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I put a meme up<\/a> about a 15-year-old black boy, Demetrius Griffin, Jr., who was burnt to death in 2016 by gang members in Chicago because he refused to join their gang. The ending stated, \u201cThere was no march or protest for me. But when you\u2019re black and murdered by other blacks, your life doesn\u2019t matter.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n I was then informed by a white (either liberal or liberal-influenced) person that it was \u201cracist\u201d to do so.\u00a0How does that work<\/em>? If I show a picture of the four young girls who died in the famous<\/span> bombing of the Birmingham, Alabama church<\/a> in September 1963, that\u2019s civil rights and fine (because white racists committed the evil act). I can show victims of the Holocaust, too. All of that is given the Imprimatur by our sanctimonious white liberal overlords. But if I show this poor boy\u2019s picture, somehow I am racist against black people?<\/span><\/p>\n All I can guess is that it\u2019s some sort of prohibition against ever commenting on black-on-black crime, as if doing so deflects from the \u201cmain\u201d<\/strong><\/em> problem: whitey and white supremacy and supposed \u201csystemic\u201d racism. Therefore (if I am correct in this), to do so is a naughty no-no. It goes against the \u201cplan.\u201d It ain\u2019t \u201cwoke\u201d or \u201cPC.\u201d\u00a0This act can\u2019t be racist by definition because that can only be white against black (not even black against white).<\/span><\/p>\n I would say that it was not racism at all (that such a diversion entirely misses the point); it was an evil act, pure and simple, which I will oppose, condemn, and speak out against\u00a0regardless<\/strong><\/em> of skin color.<\/span><\/p>\n And I would go on to observe (as a sociology major) that the bottom-line root cause of Chicago violence and particularly black-on-black crime is<\/span> broken homes<\/a>, which is an even more prevalent indicator of a likely dysfunctional, tragic life than than either poverty or racism (\u201csystemic\u201d or otherwise).\u00a0<\/span>A white atheist friend of mine asked me to opine as to the causes of the ongoing Chicago tragedy, and this is what I told him. I asked him (twice) what his<\/em><\/strong> explanation was, and I got stony silence and crickets back.<\/span><\/p>\n But no one wants to talk about that<\/em>. Broken homes, of course, have the potential of adversely affecting any and\u00a0all<\/strong><\/em> children. It\u2019s not a race issue at all. It\u2019s a dysfunctional family issue, that can \u2014 not always<\/em>, of course, but far too often \u2014 cause serious problems. It just happens that<\/span> black illegitimacy rates are now at about 77%<\/a>, for various reasons (LBJ\u2019s Great Society being a big one): compared to 30% for whites. And that goes back to the rejection of Christian family and sexual values and morality.<\/span><\/p>\n The great African-American economist and social theorist<\/span> Thomas Sowell<\/a> observed that the black family survived slavery, but it couldn\u2019t survive the Great Society welfare scheme.<\/span><\/p>\n In any event, any truly serious concern for black lives clearly must take into consideration the huge factor of black-on-black crime. According to Barry Latzer,\u00a0emeritus professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, CUNY, and author of the 2017 book,\u00a0The Rise and Fall of Violent Crime in America<\/em><\/a>:\u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n He [Thomas Abt<\/a>] points out that homicide-victimization rates for black men were 3.9 times the national average and that 52 percent of all known homicide victims were black (2017 data). He might have added that the perpetrators of these crimes were overwhelmingly African Americans. In 2018, where the homicide victim was black, the suspected killer also was 88 percent of the time. And this is not an exceptional situation. From 1976 to 2005, 94 percent of black victims were killed by other African Americans. In fact, as I will demonstrate, high rates of black-on-black killing have been the norm for well over a century. (\u201cThe Need to Discuss Black-on-Black Crime,\u201d<\/a> National Review<\/em>, 5 December 2019)<\/span> Denzel Washington<\/a>, the great actor (and my own favorite) agrees with the gravity and centrality of this alarming and overwhelming sociological evidence:<\/span><\/p>\n It starts in the home. If the father is not in the home, the boy will find a father in the streets. I saw it in my generation and every generation before me \u2013 and every one since. . . .\u00a0I can\u2019t blame the system. It\u2019s unfortunate that we make such easy work for them. . . .\u00a0If the streets raise you, then the judge becomes your mother and prison becomes your home.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Conservative writer Ben Shapiro<\/a> adds:<\/span><\/p>\n Why, in fact, do only some Black lives matter, rather than all?<\/span><\/p>\n That\u2019s not merely a question asked by conservatives or contrarians. It\u2019s being asked all over the United States by Black Americans being left to the predations of criminals, in large part thanks to the woke virtue signaling of many Black Lives Matter leaders and media allies.<\/span><\/p>\n In Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser emblazoned the enormous yellow words \u201cBLACK LIVES MATTER\u201d on 16th Street. Protesters quickly added \u201cDEFUND THE POLICE.\u201d One month later, 11-year-old Davon McNeal was shot in the head while heading to a family cookout on July 4. His grandfather, John Ayala, lamented: \u201cWe\u2019re protesting for months, for weeks, saying, \u2018Black Lives Matter. Black Lives Matter.\u2019 Black lives matter it seems like, only when a police officer shoots a Black person. What about all the black-on-black crime that\u2019s happening in the community?\u201d (\u201cNot all Black lives matter to Black Lives Matter,\u201d<\/a> Pittsburgh Post-Gazette<\/em>, 7-11-20)<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Indeed, what about it?<\/span><\/p>\n As a compassionate Christian, I cannot not<\/em> be concerned about such ongoing slaughter, as part and parcel of the love I have for all human beings, and desire for their well-being (not to mention, salvation, as I am also an apologist and evangelist). The Bible states:<\/span><\/p>\n Proverbs 24:11<\/strong> (RSV) Rescue those who are being taken away to death;\u00a0hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n If I feel that I am able to offer any kind of solution to these tragic occurrences and heartrending human suffering, in this instance, through my writing, I am duty-bound to do so, and I believe I do have some insights to offer, in order to solve the problem: a return to Christian family and sexual values<\/em>: which has been, until very recently, certainly an overwhelmingly strong factor in African-American communities. It\u2019s obviously a long-term solution, but it is<\/em> a real solution and it does<\/em> get down to the root causes of what we see taking place in America\u2019s inner cities, where these harmful trends are most apparent.<\/span><\/p>\n Lastly, of course, racism still exists and corrupt cops exist. No one denies that. The question is the extent<\/em>\u00a0and nature<\/em> of these problems and how to go about resolving<\/em> them. As a political junkie myself, who constantly keeps up with the current news, I have never seen a single person of any political persuasion not<\/em>\u00a0utterly denounce what was done to George Floyd (if anyone has seen such a person, please let me know), and I have said that I myself would peacefully<\/em><\/strong> march in a protest against that abominable outrage.<\/span><\/p>\n That said, it doesn\u2019t exclude<\/em> the causes and factors that I am highlighting in this article. Any compassionate person (whether Christian or not), who cares about the well-being of all people, must<\/em> be concerned about this.<\/span><\/p>\n Demetrius Griffin, Jr. and Davon McNeal: I do<\/em> care about your lives, very much, and pray for you, and I care about all other<\/em> black lives (and lives of any<\/em> color) that have also been needlessly taken in unspeakably evil acts of murder, and about preventing<\/em> as many such tragedies in the future<\/em>\u00a0as is possible, by trying to identify the underlying, deep-rooted\u00a0causes<\/em> and seeking to do something about<\/em> it.<\/span><\/p>\n I\u2019m not claiming to have all the answers about this, but at least I offer some<\/em>\u00a0proposed, plausible solution to the problem (backed-up by much secular sociological data) besides the never-ending mantras of \u201ctake away guns!\u201d and \u201cracism \/ Trump explains every<\/em> social problem in America!\u201d Anyone else is welcome to offer additional or alternative ones in this combox. Just keep it civil and on-topic. And if you call me a racist (or conservatives as a whole, racist), you\u2019ll be immediately banned. That is a ludicrous, lying insult that I will not take from anyone, and I have zero tolerance for it.<\/span><\/p>\n ***<\/p>\n Related Reading<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n Slavery as America\u2019s Original Sin & Root Cause of the Civil War<\/a>\u00a0[3-3-04]<\/p>\n Civil Rights Movement Sadly Ignored Sexual Morality<\/a>\u00a0[1-17-11]<\/p>\n Massacres & Subjective Unwarranted Conclusions<\/a>\u00a0[7-28-11]<\/p>\n Catholic Compassion & Beggars on the Street: What is Our Responsibility? \/ Analysis of Poverty &\u00a0Its Causes &\u00a0Solutions<\/a>\u00a0[12-30-11]<\/p>\n Is it \u201cRacist\u201d to Criticize President Obama or Any Black Person?\u00a0<\/a>[9-5-12]<\/p>\n More Thoughts on Giving Alms to Homeless Beggars on the Street<\/a>\u00a0[11-23-13]<\/p>\n Is America a \u201cMoral Sewer\u201d (Due to Secularism)?<\/a>\u00a0[9-5-15]<\/p>\n \u201cForced\u201d Morality & Ubiquitous \u201cBigotry\u201d<\/a>\u00a0[6-9-16]<\/p>\n Christian Civilization Self-Demolition<\/a>\u00a0[8-5-16]<\/p>\n Dialogue: Conservatives & \u201cOld\u201d Pro-Lifers & the Poor<\/a>\u00a0[10-3-16]<\/p>\n KKK & Kooky Karikatures of Konservatives<\/a>\u00a0(vs. Dr. Edwin Woodruff Tait) (+\u00a0Facebook discussion<\/a>) [11-20-16]<\/p>\n Jimi Hendrix Taught Us About a Colorblind Society<\/a>\u00a0[12-6-16]<\/p>\n Debate: Do Liberal Social Policies Lessen Abortion & Poverty?<\/a>\u00a0[4-12-17]<\/p>\n This<\/em>\u00a0\u201cConservative\u201d is\u00a0Very<\/em>\u00a0Passionate About Social Justice<\/a>\u00a0[8-31-17]<\/p>\n Compassionate Liberals & the \u201cLittle\u201d & \u201cLittlest\u201d Guys<\/a>\u00a0[9-4-17]<\/p>\n Gun Control & Deep-Rooted Societal Causes of Massacres<\/a>\u00a0[10-5-17]<\/p>\n History of American Discrimination: from the Lunch Counter<\/a>\u00a0[9-26-18]<\/p>\n Dialogue: Racism, Republicans, Logic, and Liberals<\/a>\u00a0(vs. Deacon Steven D. Greydanus) [5-16-19]<\/p>\n Dialogue on Gun Control, Regulation, & Gun Bans<\/a>\u00a0[1-31-20]<\/p>\n George Floyd: Atheist & Christian Agree; but What\u2019s the\u00a0Solution<\/em>? (Christianity Asserts that Evil Begins in Corrupt Human Hearts, & Can Only be Vanquished by God\u2019s Grace &\u00a0Spiritual Revival<\/em>)<\/a>\u00a0[6-4-20]<\/span><\/p>\n Dialogue: Principled Conservatism, George Floyd, & Racism<\/a>\u00a0[6-7-20]<\/p>\n
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