Racist? No–Just Acknowledging the Black Race Toward Guns & Violence
I look at the facts. I study them. I form opinions and then I pre-judge people, sometimes whole groups of people based on my research and study. That doesn’t make me a racist. That makes me a student.
An analysis of the FBI National Crime Victimization Survey concludes that young, black males are seven times more likely to commit murder than people of other races.
Why is that happening? Are these people committing crimes simply “because” they have black skin? Of course not. That’s absurd. God made us all equal.
So why do young, African-American males commit a disproportionate number of the crimes? I really don’t know for sure, but according to Pat Buchanan in his World Net Daily commentary titled “Dead Souls of a Cultural Revolution”:
— 73 percent of black children are born to single moms.
— Black teens who make it to 12th grade may often be found reading at seventh-, eighth- or ninth-grade levels.
— In some cities the black dropout rate can hit as high as 50 percent.
— To further complicate the challenge of black communities, drugs are readily available.
— And among African-American males ages 18 to 29, in urban areas, often a third are in prison or jail, or on probation or parole, or possess a criminal record.
Whatever the cause of this problem, from my perspective as a personal defense trainer, I don’t factor in the “why”, because that doesn’t help keep my students alive. I focus on the “who”. (Not the rock band.)
If I don’t teach my students “who” is most likely to attack them, I’m doing them a great disservice. I would be derelict in my duty. Do I watch African-Americans in particular? No. My version of profiling makes more sense. I ask myself the following questions, and, if they fit the profile, then I watch them like a hawk, regardless of their race.
1. Are they young?
2. Are they traveling in groups?
3. Are they taking an unusual interest in me?
4. Are they dressed like gangbangers?
5. Are they nervous and acting suspiciously?
So you can call me a racist if you want. I don’t’ really care anymore. I’m sick of baseless accusations and they offend me. I know what goes on in the quiet confines of my own heart and so does God. And, with God as my judge, if anyone tries to hurt me or my family, I will use all legal force at my disposal. I don’t care what color they are. I’d rather be called a live racist than a dead victim.
So, I encourage all my students to begin profiling, to pray for the black community, and to remain vigilant.
Image: Anti-racist rally in Sydney 2005 Dec 18; author: M.e; Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license
