Editorial
The Death of Another Young Black Man
If we could lapse into reductivism for just a bit, the death of another young man could be broken down to the ‘battle’ between Black and White Men. One could, supposedly, view one as the master and the other as the upstart who demands the right to determine his own destiny. It may even be a fight for resources – resources like jobs and upward mobility for their respective families – where one side subconsciously feels like if the other gains, they are losing. And lastly, the most extreme of these is a battle over virility where White Men may feel that young Black Men threaten their ability to procreate with their own women.
Of course, many could miss the essence of this debate: Nonetheless, that only 33 percent of black males aged 16-24 are employed versus the 52 percent for white males of the same age group is not only revealing of the American landscape but even sacrilegious when one considers the number of black incarcerated males.
Many are in jail for small crimes like marijuana or cocaine use and sale, or even getting onto the train system without paying [turnstile jumping]. To this, we agree that petty crimes may lead to bigger ones like murder and robbery. However, once you imprison someone for a small thing, basically damaging their ability to earn a decent living for the rest of their lives, how do you expect them not to resort to a life of crime? This is what, disproportionately, happens to the Black American male versus his White counterpart.
But today, more than a week later, Mr. Davies lies in the ground – dead because he ‘threatened’ a man who had a gun. And what was Davis’ weapon? Well, loud music and black skin.
Dennis Matanda
Editor – [email protected]
