California Watch is reporting that black youths and young adults are nearly five times more likely to be killed in California than the average young Californian. The disparity was even wider for black males, who have a homicide rate more than 14 times that of whites and nearly four times that of Hispanics.
Those are among the disturbing facts in a new report by the Violence Policy Center, which found that guns and firearms were used in 84 percent of the 803 homicides of 10- to 24-year-olds in California in 2009. Ninety percent of the victims were male. The report concludes that "homicide, particularly gun homicide, continues to be one of the most pressing public health concerns in California among youth and young adults." The report comes at a time when youth services are being slashed at the county level because of the state's budget crisis.
More sad news about young, black males. Facing odds like this, do they stand a chance in California — or anywhere else, for that matter?
Read more at Californiawatch.org.
In other news: Sour Grapes or Strange Fruit: The Dakota Accused of Racial Discrimination.