Destruction in black America is self-inflicted

DEBATING capital punishment at an Ivy League university a few years ago, I was confronted with the claim that since death sentences are more often meted out in cases where the victim is white, the death penalty must be racially biased. It's a spurious argument, I replied. Whites commit fewer than half of all murders in the United States, yet more whites than blacks are sentenced to death and more whites than blacks are executed each year. If there is racial bias in the system, it clearly isn't in favor of whites.

But if you choose to focus on the race of victims, I added, remember that nearly all black homicide is intraracial - more than nine out of 10 black murder victims in the United States are killed by black murderers. So applying the death penalty in more cases where the victim is black would mean sending more black men to death row.

After the debate, a young black woman accosted me indignantly. Ninety-plus percent of black blood is shed by black hands? What about all the victims of white supremacists? Hadn't I heard of lynching? Hadn't I heard of James Byrd, who died so horribly in Jasper, Texas? When I assured her that Byrd's murder by whites was utterly untypical of most black homicide, she was dubious.

Awesome article, read more here

Mod Note (This Appears On Every New Thread/Post Reply Page): AboveTopSecret.com takes pride in making every post count. Please do not create minimal posts or simple "I agree" posts when replying to threads. If you feel inclined to make the board aware of news, current events, or important information from other sites that supports the thread; please post one or two paragraphs, a link to the entire story, AND your opinion, twist or take on the news item as it relates to the thread.

[edit on 5/9/2007 by Mirthful Me]

Not a single comment? Is this somewhat of a taboo topic?

Originally posted by slackerwire
Not a single comment? Is this somewhat of a taboo topic?

Not in the least. If you search the recent history of this forum, you'll notice that it is discussed quite frequently, and passionately I might add. The problem as I see it as, you've offered very little to discuss. The article in it self is an interesting read, but members are going to look for an opinion or an insight from you as a person. If you're looking for replies from members, you need to give them something to discuss. The article itself isn't going to cut it.

Offer up some opinions, elaborate in a post or two, and the replies will come.