THE MESSAGE:
People will not remember much of what you do but they will never forget how you made them feel. To destroy someone's soul is pure evil. To deliberately hate someone because of skin colour falls into that category. Hatred is a learned behaviour. It can easily be traced to an inequality of wealth, justice and freedom. More subtly it may be rooted in feelings of superiority a fear of difference, a lack of compassion or understanding, an ignorance of virtue or a societal indifference. As ML King phrased it a man must be judged by the content of his character.
Where do we draw the line between racism and observed behavioural disorder? Behaviours that disrupt our daily lives and run counter to existing social mores draw the attention of news hungry media and manage to create even more hatred rather than promote healing.
SOME ON-LINE RESEARCH YIELDS THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION.
Blacks and Hispanics are charged with and convicted of crimes far more often per capita than Whites or Asians. In the United States, crime data is collected from two major sources:
- Law enforcement agency crime reports, collected monthly by the FBI and processed annually as Uniform Crime Reports. (UCR)
- Victimization surveys, collected biannually by the Bureau of Justice Statistics and processed annually in the National Crime Victim Survey. (NCVS)
- Self reporting gathered from victims and perpetrators. (SRD)
THERE ARE FUNDAMENTAL LIMITATIONS OF THE UCR SYSTEM.
- Inaccuracy: UCR statistics do not represent the actual amount of criminal activity occurring in the United States. As it relies upon local law enforcement agency crime reports, the UCR program can only measure crime known to police and cannot provide an accurate representation of actual crime rates.
- Misrepresentation: The UCR program is focused upon street crime, and does not record information on many other types of crime, such as organized crime, corporate crime or federal crime. Also law enforcement agencies can provide inadvertently misleading data as a result of local policing practices.
- Manipulation: UCR data is capable of being manipulated by local law enforcement agencies. Information is supplied voluntarily to the UCR program, and manipulation of data can occur at the local level.
According to the FBI Uniform Crime Reports, in the year 2008 black youths, who make up 16% of the youth population, accounted for 52% of juvenile violent crime arrests, including 58.5% of youth arrests for homicide and 67% for robbery. Black youths were overrepresented in all offense categories except DUI, liquor laws and drunkenness.
“Whether they robbed a store, pushed a man or whatever the case may be, there are other strategies and tactics the police officer should use before excessive force and brutally killing someone in cold blood,”
“With just two or three facts and conflicting witness reports, was the officer, Darren Wilson, justified in shooting and killing Mr. Brown. “To know this, I’d have to know the whole thing from beginning to end and look at it as objectively as possible,”
The white governor goes on National TV and demands a vigorous prosecution of the officer and 'Justice for Michael Brown' before any facts have been determined.
MY 2 CENTS
How this situation plays out will surely cause more unrest and division in feelings and perceptions among blacks and whites in America. Moving forward will be difficult all across America. Blacks will have to empower themselves. They will have to take charge of improving the situation in their own communities. They must take responsibility for creating their own opportunities through education, social reform, economic power and solid family values.
A recent study reveals that approximately 1.5 million gang members exist as of 2011. It lists the number of gangs in the USA at 33 thousand.
I believe that increasing gang activity is directly related to decreases in adult mentors in less affluent communities. Children from poor neighbourhoods often turn to gangs both as protection and a place to find love, understanding and a sense of self worth, belonging and purpose. In Canada, there is much evidence that children who are unaware of who their father is, spend much time 'on the street' exposed to values that are both anti social and counter productive. The lack of a suitable role model is the main reason for the lack of motivation, dreams and success among our confused youth.
There is some evidence that the increase of gang related activity amongst the black population in the United States is largely due to a mass ideological shift, within urban communities, away from more conservative family values to more liberalized and anti-social establishment values. Constant inflammatory rhetoric, delivered by so called 'advocates for racial equality', has done more to increase misunderstanding, fear, hatred and violence than to help correct the existing inequalities. The shift directly coincides with the formation of the first documented black gangs in the United States, the Crips and the Bloods. For many these gang associations provided relief from the long standing feeling of disconnect from mainstream culture and the need for an outlet to express anger at that apparent disconnect.
Today gangs are known to engage in gambling, drug, arms and human trafficking, counterfeiting, identity theft. fraud counterfeiting, and prostitution.
Youth gangs have spread to suburban and smaller communities and are now more prevalent in all regions of the United States. They have increasingly been creating problems in school and community facilities. Some minorities, in their communities, excuse this as a remedy for the plight of low income youths and young adults because they often serve as cultural, social, and economic functions which are no longer served by government, family, school or labor market.
In 2011 law enforcement agencies reported that gangs affiliated with ethnicity and non-traditional gangs have expanded. The most recent figures are 46% Hispanic/Latino gang members, 35% Black gang members, 11% White gang members, and 7% other race/ethnicity gang members.
THE TEN MOST DANGEROUS GANGS
1) Mara Salvatrucha (aka MS-13) — all over the U.S.
Most distinctive about the MS-13 is the brutality with which it operates, a tool used to intimidate its rivals. Members are involved in drug distribution, murder, prostitution, rape, kidnapping, robbery, carjackings and home invasions, each of which carry the possibility of innocent civilians being victimized. Founded in Los Angeles during the ’80s, where numerous gangs are headquartered, MS-13 has expanded its operations into at least 42 states. The gang consists mostly of Salvadorians, with the accompaniment of Hondurans, Guatemalans, Mexicans and other immigrants from Central and South America. Although it doesn’t have a concrete leadership structure, different cliques throughout the country keep in contact with each other for recruitment and “business” purposes.
2) Latin Kings — mostly Chicago, but all over the U.S.
Considered by many to be the best-organized Latin gang in the country, the Latin Kings have a rigid hierarchy and various tribes stationed in different states. Currently, the imprisoned Gino Gustavo Colon, who was locked up on charges of conspiracy to distribute cocaine and other drugs, is said to be the leader. Members strictly adhere to the constitution — the Manifest — which details the three life stages of Nation life — The Primitive Stage, The Conservative or Mummy Stage, and The New King Stage. Because the gang was originally established in Chicago, most members, many of whom are Mexican-American, remain there.
3) Crips — mostly Los Angeles, with sets in Texas, Missouri and Oklahoma,
Charismatic co-founder Tookie Williams was the Crips’ most reputable spokesperson. Despite changing his ways while in prison during the early ’90s, he was still feared by those who understood his previous influence. Established in 1969, his gang has expanded beyond Los Angeles, encompassing between 30,000 and 35,000 members in some 800 sets. An effective marketing tool for the gang, aside from Williams’ publicity, has been the supposed affiliation of rappers such as Snoop Dogg and the late Easy-E. Most Crips are African American, though some white, Hispanic and Asian members have been inducted.
4) 18th Street Gang — mostly Los Angeles, with some members in other parts of the Southwest
For more than five decades, the 18th Street Gang has participated in everything from distribution of cocaine and marijuana to producing fraudulent Immigration and Customs Enforcement identification cards. With an estimated 30,000 to 50,000 members, many of whom are illegal aliens from Mexico and Central America, it has just recently garnered the attention of the FBI which has conducted raids across the country in an effort to neutralize it. The FBI considers it a transnational gang because of its reach into Mexico, Central and South America, but little evidence shows there’s a structured global network.
5) Hells Angels — all over the U.S., with members in parts of Europe and Australia
One of the most famed gangs in America and worldwide — and certainly the most famed biker gang — are the Hells Angels, and with their loud Harleys, large gatherings and collectively intimidating demeanor, have both awed and scared Americans since 1948. Appropriately, the name was inspired by fighting squadrons from both World Wars, and the gang is unabashedly violent, partaking in criminal activities such as extortion, drug dealing and the trafficking of stolen goods. Most impressively, the gang’s influence extends into countries such as Germany, The Netherlands, Spain, The United Kingdom and Australia, among others.
6) Bloods — mostly Los Angeles, with members in almost every state:
It’s a well-known fact that the Bloods are the historical rivals of the Crips. Both battled over territory in Los Angeles as crack cocaine became the money-making drug during the ’80s. Both are divided by sets consisting of the same demographic of young African-American males, whom they recruit from the low-income areas of the city. However, because of the intense infighting between Blood members, the gang is no longer considered a major threat to the Crips, and isn’t as formidable as some of the more prominent gangs in the U.S. — though it’s still dangerous.
7) Mongols — mostly Southern California, with members in 14 other states, Australia, Mexico and parts of Europe:
Formed as an alternative gang for guys who were refused membership with the Hells Angels due to their race, the Mongols somewhat resemble their more popular counterpart, with members spread across the U.S. and chapters overseas. They specialize in the same criminal activities, including extortion and drug dealing, along with any other activity that has potential to be lucrative. Infamously, in 2002, the two gangs engaged in a confrontation in Nevada in which a Mongol and two Hells Angels were killed. In recent years, the FBI has cracked down on the gang. In 2008, for example, Operation Black Rain ended with the apprehension of 38 members.
8) Nuestra Familia — inside and outside Northern California federal and state prisons:
Given the brutality that usually occurs within the prison system it should come as no surprise that gang activity thrives behind the prison walls. Nuestra Familia formed as a rival to the Mexican Mafia, a similarly-composed prison gang consisting of Mexican Americans. Outside of prison, it earns money primarily through drug trafficking, extortion and racketeering, criminal activities that resulted in the crippling Operation Black Widow, in which 22 members were indicted on RICO charges. During the operation, it was estimated that the gang was responsible for more than 600 murders in the previous three decades. After a decade of regrouping, Operation Knockout crippled the gang in 2010, ending in the arrest of 37 members. Even still, it’s believed that it has more than 2,000 members in prison and more than 40,000 members outside of the walls.
9) Mexican Mafia — inside and outside California federal and state prisons:
The Mexican Mafia is the original Mexican prison gang. As a burgeoning organization in the late ’50s and early ’60s, it united rival gang members from the outside and bullied non-members in California prisons, establishing itself as a force to be reckoned with. Inside and outside of the walls, it’s involved in extortion and drug trafficking, and in addition to its rivalry with Nuestra Familia, it has battled with the Black Guerilla Family and Aryan Brotherhood, now an ally. In the past, it has worked with the Los Angeles crime family, an Italian-American organization, in criminal activities, proving that it’s willing to try new measures to make money. Members of the gang are extremely loyal, as the penalty for disloyalty is often death.
10) Aryan Brotherhood — inside and outside California, Texas, New York, Arizona, Ohio and Indiana federal and state prisons:
With their distinctive swastika tattoos and general bodily adornment of symbols celebrating white pride, it’s not difficult for fellow inmates to identify members of the Aryan Brotherhood. That’s a good thing for their enemies given that they’ve accounted for a large portion of prison deaths in recent years despite existing in relatively small numbers. For the past two decades, the gang has transformed itself into more of an organized crime syndicate, relying on drug trafficking and prostitution as its main sources of income. It’s allied with the Mexican Mafia, and its rivals include Nuestra Familia, the Bloods and the Crips. Subject to several prison round ups during its history, the gang has been difficult to weaken because many of its highest ranking members were already serving harsh sentences when new charges were brought forth.
THE QUESTION:
Does the USA suffer from Systemic Racism or is it an issue of Systemic Behaviours among Latinos and Blacks?
THE QUOTE:
"I was raised to believe that excellence is the best deterrent to racism or sexism. And that's how I operate my life."-Oprah Winfrey
LEMONS TO:
BAPTIST MINISTER AL SHARPTON FOR PASSING JUDGEMENT ON TOO MANY ISSUES BEFORE ALL OF THE FACTS HAVE BEEN DETERMINED.
THE CLIP:
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