Black-on-Black crime is one of the biggest myths pushed by the media about the state of crime in Black America. Here’s where that falsehood came from and why the deep-rooted lies in this myth shouldn’t be trusted.
Crime is a function of the built environment, not race. Structural problems in communities, like income inequality, and few economic opportunities, contribute to crime. What's more, white Americans tend to commit crimes against each other at roughly the same rate as Black people, around 80% and 90%. So how did this false narrative start?
The myth of Black-on-Black crime is a product of scientific racism. Published in 1896, "Race Traits and Tendencies of the American Negro" was the first nationwide compilation of racial crime data. It argued that the Black race had a “greater tendency to crime and pauperism than the whites.”
This belief has spread since then, and authorities have weaponized it against Black communities. The war on crime is a war on our people. If authorities were truly concerned about us, they wouldn’t ignore the systemic racism that produces crime.
Social ills like poverty, unemployment, and substance abuse, not our natural instincts, are what produce crime. Addressing social needs by providing quality education and resources for Black communities is the path forward, and we have formed hundreds of organizations to do just this.
The history of Black-on-Black crime is rooted in lies. Crime exists across the racial landscape, so we must remember that we do not have to be crime-free to deserve the basic necessities of life and freedom from police brutality.