It happens everyday in America!
By Jeff Thomas
Black men kill each other at alarming rates all across America every day. Nearly every city’s daily news casts reports, “Today in our city three (or thirty depending on the size of your city) men were shot and killed in three (or thirty) separate shootings. Police have no suspects in any of the cases.” And immediately and innately you know that the people killed were black and the killers were black. This has been going on for the last 30-40 years and no end is in sight. New Orleans has one of the highest murder rates nationally. Why do black men kill each other?
First Let’s Dispel a Racist Myth
First thing you have to know is that 99.999% of black men do not commit murder ever in their lives. That is a fact! This is not a black man issue. There is nothing genetically or intrinsically wrong with black men. But the fact remains that daily hundreds of black men across this country are murdered everyday by another black man. Why does this happen with this subset?
Common factors to Black men murdering other black men
RACE
The first thing about murder is that people usually kill people who are similar to them in many ways, particularly race. White men normally murder other white men and black men normally murder other black men.
PROXIMITY
In the black community, these killings are normally city events. Rarely do you hear of a drive by in the country. Most of these daily killings occur on the city streets. People kill others who they interact with.
AGE
Young men engage in risky and violent behavior. Most of the men dying on our streets are between the ages of 17-35.
EDUCATION
Nearly 95% have not graduated from college and 65% have not completed high school.
Socioeconomic Status
100% were not upper class in America. The links between poverty and crime are well documented. And black men have lived in depression level economic conditions for the last 50 years.
But these are often cited, unsurprising factors. More salient is what goes into the psyche of a guy who can look into the eyes of another man and pull the trigger at close range or jab a knife with the intent to murder another man? What are the other factors that contribute to becoming a murderer? Why do Black men kill each other
Habitually Hostile Men
The guy who ain’t never scared and always looking to escalate a situation. Down for whatever. Nothing to live for and anticipating the day he will either kill or be killed. This mindset is cultivated in a limited option, few chances, success deprived life. This guy has had a number of arguments and fist fights throughout his life. He hates authority and frequently feels angry or resentful towards people. He often seeks to overcome a feeling of powerlessness. This guy is a walking heap of rage. He is always nothing but a gun and an argument away from murder.
The Disrespected Man
A man who feels like everybody but him gets respect.
- Unemployed or stuck in a low wage hard work job where his contributions are unrecognized
- Lives with his mother and has little control over his home environment
- Has a child but no custody and a bad relationship with his baby mama
- Been profiled and harassed by the police
- Observes community members driving nice cars
- Rejected for better jobs
- Feels unable to change his life status and is insignificant in the world
- Seeks to overcome feelings of impotence
For this guy, respect is everything and options to express anger or refutation are often limited. He often seeks to overcome a feeling of impotence. If another who seems unworthy of disseminating criticism or scorn or generally crosses the line of imagined respect, then a high level of response will be meted out.
The Wannabe
- Often immature,
- Lacking self-identity
- Little life happiness
- Thrill seeker often brags and talks about his toughness and ‘hood status.
- Wants to make a real name for himself
- Will recklessly escalate a situation or
When challenged by a non-believing skeptic, this man often acts in unnecessarily violent ways in unnecessarily violent situations. Often seeks to overcome a feeling of powerlessness.
Self-Hate
- Too often black men suffer an inferiority complex.
- Society vilifies and criminalizes black men on a daily basis.
- American culture is based upon the notion that black people and specifically black men are less intelligent, completely unpredictable, beast like, lazy etc., etc.
- Black men internalize this notion and are conditioned to see little value when they look in the mirror.
- Beset by internal angst and torment.
- Unresolved pain combined with poverty, ignorance, oppression, violent police, violent neighborhoods, etc.
- The symptoms of an inferiority complex include a high sensitivity to criticism, perceiving others as a threat, jealousy, a lack of dreams.
The daily feeling of isolation, powerlessness and impotence is like being a prisoner of war. One reason black men grab their genitals is to stress their vitality. Men who have been literally stripped of the ability to display their manhood – great jobs, big houses, educational attainment and all the other accoutrements of modern society- are literally killing to express their power in life. Twisted but true.
Jeff… this is a very necessary topic to study & investigate so that we can promote change in our community..
The missing element that would begin that process is mental health treatment..
If we offered counseling & therapy in the schools a big change would occur..
Please make this a frequent subject as a deterrent to combat crime..Thanks Sandra Ewell
Hey can BLM do anything for my brothers? Maybe they should focus on the fact that stares all of us in the face! I’m from MPLS & it’s a regular occurrence here too,(RIP George)
Like every major American city. We fear our peers way more than getting killed by police. Im not protesting because I feel that its inconsistent with the actual facts of this dynamic. Oh & the mass gatherings (u know covid?) SMH
I’m done trying to understand the culture after my 13 year old was attacked by blacks who wanted his baseball cap (12 stitches). And several other violent events. We moved to the Suburbs. Haven’t had a issue since. From my experience never a good idea to put white kids in black schools or neighborhoods. They become targets. It sucks cause you have to stereotype to survive. Just found it best for us to segregate
I am an 85 yr old Black man and I read this article Why do Black Men Kill Each Other. If anyone believes this , we will never clean are neighborhoods of . I will not state facts , I will challenge you too find the truth or continue down this misleading ideas. White alone, percent are 76.3% of the population and Black or African American alone, percent(a) 13.4% …85% of black MURDERS ARE BY OUR OWN BLACK FOLKS Now White on white Murders make up about 40% and 60% is Black on white . This type of thinking is WRONG Stop blaming and take responsibility of YOURSELF Dont white folks to help us lets become good American Citizens
Great article. I hope this opens up the conversation in a way that leads to comprehensive, multidisciplinary research and effective early preventive measures. I haven’t found any research on this public health issue that has traumatized us for decades. I would also like to add my two cents on the habitually hostile male. There is the hostile youth shooter. He gets a thrill by shooting a gun. His brain is immature and his feelings are numb, for whatever reason. But shooting that gun and seeing the aftermath becomes a reinforcing treat. Again, early prevention is needed in a way that directly addresses the problem.
Why can’t reporter, restaurant owners, and you tell the difference between everyday and every day.
The first is best illustrated by Sly’s “Everyday People” — meaning average, something you see every day! That’s the meaning you want here. Every day people are being killed. Not everyday people.
I clearly state “Black men kill each other at alarming rates all across America every day.” Not everyday as you claim. 🙁 Looking for a fight?
Why can’t reporters, restaurant owners, and you tell the difference between everyday and every day?
The first is best illustrated by Sly’s “Everyday People” — meaning average, something you see every day! That’s the meaning you want here. Every day people are being killed. Not everyday people.
Thanks and duly noted. In the rush to publish we sometimes don’t get it 100% right,
Have you considered the Marxist Leninist influence your writing has which has crafted your beliefs to deflect and insinuate an unexplained oppressive hierarchy?
I think i understand how they feel right now, it being my second night of interrupted sleep because a few people (of diverse races) in my racially diverse neighborhood are setting off fireworks all from 7pm to 4am and the police are standing around doing nothing. Would this happen in a white neighborhood?
IMHO, it’s not about black vs white neighborhood but about respectful vs disrespectful neighborhoods.
That is black vs white.
This article is so true, and I have witnessed this with my own black brother, it makes so much sense on why he is so aggressive, and provokes fights with his younger sister, which is me, and provokes fights with the mother of his daughter. I am black, and every black male I have dated it in the past has been very aggressive and eager to fight and become argumentative, and verbally demeaning towards women. This article speaks accurately and dead on !!!!! I’m 5’4 and 120lbs and my brother is 6’0 and 270lbs and has attacked me to where the police had to taser him off me !!!!! NOW SOMEONE PLEASE JUSTFY THIS BARBARIC BEHAVIOR FROM AN ANGER BLACK MAN THAT WILL GO TO THIS EXTREME OF STRANGLING IS YOUNGER SISTER AND HAVING THE POLICE TASER HIM TO STOP ?!? I totally believe that this is the way black men are genetically and nurtured from there upbringing , but mostly genetically they are violent by their nature…
I’m sorry for you. But I have a younger brother, we are white, that has been violent since he was 14. He has attacked me 5 times, strangled my sister, stabbed another brother, hes a pervert raping my sisters at a young age. We’ve all thought if my mother would not have protected him from day 1, he would not be like this. Also hes a little big man. 5ft . Hes full of rage.
Your comment is a farce, complete fiction. You may have a brother, but he’s not as described. It’s the typical counter comment which tries to create an opposite message view than what the person is offended by.
it.s this type of thinking that will PROMOTE Black on Black crime you live in a fantasy world and you can not possible know she is not telling the truth and it’s this way of acting that gives our Black community a punch in the gut
Thanks…I too Im a victim…the Ronald Reagan Administration amplified the situation with cuts to neighborhoods and funding for the” War on drugs”/
War on Blacks
I am an 85 yr old Black man and I read this article Why do Black Men Kill Each Other. If anyone believes this , we will never clean are neighborhoods of . I will not state facts , I will challenge you too find the truth or continue down this misleading ideas. White alone, percent are 76.3% of the population and Black or African American alone, percent(a) 13.4% …85% of black MURDERS ARE BY OUR OWN BLACK FOLKS Now White on white Murders make up about 40% and 60% is Black on white . This type of thinking is WRONG Stop blaming and take responsibility of YOURSELF Dont white folks to help us lets become good American Citizens
after working 23 years in federal corrections, I have found big black men give white officers very little trouble. It is usually the little guys will front off the officer.(s) sometimes three or four at at a time. black. big guys’, white or black, will go to segregation without too much trouble. why is that????
after working 23 years in federal corrections, I have found big black men give white officers very little trouble. It is usually the little guys will front off the officer.(s) sometimes three or four at at a time. big guys’, white or black,inmates will go to segregation without too much trouble. why is that????
I’m done trying to understand the culture after my 13 year old was attacked by blacks who wanted his baseball cap (12 stitches). And several other violent events. We moved to the Suburbs. Haven’t had a issue since. From my experience never a good idea to put white kids in black schools or neighborhoods. They become targets. It sucks cause you have to stereotype to survive. Just found it best for us to segregate
I highly disagree with this articel. I was raised by a single Black mother in the projects. It all stays with consequences. When they change the rules of the game thats when this killing got out of hand. What kept me in line was a good ole ass whipping. They need to bring back the good ole days.