Why Are Black, Crime and Poverty Always Hanging Around Each Other?

One of the things I highlighted in yesterday's review of the New Yorker's piece on "The Cop" was their admission that where there are relatively high numbers of black people there are also high levels of crime and poverty. One of the people interviewed in the piece discussed the decline of his neighborhood noting that the loss of and absence of jobs as the primary causes of the crime problem. Lets look at this issue.

As a Garveyite I note Garvey's note of the difference between the UNIA-ACL and the NAACP. The UNIA was primarily concerned with the economic development of "African Communities [League]". Much like the much maligned Booker T. Washington, it was Garvey's idea that once the African developed himself to stand as an equal among nations by running all aspects of their own nations (and communities) then political power would naturally acre and exploitation by others would cease. In contrast the NAACP had as it's goal the social acceptance of Africans first and foremost, with politics being the tools by which this could happen, particularly for the talented tenth. The clear evidence of this was the attacks on the Black Star Line Inc. by Dubois via the NAACP print organ (and personal discussions with Liberian "leadership"). This is not to say that there weren't serious issues with the BSL, but you'd think that the NAACP would have spent more time trying to help out rather than trash it. But this lack of an economic uplift program by the NAACP and others has lead to the issues discussed in Ferguson and elsewhere.

Let us go way back in time and observe. When white folks colonized America who "gave them jobs"? Serious question. The mantra of the various liberal "intellectual" is that no one will give black people jobs. Remember, as a Garveyite the question isn't "who will give us a job" but rather "Where and how can I make my own job?" The former question is one that is taken from the mind of the dependent. The latter question is one who takes responsibility for his own future. When white folks colonized America they were in full responsibility mode. We must work and build to survive and provide for our offspring. Things were much different for the enslaved African.

The enslaved African in early America was a tool, no different than cattle. Sorry, but it's true. The only purpose for Africans in America was to do work for other people. In general the African lived a life that consisted of "who will I work for...?" In the case of skilled Africans such as those in and around Charleston South Carolina, where the skills allowed the African to contract other business outside of his primary owner it was still with the permission of said owner who expected a cut of those earnings.

Even after the African was "emancipated" from physical bondage his situation was still largely one of dependency. No 40 acres and no mule. Money was in the hands of the former owner and the rest of the non-black population so that's where the employment was.

What does it take to build and maintain a modern community? You must have businesses that cater to the immediate needs of those in the community. Food stores, gas stations, electricians, plumbers, banks, schools, clothing stores. After the basics are taken care of you can have businesses that are not directly related to human "needs". These businesses generally build the wealth of a community. This is why there is usually a "downtown" or "main street" in any relatively well off town. There may even be a couple of them. The more there are, the more likely that the community is "wealthy". Of course I'm generalizing here so please don't send a note about what I missed.

With these requirements in mind, look at Ferguson or just about any black neighborhood. How many of these things exist? Where they exist WHO is it that built and/or run them? Often it is not the members of the communities themselves. And this is UNLIKE any other community you'll walk into. Go to a Chinatown and see who's running the establishments I mentioned. Go to any other ethnic or racial enclave and observe.

Now I went to university in Tuskegee AL, Lansing MI and Ithaca NY. Tuskegee was the ONLY "college town" I was in where there wasn't a vibrant community built up around the college. I'll be honest. I was shocked. One supermarket and no shopping whatsoever. If you wanted to do anything other than buy alcohol and pig intestines you had to go to Auburn or Montgomery. I'm only slightly exaggerating.

What is consistent is that in black communities whether they are rich or poor, is that the same "enslaved" mentality exists: "who will I work for...?" Remember that the black middle class is disproportionately made up of people who work for local, state or federal government entities. As Frantz Fanon pointed out, the black middle class, where it exists is a false middle class because unlike the middle classes of other groups it consists of those who's income is derived from wages rather than self-employment or some other enterprise.

The other problem is that often when black people DO start businesses, they do not employ anyone. They are sole proprietorships with emphasis on SOLE. So when you have a community full of people who are thinking "who can I work for?" with no one creating job creating businesses you have a community that is dependent upon other people.

For real though, how many white people go looking in black communities for jobs? Now how many black people go to white ones to find work? going deeper, how many go to Chinatown for work?

A couple of months back I discovered that Oprah's business Harpo doesn't even have black people running the top level of the business. Jay-Z's Tidal music streaming service is run by white people out of Norway (or one of those way north countries) with nary a negro in it's employ (on the technical front). If black people cannot even expect the multimillionaires of us who are actually creating jobs to employ us, then how can we seriously expect anyone else to do so?

And so we see why most cannot grasp why Black, Crime and Poverty keep hanging out with each other. Poverty cannot be alleviated when the thinking is "what can someone else do for me" or "they will not hire me". Poverty is alleviated when the thinking is "What can I do to advance myself?" and "How can I be independent of them". The latter kind of thinking leads to future time thinking. It leads to planning. It makes the thinker evaluate the consequences of choices like strong arm robbing a convenience store.

And these rich negroes need to step up to the plate. We know that it's hard to get financing for businesses if you have no or garbage credit. Oprah and these other entertainers (who are the large portion of black multi-millionaires) need to start seeding businesses in these communities and do less charity work. White communities were not made nor are maintained by charity. They are maintained by property taxes and sales taxes.

Lastly, we have to stop being sympathetic to the law breakers in our communities. We know who they are and we know the damage they do. It's time to put 'em out if they don't shape up. One suggestion, A kid gets arrested, word goes out to the community leaders. Leaders go to the home where that kid's parents are and make it clear if that kid doesn't cease and desist, the parent will be made to pay. Pay could be eviction from the premises. I know it's harsh, but folks have to be made to understand that the community will NOT tolerate the bullshit. Take some of these failing HBCUs are turn them into boarding schools for the hard headed. They get removed from their parents and put into these places to shape up by those better equipped. It's better than prison. Cheaper in the long run too.

So when we get serious about business building and dealing with the criminal class, Black, Crime and Poverty will have a parting of ways. Until then expect more of the same.