09-11-2019, 10:00 AM
Chief Larry Boone has taken to begging.
As young black men continue to wield guns to settle differences, rob and murder each other, Norfolkâ€s top cop has repeatedly criticized, cajoled and complained. “Systems create this,†Boone said at a news conference late last week, suggesting city leaders look at poverty, education and more. The Norfolk slayings are largely intraracial, as are many crimes in the country. And it affects African-Americans disproportionately.
I wonder if gun-rights groups would be so resistant to new laws if whites were the victims in such lopsided percentages.
Chief Boone hosted several “Guns Down†rallies around the city. Heâ€s gone on radio. Heâ€s partnered with a local artist and rapper on an anthem urging young men to reject gun violence. The chief has challenged city officials to do more. He now says heâ€ll form a committee to attack the problem... wants state lawmakers to do their part by passing legislation forcing people to notify officials when their guns are lost, stolen or sold – though thatâ€s not the major focus of his initiative.
Statistics reveal why heâ€s so adamant... The Virginian-Pilot reports: “Black men are either suspect or victim in 93 percent to 94 percent of shootings in Norfolk, Boone said — and often both. The chief added that those demographics have persisted throughout his 30-year career in the department.†Blacks, though, make up just 42 percent of the cityâ€s population. The disparity is stunning. Reducing that ratio – and violence in general – would improve the lives of countless numbers of Norfolk residents.
That wide disparity is also true in crime stats statewide... whites comprise 69.5 percent of the population in Virginia and blacks are 20 percent. But among the homicide totals in 2018, blacks comprised 60 percent of the 391 victims. The same Virginia State Police report noted that blacks accounted for 60.4 percent of suspects in homicide cases last year.
https://www.virginiamercury.com/2019/09/...-suspects/
As young black men continue to wield guns to settle differences, rob and murder each other, Norfolkâ€s top cop has repeatedly criticized, cajoled and complained. “Systems create this,†Boone said at a news conference late last week, suggesting city leaders look at poverty, education and more. The Norfolk slayings are largely intraracial, as are many crimes in the country. And it affects African-Americans disproportionately.
I wonder if gun-rights groups would be so resistant to new laws if whites were the victims in such lopsided percentages.
Chief Boone hosted several “Guns Down†rallies around the city. Heâ€s gone on radio. Heâ€s partnered with a local artist and rapper on an anthem urging young men to reject gun violence. The chief has challenged city officials to do more. He now says heâ€ll form a committee to attack the problem... wants state lawmakers to do their part by passing legislation forcing people to notify officials when their guns are lost, stolen or sold – though thatâ€s not the major focus of his initiative.
Statistics reveal why heâ€s so adamant... The Virginian-Pilot reports: “Black men are either suspect or victim in 93 percent to 94 percent of shootings in Norfolk, Boone said — and often both. The chief added that those demographics have persisted throughout his 30-year career in the department.†Blacks, though, make up just 42 percent of the cityâ€s population. The disparity is stunning. Reducing that ratio – and violence in general – would improve the lives of countless numbers of Norfolk residents.
That wide disparity is also true in crime stats statewide... whites comprise 69.5 percent of the population in Virginia and blacks are 20 percent. But among the homicide totals in 2018, blacks comprised 60 percent of the 391 victims. The same Virginia State Police report noted that blacks accounted for 60.4 percent of suspects in homicide cases last year.
https://www.virginiamercury.com/2019/09/...-suspects/