Tick-Tock. Tick-Tock. Tick-Tock. In the time it took you to read those six words two criminal offenses were committed. In the time that it takes you to finish reading this first paragraph another violent crime will have happened. That in and of it self is numbing. The truly sad thing about it is that juvenile offenders will commit most of those crimes. A murder occurs in this country every 29 minutes. A rape occurs every 5 minutes and an aggravated assault happens every 28 seconds. By the time you finish reading this article, three women will have been raped and there will have been 30 aggravated assaults and 900 criminal offenses.
Kids between the ages of 14 and 19 will commit the majority of these crimes. Unfortunately, nearly 50 percent of these criminals will be black and male. Why? Apologists would say that the reason lies in poor housing conditions, lack of employment and historical racial bias and they would be right to some degree, but even considering these things can't account for the violence of these youthful offenders. Unfortunately, a culture of gangsterism and macho mentality has infected many of our youth. Arrogance, immaturity and insecurity wearing a gun is an accident looking for some place to happen and unluckily it has found a place to happen in the black community.
Although FBI statistics indicate there has been a drop in violent crime across the country, violence in the inner city has only dropped slightly and the incarceration rate for young black men and women is well above the rate for whites of comparable ages. There is no doubt that the criminal justice system has landed squarely on the backs of blacks. And, there is no doubt that sentencing is unfair, that police techniques are often brutal and biased and that the legal system is at best indifferent, but there is no escaping the reality of right and wrong, meaning that those who are in jail--belong there!
It is sad that they are young, but many of these youthful offenders are more often streetwise criminals with records longer than they are tall. The difference between fantasy and reality is often lost on young minds that haven't had sufficient life experience to know the difference. Tied in with gangsterized popular culture, this mode of life emphasizes living fast, living large and dying young which is exactly what many do. Easy access to drugs, alcohol, sex and weapons along with misguided peer pressure help lead these youths astray.
Still, life is about choices. It is about making decisions that affect our lives. Youth is not a sickness. It is a stage that we all go through. If we make the right decisions often enough, we go on to live a productive life where will continue to make choices. That we have choices is what living is all about. When we knowingly harm others, then we have made a choice that majority society says is wrong and as such requires consequences. The consequences? Jail, if you're lucky. A fresh burial plot--if not.
What can we do? As a start, we can start by not rewarding negative behavior whether it is from juvenile delinquents or from famous preachers just because of the color of their skin. If they are wrong--they are wrong--black or white! We can start to stress the importance of education, mental strength and courage, not in a preaching way, but in a behavioral way. In other words, we must walk the walk because time is running out on our youth. Time is running out on a culture that will not police its own. The clock is running. Tick-Tock, Tick-Tock, Tick-Tock
Kids between the ages of 14 and 19 will commit the majority of these crimes. Unfortunately, nearly 50 percent of these criminals will be black and male. Why? Apologists would say that the reason lies in poor housing conditions, lack of employment and historical racial bias and they would be right to some degree, but even considering these things can't account for the violence of these youthful offenders. Unfortunately, a culture of gangsterism and macho mentality has infected many of our youth. Arrogance, immaturity and insecurity wearing a gun is an accident looking for some place to happen and unluckily it has found a place to happen in the black community.
Although FBI statistics indicate there has been a drop in violent crime across the country, violence in the inner city has only dropped slightly and the incarceration rate for young black men and women is well above the rate for whites of comparable ages. There is no doubt that the criminal justice system has landed squarely on the backs of blacks. And, there is no doubt that sentencing is unfair, that police techniques are often brutal and biased and that the legal system is at best indifferent, but there is no escaping the reality of right and wrong, meaning that those who are in jail--belong there!
It is sad that they are young, but many of these youthful offenders are more often streetwise criminals with records longer than they are tall. The difference between fantasy and reality is often lost on young minds that haven't had sufficient life experience to know the difference. Tied in with gangsterized popular culture, this mode of life emphasizes living fast, living large and dying young which is exactly what many do. Easy access to drugs, alcohol, sex and weapons along with misguided peer pressure help lead these youths astray.
Still, life is about choices. It is about making decisions that affect our lives. Youth is not a sickness. It is a stage that we all go through. If we make the right decisions often enough, we go on to live a productive life where will continue to make choices. That we have choices is what living is all about. When we knowingly harm others, then we have made a choice that majority society says is wrong and as such requires consequences. The consequences? Jail, if you're lucky. A fresh burial plot--if not.
What can we do? As a start, we can start by not rewarding negative behavior whether it is from juvenile delinquents or from famous preachers just because of the color of their skin. If they are wrong--they are wrong--black or white! We can start to stress the importance of education, mental strength and courage, not in a preaching way, but in a behavioral way. In other words, we must walk the walk because time is running out on our youth. Time is running out on a culture that will not police its own. The clock is running. Tick-Tock, Tick-Tock, Tick-Tock