According to a new report released by the NYPD, murder rates in New York City rose by 14% last year. But look how those numbers break down:
Murder rates for whites dropped by 27%.
Murder rates for blacks rose by 31%.
I suppose one can't look at these statistics and say with certainty that it's directly related to the financial meltdown caused by the super rich. But this is fast becoming the emerging picture of our new America, and I believe we can expect to see more of these kinds of statistics in the years to come, as the wealthy further their efforts to destroy the middle and lower class. The people at the bottom will suffer the most, and that suffering will lead to crime and violence. And those people at the bottom -- a large number of them are minorities. If you think this is just class warfare, you're naive. There is a racial component to this as well.
Some more from the report:
Two-thirds of the murder victims in 2010 were black, even though blacks comprise just 25% of the city's population. A third of the people murdered in the city were black teens and young men between the ages of 15 and 29.
Can I come out and say that Republican policies are racist? I feel we're getting to the point where accusing someone of racism is the same as accusing someone of being a Nazi. It's that's don't-go-there comment that will instantly demolish the debate. But Nazism doesn't really exist in our society. Racism does. And it can be seen in the numbers.
Republicans talk a lot about personal responsibility. And it's true -- every perpetrator is personally responsible for their crime. But Republicans only talk about personal responsibility in terms of how it relates to other people. They use the concept of personal responsibility as an excuse to abdicate their own.
Personal responsibility does not mean "every man for himself."
We are responsible to help those in need. We are responsible to care for the sick and the elderly. We are responsible to maintain a fair and equitable society. We are responsible to care for the planet. We are responsible to recognize and understand the affect we have on those around us. As long as we continue to abdicate those responsibilities, we will stray further and further from Dr. King's vision of a land of opportunity for all. So let's talk about the personal responsibility of the people who committed these crimes -- but let's not do so while ignoring our own responsibilities.
Ezekiel 16:49-50
Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed, and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy. They were haughty and did detestable things before me. Therefore I did away with them as you have seen.