Black on Black Crime is a Myth
That’s because it is a false equivalency to correlate crime with race. To correlate the two is to say that people are criminal simply based on the color of their skin.
It seems ridiculous to have to state this but, the color of one’s skin does NOT make them criminal. So while it is a fact that people of ALL races commit crimes, and commit them against people of their same race, it is no accident that intraracial crime is only highlighted with the black community.
Simply put, the concept of “black-on-black crime” was created to criminalize and vilify black people; to make it seem like we are innately violent and bad, solely based off the melanin in our skin. Our society has allowed for, and even bought into this myth for too long and it’s time for it to stop. TODAY.
Is there a crime issue in America. Definitely. Should we work to address it. Definitely, again. But let’s just call it that: crime, because it has nothing to do with race.
We know some of y’all are saying, “but there’s more crime in the black community so that’s why people call it ‘black-on-black crime.” Nope. Still wrong. While crime may be higher in black communities it is NOT because of race. However, there are social factors, like poverty, that statistically increase crime rates. Unfortunately, we live in a country where black people are disproportionally represented in poverty. So yes, there is more crime in these communities. But instead of criminalizing people based on their skin color, a solution for decreasing crime would be to address poverty. Less poverty = less crime.
So, since we now understand this, let us all stop using the term “black on black crime,” and let’s for sure NEVER bring it up again when having a conversation about black people being murdered by police.