ARTICLE:The Zimmerman-Martin case has brought a lot of attention to the topics of race, discrimination and violence. In many ways the media has been putting fuel on the fire, limiting honest discussion to broad strokes, vitriol and half truths. Some facts: The Bureau of Justice Statistics reports that black homicides have been falling since the mid 1990s, as well as all homicides. The 2005 study also reveals that more than 90% of black murder victims are killed by other black people. In regards to interracial murder there are twice as many black-on-white murders as the other way around, a ratio that has held steady for decades. This does not mean black America is growing more violent, however, as the rate in which blacks are victims or commit crimes have dropped steeply, at a much sharper decline than whites.
This study (and many others) does not discredit the fact that there is an absolute need in the country to recognize the deep seated issues about race and discrimination we face; rather, that we need to go further than our own prejudices and preconceived notions and have logic driven discourse about where we are and where we wish to go--together.
SITE: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/24/black-america-2013_n_3639934.html
