Gun violence aimed at Black males triggers concern

10th March 2014   ·   0 Comments

By Freddie Allen
NNPA Washington Correspondent

WASHINGTON (NNPA) – Several new studies confirm what most people have suspected all along: No group is harmed more by gun violence than young Black males.

“While 13 percent of Americans are Black, in 2010, 65 percent of gun murder victims between the ages of 15 and 24 were Black,” revealed a report by the Center for American Progress (CAP). “Forty-two percent of the total gun deaths of individuals in this age group were of Black males.”

This trend has continued, the report noted, even as crime rates decline.

Another report on gun violence by the Children’s Defense Fund (CDF) mirrors the CAP findings.

“Between 1963 and 2010, 59,265 Black children and teens were killed by guns – more than 17 times the recorded lynchings of Black people of all ages in the 86 years from 1882 to 1968.”

The Children’s Defense Fund study also reported that, “Black males ages 15-19 were nearly 30 times more likely to die in a gun homicide than white males.”

Yet another study on Black homicides in the United States by the Violence Policy ing the incident is how thoroughly Victor White was checked by Iberia Parish sheriff’s deputies after he was arrested.

“We’re investigating how he got the gun,” Hammons told The Advocate Monday. “It’s too early in our investigation to comment further.”

The shooting victim’s family refutes police claims that Victor White shot himself while in handcuffs and demanded answers last week.

“They have issued a statement that he shot himself but we know that is not true,” White’s sister, Keisha Davis, told Madame­Noire.com. “We will not stop until justice is served.”

The family is in the process of raising funds to pay for an independent autopsy of Victor White’s remains. Anyone who is interested in making a donation is encouraged to send monies to MidSouth Bank (account number 3428427). The family is also using social media to raise awareness about the case and encouraged anyone with information about the incident to come forward. For more information about the social media campaign, go to #JusticeForVic.

A similar incident occurred in Arkansas in 2012 involving 21-year-old Chavis Carter, who autho­rities say shot himself in the back of the head while handcuffed on the back seat of a police car.

“This doesn’t add up,” the Rev. Raymond Brown, a New Orleans community activist whose pro­tests in Jena several years ago raised national awareness about the plight of the Jena 6, told The Louisiana Weekly. “It just doesn’t make sense.

“How does someone who is handcuffed and in police custody kill himself”? asked Brown, who is president of National Action Now. “How does someone who is handcuffed first acquire a gun and outmaneuver law enforcement officers who are trained to handle every possible situation?”

Brown said he will continue to monitor this situation closely and will offer support and guidance to the victim’s family. “We will not rest until the many questions that remain are answered and justice is served in this case.” Brown added.

Additional reporting by Louisiana Weekly editor Edmund W. Lewis.

This article originally published in the March 10, 2014 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.