Hi Platt I'm not entirely sure what you mean by "a relationship between the problems in Britain and our high murder rate statistics" but I assume that you mean there's a similarity in the figures, both in the UK and the States, that suggest that there is a disproportionately high incidence of firearms related fatalities and injuries within the 'black communities'. Is this roughly what you mean or am I barking up the wrong tree?
Anyway, my reaction to the article: I think that Blair got it both right and wrong. Right that gun crime is not caused by poverty but wrong that it is the product of a distinctive black culture. Both are pretty much disingenuous to those within either area that are not involved with either guns or crime. It looks to me pretty much like Blair is using the populist approach, yet again, and maybe attributing a 'cultural' stereotype where one doesn't exist. To be fair the article that you have copied says little about which particular 'black culture' Blair is referring to so it's a bit difficult to properly understand the article without further information. The figures that are quoted do indicate that there are a greater proportion of black youths killed and injured by guns than in other groups but then there are divisions within this label. Are they of West Indian or African descent as there are clear cultural differences here and even within these categories there are wide cultural differences. Lumping them all together as 'black' is completely pointless in my view, just as lumping 'whites' or 'asians' together is pointless. If a clear cultural grouping can be identified within which there is the same, or similar, disproportion then an examination of the values that produces this problem can produce better answers and/or solutions than using a nebulous Black/White/Asian catchall. Cheers Horse [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > Quoting Horse <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>: > >> Hi Platt >> If you look at the murder rate with firearms then the U.S. is 8th on the >> list, whereas Germany is at 21 and the UK is at 32: >> >> > http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/cri_mur_wit_fir_percap-crime-murders-firearms-per-capita >> Horse > > Hi Horse, > > I would be interested in your reaction to the following article from the > Independent and Blair's comments about black crime. At the risk of being > accused of being politically incorrect, I think there's a relationship > between the problems in Britain and our high murder rate statistics. > > Thanks. > Platt > > > The truth about black on black crime > Tony Thompson visits Britain's estates and finds that knives and guns are a > problem > in all communities > Published: 15 April 2007 > > Wilted flowers, candles and remnants of cards lie in front of a graffiti > artist's > spray-painted tribute to 15-year-old Billy Cox. The black teenager was shot > and > killed on Valentine's Day a few metres away, in a flat on a south London > estate. A > stone's throw and a social class away from Clapham's gastropubs and delis, > the murder > was one of a spate of such killings. > > The police appear powerless to stop the violence, arriving to deal with the > casualties and, sometimes, arrest the assailant after blood has been spilled. > > Yesterday, a 14-year-old wounded in a drive-by shooting last week was > released from > hospital. He was luckier than some of the other victims in a series of turf > wars. All > seven of the young men shot or stabbed to death in London since the beginning > of > February have been black. > > This prompted Tony Blair to speak out last week, claiming the spate of > murders in > London was not being caused by poverty, but by a distinctive black culture. > > The Prime Minister's views put him at odds with Baroness Scotland, a Home > Office > minister and arguably one of Britain's most influential black women, who has > said gun > crime is a problem for the country as a whole and produced statistics to back > up her > view. > > In 2004-05, there were 78 fatal shootings in England and Wales. Of these, 40 > of the > victims were white, 25 black, seven Asian. The figures do not record the > ethnicity of > the killers but, by and large, murderers tend mostly to target members of > their own > ethnic group. > > In 2005-06, there were 50 fatal shootings. Eighteen victims were white, 19 > black and > four Asian. That same year, 351 black people were injured by guns. For whites, > injuries totalled 2,952. > > The statistics confirm that the problem of gun crime is not unique to the > black > community, but they provide stark evidence that the black community is > over-represented to a frightening degree. > > According to the 2001 Home Office census, Britain's black community makes up > just 2 > per cent of the total population. Yet each year around a third of all shooting > victims are black. About one in 10 victims are of Asian origin, a population > that > makes up just 4 per cent of Britain's total. > > Research to be published later this year is expected to highlight concerns > that young > people are being recruited into adult gangs through older family members or > friends. > The study is based on research by the Youth Justice Board into gangs and > weapons. > > However, it concludes that it is rare for under-18s to belong to hardcore > gangs. > Instead, the study will say that teenagers offend in less organised groups, > that they > carry out violence spontaneously and carry knives for their own protection, > especially if they have been victims of crime. > > Paul Kwasi, 40, a security officer on the North Peckham estate notorious for > the > killing of 10-year-old Damilola Taylor seven years ago, said: "I don't think > Tony > Blair was right to say what he did. The solution is for us all to get > together to > sort it out. The Government needs to stop the infiltration of guns into the > country. > It isn't just black people using or selling them - white people do it too." > > > > ------------------------------------------------- > This mail sent through IMP: http://horde.org/imp/ > moq_discuss mailing list > Listinfo, Unsubscribing etc. > http://lists.moqtalk.org/listinfo.cgi/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org > Archives: > http://lists.moqtalk.org/pipermail/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org/ > http://moq.org.uk/pipermail/moq_discuss_archive/ > moq_discuss mailing list Listinfo, Unsubscribing etc. http://lists.moqtalk.org/listinfo.cgi/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org Archives: http://lists.moqtalk.org/pipermail/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org/ http://moq.org.uk/pipermail/moq_discuss_archive/
