Intra-communal Violence NOT Black on Black crime. The phrase Black on Black on crime is actually a racist trope that has been used to discredit racism faced by Africans(Black people) in America. I am using the phrase intercommunal violence instead of Black on Black crime because these problems persist among all racial and ethnic groups whom communities have neglected for decades. You are more likely to die by the hands of someone, who looks like you because of living in close proximity and it has absolutely nothing to do with race but rather survival and competition for resources. The most Important resources that can reduce or maybe hopefully stop violence are education, mental health, decriminalization of small and petty crimes, decriminalize marijauna.
“The “what about black-on-black crime” rejoinder usually is meant to imply that African Americans are indifferent to the thousands of young black men — and increasingly, black children — who are slain every year in gun violence. It insinuates that black people blithely accept killings by our own that have racked some communities for decades and take to the streets only when white police officers are doing the killing.”- Shirley Carswell, Washington Post
The idea that Black People are inherently just violent towards each other is misleading because it only focuses on one element of a complex issue and giving off the attitude that Black people do not protest violence within our own community is als very misleading as there are many protest and programs that have been created by Africans in America to fought the plague of gun violence. However, the plague of gun violence in inner city communities have left many Africans( Black Americans) in America with severe PTSD, which is not good living among a community where mental health is a taboo subject. This in turns perpetuates a cycle of Gun Violence. The resources that Black Americans need to have bright and vibrant communities are drained through the defunding of education, mental/physical health care, career opportunities, and housing.
In America, if Black people were given true access they need there would be a major drop in gun violence. When you neglect and criminalize a community for decades that community self destructs as a means for survival of the fittest. Education is the door to create better and innovative leaders that can find creative solutions to complex issues. The better education you have the more chances you have to build a career and also create opportunities for others to improve themselves and thus their communities.
I believe that education and empathy will eventually lead to a major drop in crimes in the Black community. Having access to a high quality and affordable education will lead to a better understanding of community needs. This will eventually create jobs and access to more affordable housing plans. This in turn will keep funds within the community as people from the community control the means of their own production, which means that the need to fight to survive goes down drastically.
Having a better understanding of how mental health works is key! mental health worsens under extreme circumstances. When you don’t have access to the things you need for survival coupled with mental health, people will become irrational and do what they think they need to in order for survival. Some people pick up a gun and turn to violence as a result of their conditions and thus crime is a more major mental/public health issue. This is why the need and call for more quality social workers over police has begun to grow louder. Social workers are much better trained to deal with mental health than police so they should respond to distress regarding things such as addiction, suicidal, and other distress people. They are trained to deal with various mental health scenarios. If Africans in America (Black Americans) understood and educated themselves about the psychological effects of poverty, their overall view on how to change the community would most likely change. The sad part is there is still a long way to go to understanding the complex issues of Intra-communal violence regardless of race but hopefully this conversation can be a real starter for true change and progress.
Liberation of African People 