Althouse: "In predominantly African-American neighborhoods of U.S. cities, far too many killers have gotten away with far too many crimes for far too long, fueling a disastrous murder epidemic."

January 25, 2015

"In predominantly African-American neighborhoods of U.S. cities, far too many killers have gotten away with far too many crimes for far too long, fueling a disastrous murder epidemic."

"Solving these murders and other serious crimes of violence in black communities should be a top goal for law enforcement—and it deserves to take priority over much more widely discussed issues such as racial profiling and the excessive use of force by police in black neighborhoods, from Ferguson to Staten Island."

So begins a Wall Street Journal article titled "The Underpolicing of Black America/Despite controversies like Ferguson, police are better at stopping African-Americans at random than at halting an epidemic of murder."

57 comments:

Michael K said...: The article is filled with left wing sensibilities typical of the LA Times. Black communities are not cooperating with the police. Al Sharpton and company are adding to this distrust. They do no good for the victims and the culture of single parenthood and wild promiscuity does far more to create the problem than the LA Times is willing to admit.; 1/25/15, 8:40 AM
Ann Althouse said...: Yeah, but the article is in the Wall Street Journal.; 1/25/15, 8:41 AM
Anonymous said...: Yeah, but the article is in the Wall Street Journal

Many of your followers view the Wall Street Journal as "too left wing".

Like Micheal pointed out, the article didn't blame Sharpton for all the problems in the black communtiy so they MUST be a lefty leftist leftard publication.; 1/25/15, 8:52 AM
Curious George said...: Not true of Milwaukee. They're doing something about black on black crime in the hood. They're spending a $125 million for a trolley in the third ward entertainment district.; 1/25/15, 8:55 AM
Curious George said...: No one on the left...black or white...wants to solve the black on black crime issue. It give the race hustlers the "cause" and politicians their issues to throw money at...and get votes.; 1/25/15, 8:59 AM
Anonymous said...: Simple:

"don't snitch" rule in these areas made my job as a investigative supervisor easy..no tips, very few clues, no usable physical evidence because of the actions of the victims and/or his friends and family
equal close and suspend the case and get on to the next. We never ran out of customers...; 1/25/15, 9:01 AM
Michael K said...: "but the article is in the Wall Street Journal."

Look at the author's credits.; 1/25/15, 9:04 AM
campy said...: From the CSI tv series we know that blacks are most often murdered by white male business executives.; 1/25/15, 9:04 AM
Michael K said...: "the article didn't blame Sharpton for all the problems in the black communtiy so they MUST be a lefty leftist leftard publication."

No, it did not mention culture or single parenthood and blamed the violent culture on slavery with no mention of the fact that black culture was far less violent in the 1950s. The leftists, like you, all blame slavery and by association, the white man for all black problems. That way lies disaster.; 1/25/15, 9:06 AM
Ann Althouse said...: "Look at the author's credits."

Yeah, but the article is in the Wall Street Journal.; 1/25/15, 9:12 AM
Gahrie said...: This will continue to be a problem as long as the Black community allows "snitches get stitches" and "acting White" to dominate their culture.; 1/25/15, 9:12 AM
Gahrie said...: Madisonfella:

So what's your solution?

I know...we can pour billions of dollars of transfer payments into the Black community, destroy the Black family and lower standards for Black people while we discriminate in favor of them.

I'm sure that will work..and will probably only take 50 years.; 1/25/15, 9:15 AM
Mazo Jeff said...: Anyone who says The Wall Street Journal is "too far left wing" has never read the Wall Street Journal!!; 1/25/15, 9:16 AM
Michael K said...: "Yeah, but the article is in the Wall Street Journal."

The WSJ editorial page is reliably conservative. The news pages are often as left wing as the LA Times. I read the Journal every day and I can't find the section that article comes from. It's an "essay" but not in the sections I usually read.

Surely you know this about the Journal.; 1/25/15, 9:24 AM
johnnymcguirk said...: The essay is an excerpt from a 384 page book it's not intended to be comprehensive.; 1/25/15, 9:25 AM
Bruce Hayden said...: I too was bothered by the article's blaming white southerners from before the Civil Rights era, instead of the progressives who destroyed Black families, and therefore, ultimately, the Black community, through the welfare state that they built that subsidizes single, fatherless, parenting. Those white southerners are now presumably all Republicans now (though there were almost all Democrats at the time), so are a safe target. The people who should be hung in effigy though are the Democrats, northern and southern, who enacted LBJ's Great Society, and its War on Poverty. And, yet, even half blacks like Obama, continue the racist legacy of 200 years of racism on the part of the Democratic party in this country. And, yes, above and beyond the adverse effects of subsidizing dysfunctionality, I think that a lot of the problem is that party's long term condescension and paternalistically treating Blacks, in particular, as incapable of being responsible for their own actions.; 1/25/15, 9:42 AM
Big Mike said...: Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson are explicit about their support for "don't snitch," and they have never taken a stand against the murder of witnesses.

Some day a black leader will rise up and initiate the change in mentality needed to eradicate black-on-black crime. But to my knowledge no one in the NAACP much cares about black-on-black crime, and the Democrat party is wildly in favor of the status quo.; 1/25/15, 9:47 AM
Anonymous said...: Yeah, right, more policing: be called an Uncle Tom if you are black, and lose your whole career as a racist if your are white. Apparently blacks love criminals more than they love policing.

Have anyone noticed that the "racist" white cop, the
"child killer", was only 28? Where is his future now? What is going to happen to him and his family?; 1/25/15, 9:50 AM
Bob Ellison said...: Don't let's get confused about the Wall Street Journal.

The editorial board is on the right. The journalists are left-of-center, predominantly left of even the New York Times.

So "it's in the WSJ" is not a way out of "it's leftist claptrap".

Still an interesting article.; 1/25/15, 9:54 AM
Anonymous said...: The author comments about one aspect of a many-faceted problem and her commentary (as far as it goes) starts with an observation that is far from uber-lefty. She critizes the Ferguson protests (meaning the leaders of it like Sharpton et al.) for missing the mark. Police resources should be increased in minority neighborhoods but refocused on the epidemic of violence rather than the petty drug offenses and similar stuff targeted by 'broken windows' policing. Along the way, she debunks a few typical lefty talking points, when, for example, she notes that the disparity in 'clearance rates' for homicides in white vs. black neighborhoods is explained by the predominance of domestic violence as the source of himicides in white neighborhoods contrasted with the gang violence in black one. Domestic homicides are easier to solve.

Whether her basic point that 'broken windows' policing is not the cure-all it is often claimed to be, is itself overstated is an interesting subject. But it's not an idea that is especially lefty (or righty).

At times, those categories need to be given a rest. Like 'Racist' and so many others, they're used to dismiss an argument rather than engage with it.; 1/25/15, 9:54 AM
Paco Wové said...: "the violent culture on slavery with no mention of the fact that black culture was far less violent in the 1950s."

The failure of the Great Society must be memory-holed, so that we may repeat it again!; 1/25/15, 9:55 AM
Bruce Hayden said...: I was also struck by the fact that we just spent much of the last half year obsessing about supposed Black victimhood at the hands of the police. We have a national martyr in the form of Big Mike Brown who died after most likely trying to take the gun away from a policeman, trying to use it against him, and then shortly later charged that policeman, putting him in fear of death or great bodily injury at the hands of the massive Brown. Trayvon Martin was little better - likely trying to play the knock down game with someone who turned out to have been legally carrying a concealed pistol, after having spent much of the previous months getting progressively more involved in the subculture of violence of his community. During that time, he flaunted pictures of him with an illegal handgun, talked about swinging on a bus driver, etc.

And, yet, somehow these violent young men, who died well before their time as a result of their violence, are supposed to be martyrs. We are told this by the Black community, and well meaning Whites. The Black clergy should have been telling their flocks that this is the wage of sin, and not leading the protests.

Making this worse, maybe, is the fact that the protests turned so destructive, and so violent, so quickly. Just another excuse for the Black community to foul its own back yard, looting and burning down the businesses that were brave enough to venture into their neighborhoods, all on the basis of a misplaced victimhood, as usual, at the encouragement of all right thinking progressives (who were the ones who got the Black community in this position in the first place).

The problem isn't going to be solved until the people in this country, White progressive or Black, stop treating Blacks as incapable of taking care of themselves, and start holding them responsible for their actions.; 1/25/15, 10:01 AM
Paco Wové said...: Presumably the "Young, Gifted, and Black Coalition" is not on board with this more-policing recommendation.; 1/25/15, 10:05 AM
Bob Ellison said...: Omaha "house party" dead, wounded, fatherless, motherless

Skim the article and read some of the comments.; 1/25/15, 10:08 AM
Michael said...: Michael K

The article is from a book that is reviewed today in the NYT (I know, I know). The author finds that these murder investigations are impeded not because the people won't cooperate with the cops, but rather fear for their live if they do. Or their children's lives. Worth a liik; 1/25/15, 10:13 AM
pst314 said...: Michael K "The WSJ editorial page is reliably conservative. The news pages are often as left wing...Surely you know this about the Journal."

Perhaps Althouse is trolling her readers. Seems certain that she already knows what you pointed out...although she may have her own perculiar academic ideas of right and left.; 1/25/15, 10:22 AM
MaxedOutMama said...: While gangs control neighborhoods little can be done about this.

An improved economy with better job prospects would greatly help. As it is, many in urban poor neighborhoods are left with little prospects of a life lived within the law, and this is especially true of the younger cohort.

The black unemployment rate is still 10.4%. In the US as a whole there are about 6.5 million people not officially counted as being in the labor force who want a job now. And we are importing millions of new young people to compete for jobs.

It's a grim prospect. There is no reason to think that social dysfunction will get any better, and police can't do jack about most of this.; 1/25/15, 10:22 AM
Seeing Red said...: The WSJ editorial page may lean Right, but the rest of the paper hasn't in years.; 1/25/15, 10:28 AM
Gordon Scott said...: @MaxedOutMama:

I once asked a group of middle-aged black men, all of whom were day laborers, who they supported for Congress. They were all for Keith Ellison, a black Muslim, of course. I pointed out that Ellison was all for wide open borders and legalizing all Mexican and Central American immigrants. With that accomplished, their day labor jobs would be filled by the immigrants.

They had not considered this aspect of Ellison's policies.; 1/25/15, 10:36 AM
FleetUSA said...: The black community has to back the police for this to improve. We don't see that happening. The MSM has to be involved to - something they seem to scared to touch.

And yes because of intimidation in the black community there are probably no-go areas in some ghettos for even black cops.; 1/25/15, 10:46 AM
traditionalguy said...: Isn't the NYT arguing for segregation again? The south's answer was once "no go zones" without policing.

Without paid law enforcement the law that gets enforced inside the no go zone ghetto is violence. That is what would happen anywhere there are no police, no jails,and no lawyers and Judges in courts. It becomes the Wild West.

Bottom line is that a white culture's treatment of black on black crimes as a class of misdemeanors is not favoritism.; 1/25/15, 11:00 AM
furious_a said...: People, this essay appears in the WSJ's "Review" section, published Saturdays. One will see articles from Charles Murray or Cass Sunstein, depending on the week. There's no left-right editorial policy, from the two-plus years I've been reading the Saturday edition.; 1/25/15, 11:18 AM
Michael K said...: "Police resources should be increased in minority neighborhoods but refocused on the epidemic of violence rather than the petty drug offenses and similar stuff targeted by 'broken windows' policing."

"Broken Windows" is not the same as these petty fines and citations for trash disposal, etc that plague poor residents of these small cities.

St Louis County has far too many of these small cities, as someone here pointed out a few months ago. Los Angeles County also has over 100 small cities but most contract with the County for services. Still, local corruption is a problem.

The small city of Bell in Los Angles County had a scandal several years ago. Many of the residents are illegals or are Spanish speaking and were victimized by corrupt local politicians.

"Broken Windows" is a quality of life issue and has less to do with city revenue, which was the problem in St Louis.; 1/25/15, 11:20 AM
Michael K said...: "There's no left-right editorial policy, from the two-plus years I've been reading the Saturday edition."

Agreed but our hostess was being disingenuous by implying that was a conservative article because it was in the WSJ. That one was a lefty example and next week might be the opposite. When I see LA Times on a byline, I know what I am going to get.; 1/25/15, 11:22 AM
furious_a said...: Omaha "house party" dead, wounded, fatherless, motherless...

Watching news coverage of one of those NorCal child kidnap murders from about 10-15 years ago, where the reporter was interviewing the grieving family (down-market Richmond, all women except for a couple of little boys), friend of mine noticed "Nobody in that family has the same last name."; 1/25/15, 11:26 AM
furious_a said...: Two "or so", not "two-plus", can't rememember exactly when the Saturday edition started.

Now our hostess knows about the "Review" section on Saturdays.

It's a good read, some weeks stronger than others. They published the first "Asian Tiger Mom" excerpts. Reminds me of why I liked The Atlantic before and during Michael Kelly's editorship.; 1/25/15, 11:33 AM
Fernandinande said...: OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Gunfire erupted during a crowded party in a vacant house in Omaha early Saturday, leaving three people dead and five wounded, and most witnesses refusing to help investigators, according to police.; 1/25/15, 11:36 AM
William said...: Why are the crime rates so much higher in West Indian and African countries? That's an apples to apples comparison. Maybe we're doing something right.; 1/25/15, 11:38 AM
jr565 said...: "Police resources should be increased in minority neighborhoods but refocused on the epidemic of violence rather than the petty drug offenses and similar stuff targeted by 'broken windows' policing"

Considering the number of murders committed by gang members in the drug trade, it may be tough to avoid the petty drug offenses.; 1/25/15, 11:56 AM
jr565 said...: People not cooperating with cops is one of the big reasons why murders don't get solved in the black community. Its not a new phenomenon.; 1/25/15, 11:59 AM
jr565 said...: "http://www.cbsnews.com/news/stop-snitchin/

Back in 2007 this was an issue reported on by Anderson Cooper.
So if that's the culutural norm for the poor communities, then they get what they deserve.
Your son gets murdered by thugs? Don't snitch.
Then, fuck you.; 1/25/15, 12:03 PM
jr565 said...: Since blacks predominantly kill blacks, this don't snitch policy means blacks killing other blacks, and blacks who witness the crimes don't cooperate.
Remember the hash tag, #blacklivesmatter? No they don't.
I'm out of patience for black people living thug lives at this point.; 1/25/15, 12:12 PM
jr565 said...: For those who think it's wrong to snitch, why should we snitch on cops who kill black folks? Assuming the cops are killing them illegally?; 1/25/15, 12:20 PM
Achilles said...: Ann Althouse said...
"Yeah, but the article is in the Wall Street Journal."

You can't find a "journalist" graduate out of any "journalism" school now that isn't reliably to the left of Mao. The lack of intellectual diversity in journalism schools is on par with education schools.; 1/25/15, 12:27 PM
jr565 said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 1/25/15, 12:41 PM
jr565 said...: In the Anderson Cooper newscast I linked to I wish he had asked the following questions - "If a white person killed a black person and you saw it would you be cooperative with cops?" "If a cop killed a black person would you snitch it by, say, putting it up on You Tube". "If your mother was killed by a black person in the community, would you want your neighbors to cooperate. If you saw your friends mother being murdered would you cooperate with cops?".
Cam'ron the rapper said he wouldn't snitch if he knew a serial killer lived next door. He might move....
It takes a village...my broters keeper... black lives matter... all crap.But if they don't care, why should the white community?

Lets see how far supporting snitching goes.; 1/25/15, 12:45 PM
cubanbob said...: Why should we care if the communities affected don't? Cops aren't clairvoyant and without witnesses and clues they can't arrest murderers they don't know are murderers. When they start caring then the cops will be more effective. Until then, why waste energy and time on what can't be improved.; 1/25/15, 3:33 PM
mccullough said...: Mostly its gang members killing each other. When it's not, the police crack down and solve the crime by pressuring the gangs to give up the shooter or a plausible suspect.

The problem with not having many fathers around is there is no dad to get Justice for their kids who are killed. Though some still manage from time to time.; 1/25/15, 3:34 PM
Michael K said...: "I'm out of patience for black people living thug lives at this point. "

I think these black demonstrations, like those at "brunches" in New York, are going to backfire badly on black "activists."

I live in an Orange County city which is reliably considered "white" yet there are three black families on my street. Detroit is surrounded by prosperous suburbs that are filled with middle class whites, and more importantly, black families.

The black middle class has many leftist Democrat voters but they are "acting white" by getting married and often by moving to white residential areas. Just like Reverend Wright did in Chicago.

People, and I suspect many black families, are going to tune out the demonstrations very soon and it will be another futile gesture.

Look at the demonstrators in Boston who blocked the highways. The ones reporters could find were white leftist kids living with parents. A few leftist college professors were leading the NYC demonstrations.

Most were probably anarchists funded by Soros.; 1/25/15, 3:52 PM
Paul Stokes said...: Among other things abut chattel slavery, Abolitionists complained about the relative anarchy to which the plantation owners left the slaves.; 1/25/15, 4:35 PM
Mike said...: I agree w/ one of the points made, specifically about how police are going after low-hanging fruit like drug busts instead of murder and assault. "Broken windows" policing has morphed into police breaking the windows themselves with 50,000 SWAT raids every year, mostly for drugs and other non-violent crimes. The idea of cracking down on low-level crime was to building up toward high-level crime, not to stuff prisons full of non-violent people and pad arrest and conviction records.; 1/25/15, 4:50 PM
richard mcenroe said...: The Democrats have always resented not having a American Palestinian people of their own: angry, disenfranchised, poorly educated,culturally blinkered, supporting violence, convinced all their problems are the fault of "someone else" and spurning every opportunity to break the cycle on their own.

Took 'em fifty years but they finally created one.; 1/25/15, 5:23 PM
richard mcenroe said...: Should be "an" American, etc., obviously.; 1/25/15, 5:23 PM
Rusty said...: 50 years of modern liberal meddling and look what we have.; 1/25/15, 7:13 PM
MadisonMan said...: No one on the left...black or white...wants to solve the black on black crime issue. It give the race hustlers the "cause" and politicians their issues to throw money at...and get votes.

Agreed. It's the left equivalent of abortion and money/vote hustling on the right.

Vote for me an I'll fix the gross injustice! But first I'll need donations!; 1/25/15, 7:16 PM
David Davenport said...: I agree w/ one of the points made, specifically about how police are going after low-hanging fruit like drug busts ...

Wassamatter?

Afraid you're going to get busted when you venture into one of those neighborhoods in an effort to purchase some recreational goods?

Selling dope to white peepul is a big source of revenue for inner city gangs.; 1/25/15, 11:21 PM
bbkingfish said...: An "epidemic?"

Time to dig out the OED, Perfesser!; 1/26/15, 8:15 AM