacks who are shouting about racism aren't offering real solutions, especially to the violence issue in African-American neighborhoods. Interestingly, Senator Mark Kirk (an Illinois Republican) has a plan to end gun violence in Chicago. Since 15-year old Hadiya Pendleton was murdered in January in Chicago after performing at Obama's 2013 inaugural, Kirk has been pushing the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and federal prosecutors to crack down on gang violence related to drugs, which police believe is driving the gun violence. |
| Kirk, a Republican, wants the FBI to prosecute these gang related crimes at higher rate given that about 18,000 people belonging to the Gangster Disciple gang, one of the most notorious gangs in Chicago (and beyond). Gangster Disciple stretches into 28 states and amasses more then $100m a year by selling drugs. And that's what we know about. In a meeting with Chicago Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy in June, the police superintendent told Kirk more than 100,000 gang members live in Chicago. As Kirk tried to tackle gang violence in his home state of Illinois, Representative Bobby Rush, a black Democrat representing the 1st district of Illinois for 20 years, which includes Chicago, railed against Kirk's plan as "upper middle class, elitist, white boy solution". Well, "the white boy" conservative is coming up with solutions while blacks like Rush and Ali stoop to calling conservatives of all colors heinous names when they highlight or offer solutions to the ills disproportionately harming black Americans. I have also been accused of being an "oreo" for merely stating the fact that more blacks are killing and being killed than any other race. Today the main people holding blacks back as a race and taking them back to the days of Jim Crow are blacks themselves. Self appointed black leaders, advocacy groups like the NAACP and black members of Congress cry racist at every turn. Beyond this battle cry, they have no solutions to offer blacks a way towards greater economic prosperity and less violent lives. | Kirk, a Republican, wants the FBI to prosecute these gang related crimes at higher rate given that about 18,000 people belonging to the Gangster Disciple gang, one of the most notorious gangs in Chicago (and beyond). Gangster Disciple stretches into 28 states and amasses more then $100m a year by selling drugs. And that's what we know about. In a meeting with Chicago Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy in June, the police superintendent told Kirk more than 100,000 gang members live in Chicago. As Kirk tried to tackle gang violence in his home state of Illinois, Representative Bobby Rush, a black Democrat representing the 1st district of Illinois for 20 years, which includes Chicago, railed against Kirk's plan as "upper middle class, elitist, white boy solution". Well, "the white boy" conservative is coming up with solutions while blacks like Rush and Ali stoop to calling conservatives of all colors heinous names when they highlight or offer solutions to the ills disproportionately harming black Americans. I have also been accused of being an "oreo" for merely stating the fact that more blacks are killing and being killed than any other race. Today the main people holding blacks back as a race and taking them back to the days of Jim Crow are blacks themselves. Self appointed black leaders, advocacy groups like the NAACP and black members of Congress cry racist at every turn. Beyond this battle cry, they have no solutions to offer blacks a way towards greater economic prosperity and less violent lives. |