[sankofalist]From BlackCollegeView.com

Thu, 06 Jan 2005 11:00:44 -0500

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Black Cities Ranked Most Dangerous; Leaders Challenge Labels

by Freddie Turner
December 03, 2004=20

Growing up, what was your ideal place to live? Well, according to Morgan
Quinto Press, a Lawrence, Kansas based research and publishing company, it
is not near cities where blacks are the majority.=A0

This year Camden, N.J. was named the most dangerous city making 2004 the
ninth consecutive year a city occupied by blacks has been ranked as the mos=
t
dangerous.

According to the study five other predominantly black cities followed
Camden; Detroit, Atlanta, St. Louis, Gary, Indiana, and Washington, D.C.,
where nearly 45,000 or 56 percent, of the city=B9s 80,000 residents are black=
.

The rankings were determined by an individual city=B9s rate in six crime
categories: murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary and motor
vehicle theft. All cities with a population of 75,000 or higher that
reported crime to the FBI for the six categories were included in the
rankings. In this year=B9s survey, 354 cities were observed. Final 2003
statistics were used to determine the rankings.

Professor John Davis, former Public Defender for Maryland and current
professor of Communications and Culture at Howard University says that the
criminal system focuses on certain behavior. He further explains that the
justice system focuses on smaller crimes such as drug use, robbery, assault=
,
=8Cpetty street crimes.=B9 Davis suggests that racial profiling makes it appear
that these crimes happen most often in black neighborhoods, because that=B9s
where blacks are most dominant.=A0

=B3We victimize each other with violence,=B2 Davis said. =B3One big criticism of
these social scientists is that correlation does not mean causation. They
need to use a more scientific approach rather numbers,=B2 Davis said.

Camden is considered an economically dejected area. The unemployment rate i=
s
36 percent, and one of every three residents is poor.

=B3You have to believe that race has something to do with these rankings=8Bthe
black people have been stereotyped,=B2 said Camden Councilwoman C. Louise
Dobbs, who lives in Whitman Park, which is saturated with crime, drugs, and
violence. Dobbs claims that the younger generation has a lot of misplaced
anger, and commits a lot of crime compared to their predecessors.

Sydney Singleton a senior accounting major at Howard University, from Queen=
s
New York, says that the police presence is greater in the black community,
and as a result crime is reported more often in those areas.

=B3If a white boy is driving with drugs in his car, and a black guy does the
same thing, but the black guy gets pulled over, and the white boy doesn=B9t,
did the white boy have drugs on him?=B2=A0 asked Singleton.=A0 =B3It=B9s an issue of
racial profiling,=B2 said Singleton.

=B3I think it=B9s pretty unjust,=B2 said the Rev. Floyd L. White III, pastor of
Camden=B9s Woodland Avenue Presbyterian Church, who is one of the leaders
trying to revive the city=B9s condition, and reputation. =B3I really don=B9t thin=
k
it=B9s the clearest testament of what=B9s going on here.=B2

=B3There are a lot of good things going on in Camden, but people don=B9t seem t=
o
want to report those things nationally. Right now, there are a lot of us
trying to work with the schools to improve things for kids, so that they
have constructive things to do. We=B9re trying to create safe havens through
our churches.=B2

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<HTML>
<HEAD>
<TITLE>From BlackCollegeView.com</TITLE>
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Black C=
ities Ranked Most Dangerous; Leaders Challenge Labels 
 
=
by Freddie Turner 
December 03, 2004 
 
Growing up, what was your ideal place to live? Well, according to Morgan Qu=
into Press, a Lawrence, Kansas based research and publishing company, it is =
not near cities where blacks are the majority.=A0 
 
This year Camden, N.J. was named the most dangerous city making 2004 the ni=
nth consecutive year a city occupied by blacks has been ranked as the most d=
angerous. 
 
According to the study five other predominantly black cities followed Camde=
n; Detroit, Atlanta, St. Louis, Gary, Indiana, and Washington, D.C., where n=
early 45,000 or 56 percent, of the city&#8217;s 80,000 residents are black.<=
BR>
 
The rankings were determined by an individual city&#8217;s rate in six crim=
e categories: murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary and motor =
vehicle theft. All cities with a population of 75,000 or higher that reporte=
d crime to the FBI for the six categories were included in the rankings. In =
this year&#8217;s survey, 354 cities were observed. Final 2003 statistics we=
re used to determine the rankings. 
 
Professor John Davis, former Public Defender for Maryland and current profe=
ssor of Communications and Culture at Howard University says that the crimin=
al system focuses on certain behavior. He further explains that the justice =
system focuses on smaller crimes such as drug use, robbery, assault, &#8216;=
petty street crimes.&#8217; Davis suggests that racial profiling makes it ap=
pear that these crimes happen most often in black neighborhoods, because tha=
t&#8217;s where blacks are most dominant.=A0 
 
&#8220;We victimize each other with violence,&#8221; Davis said. &#8220;One=
 big criticism of these social scientists is that correlation does not mean =
causation. They need to use a more scientific approach rather numbers,&#8221=
; Davis said. 
 
Camden is considered an economically dejected area. The unemployment rate i=
s 36 percent, and one of every three residents is poor. 
 
&#8220;You have to believe that race has something to do with these ranking=
s&#8212;the black people have been stereotyped,&#8221; said Camden Councilwo=
man C. Louise Dobbs, who lives in Whitman Park, which is saturated with crim=
e, drugs, and violence. Dobbs claims that the younger generation has a lot o=
f misplaced anger, and commits a lot of crime compared to their predecessors=
. 
 
Sydney Singleton a senior accounting major at Howard University, from Queen=
s New York, says that the police presence is greater in the black community,=
 and as a result crime is reported more often in those areas. 
 
&#8220;If a white boy is driving with drugs in his car, and a black guy doe=
s the same thing, but the black guy gets pulled over, and the white boy does=
n&#8217;t, did the white boy have drugs on him?&#8221;=A0 asked Singleton.=A0 &#=
8220;It&#8217;s an issue of racial profiling,&#8221; said Singleton. 
 
&#8220;I think it&#8217;s pretty unjust,&#8221; said the Rev. Floyd L. Whit=
e III, pastor of Camden&#8217;s Woodland Avenue Presbyterian Church, who is =
one of the leaders trying to revive the city&#8217;s condition, and reputati=
on. &#8220;I really don&#8217;t think it&#8217;s the clearest testament of w=
hat&#8217;s going on here.&#8221; 
 
&#8220;There are a lot of good things going on in Camden, but people don&#8=
217;t seem to want to report those things nationally. Right now, there are a=
 lot of us trying to work with the schools to improve things for kids, so th=
at they have constructive things to do. We&#8217;re trying to create safe ha=
vens through our churches.&#8221; 

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