Charlotte, NC Mayor Pat McCrory, who is white, said he was accurate when he wrote that “too many of our youth, primarily African American, are imitating and/or participating in a gangster type of dress, attitude, behavior and action.” His remarks came in a July 5 letter to the city manager in which McCrory congratulated police for their presence the night before, when 169 people — mostly black — were arrested.
The mayor painted “African American youth with a broad swath that cuts deep in many of our communities,” said Ken White, president of the Charlotte branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. “Mr. McCrory’s comments reinforce that stereotype, especially to those inclined to hold onto racist thinking and behavior,” White said.
McCrory told The Charlotte Observer that he understands his remarks offended some people, but he cited statistics that more than 60 percent of Charlotte’s gang members are black. “My role as mayor is to communicate what I consider to be concerns and in doing so you have to step on some toes,” he said. The mayor said he stands by his comments that black youth are imitating gangsters, despite a call from the local NAACP to apologize. (AP)
Seems to me the only thing Mayor McCrory needs to apologize for is for being white, white people are simply not allowed to say things like this because the black community will cry “racism.” But the mayor’s observations seem on-point to me. Black and Latino youth have indeed embraced a culture of negative, violent stereotypes, while the black community at large does virtually nothing about it. There is no hew and cry from the black community about these so-called gangstas and criminal elements—both real and simulated—that thrive openly within our urban youth culture. We say nothing, we do nothing, while the souls of our youth are being freely stolen, day after day.
If you were sitting on your porch, and some white guys drove up in a bus, grabbed your kid and dragged him off to Nazi training camp, you’d be hopping mad about it. But, each and every day black America—the black church most insidiously—sits idly by while the exact same scenario happens every minute of every hour of every day. Only, it’s our own—black gangs, black thugs—stealing our children. And, by paying your cable bill, inviting the so-called “gangsta rap” culture into your home, you’re helping them do it. By not taking a stand against gang lifestyles, by not promoting and, yes, financing alternatives to that lifestyle, by not taking a stand against violent video games, gang colors, and gangstas mentality—by allowing any and all of that to flourish in our own communities, in our own homes, we are all guilty of a heinous sin.
I mean, the NAACP is filing lawsuits against this white mayor, but how much money, per capita, did the African American community spend last year on gang alternatives? How much did the back church spend? How much did YOUR church spend on gang alternatives and anti-gang messages? How much money did you, personally, spend, last year, on efforts to keep your own kids, your own family, your neighbor’s kids, out of gangs? How much time did you spend with your kids, with your neighbor’s kids, providing alternatives to the glamorized gangsta culture? You’d actually be surprised how much good will a pizza and a movie can buy. How much influence a bowling trip can purchase.
I can’t help but wonder what might happen if we, in the black community, started identifying Gang-Free Zones. Putting up signs around schools, around arcades, malls, libraries, around churches, around laundromats, around places where drug dealers and gang members flourish, that simply said GANG-FREE ZONE. And what if we empowered the police to make gang sweeps through those areas. What is we black men, in particular, got off our fat behinds and put ourselves, bodily, in harm’s way patrolling these gang-free zones? What if we, as black mothers, as black fathers, created a culture of resistance and an aggressive campaign of ideas and values that presented a viable and attractive alternative to the Thug Life that is so glamorized by the media? What if we, as consumers, punished that media by banning it outright in our homes?
When I was a kid, my mother determined what was and was not allowed to influence her children and to come into her home. More and more, I see black mothers throwing up their hands, seemingly helpless to stem the overwhelming tide of negativism, of violent and sexist content, that streams openly and freely into our homes.
Well, you’re not helpless. You’re simply lazy. You simply lack the conviction of my mother and, likely yours. And you, yes you, are the ones responsible for selling out our youth, not some white mayor in North Carolina. He’s only saying what many if not most white people are thinking, anyway, and I for one applaud his bravery in having said it.
If you’re too scared to put up a simple sign, a simple GANG-FREE ZONE sign; if you’re too frightened to do gang sweeps or patrol your own community, if you’re too scared to confront your own children about their choices and values, if you’re too scared to speak up for what you believe—rendering mute the Truth of the Cross—
—then, the least you could do is cancel your cable TV service. Ban magazines like XXL and Vibe from your home. Destroy every gangsta rap CD and violent video game you can find in your kid’s rooms. Tear down every poster glamorizing some tatted-up foul-mouthed thug. Cut off your Internet or at least have the courage to disallow your kid to have free access in his or her room.
If you’re too scared to do that, you can write your councilman, your mayor, your representative and senators and demand help.
These are little moves even cowards can make, but we’re not even making those. These are the very least things we could be doing to turn things around. Instead, we expend energy rallying and filing lawsuits against white people for simply stating the obvious: black America is, by all reasonable observation, lazy and gutless, having surrendered our youth to criminals who snatch them off the street before our very eyes, while we cower and shake our heads and do absolutely nothing about it.
Man, do I long for the old days when being black, when being a Christian, used to actually mean something.
22 Comments
I'm with you on the main thrust of your thoughts, but I'm not sure I see the violent video game connection here, at least as a causal influence. The studies I'm aware of only show a short-term increase in aggression after playing a violent game (on the order of 15 minutes), and there are plenty of successful, well-adjusted people that play these sorts of games all the time (myself included).
Also, with the exception of titles like GTA: SAN ANDREAS and SAINT'S ROW, most of these sorts of games aren't in the hip hop gangsta milieu, so the connection seems pretty tenuous to me.
scrawled by Jer | July 15, 2007 12:48 PM
"But the mayor’s observations seem on-point to me. Black and Latino youth have indeed embraced a culture of negative, violent stereotypes, while the black community at large does virtually nothing about it."
Then why is violence down, especially among the youth of this country?
http://www.amazon.com/Culture-Fear-Americans-Afraid-Things/dp/0465014909/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/105-8353982-1823648?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1184525850&sr=8-1
If you promise to read that book I will paypal you the money to buy it.
scrawled by Blaine | July 15, 2007 12:57 PM
Mr.Priest, while I agree that gangs are a blight on our community; I believe that you are overstating the impact of media on their viability in our neighborhoods.
Why would Black youth choose to embrace these nihilistic choices of crime and violence; if the opportunity for employment, higher education and entrepeneurship were just as accesible to them?
The gang culture that the Mayor cited is being replicated in the manner of asthetics by a large number of young Whites as well. The only difference, is that for the vast majority it stays in the realm of dress and goes no further. If it's simply media influence why aren't the negative effects as profound in White communities as it is in their Black counterpart?
I agree with anything that promotes self-examination and personal responsibility; but this focus on media portrayal has become a convenient scapegoat.
scrawled by Jefferson Sergeant | July 15, 2007 12:59 PM
I'm not touching this one...
scrawled by Shaun G. | July 15, 2007 3:20 PM
I'm with you on parents stepping up and taking a stand, but not on banning video games and magazines. Not every black kid who plays video games where he "pop caps in someone" is going to embrace gangs.
I think the ultimate problem here is lack of education (ignorance) and lack of opportunities (poverty). Both are breeding grounds for the kind of idiot mentality that leads a kid to think it's ok to shoot people or sell dope to make money. And that's true of any ethnicity.
scrawled by Hysan Gearring | July 15, 2007 3:56 PM
First, what constitutes gangster like dress, attitude, behavior and actions? In my mind, what the current administration running this country does reflect gangster behavior.
Second, the NAACP has become nothing more than money grabbing non-profit. They have banquets and award ceremnonies and make occasional media appearances to show that they are doing something.
Third, the Black Church has failed the Black community by not being the foundation it once was. They talk of Jesus dying on the cross and raising from the day and stop there. Jesus came back and told everyone to get busy doing his Father's work. This meant following His example performing miracles. Jesus fed people with very little. It can be done if you are resourceful. Jesus healed the sick and raised the dead. It can be done; most people only need to know that someone cares about their situation and will offer a small amount of help and a good helping of encoouragement and faith in that individual.
You can change things simple by controling your environment. You decided what your environment shall be and others will respond. You don't have to be in a leadership position, people will react to you.
People will do what they want to do, but if you take a responsible position in your life, if you do not allow their actions and behavior to become yours, and if you are strong in your convictions but willing to allow yourself to change and grow and understand different view points, cultures, or ways of doing and thinking, you can influence others to at least examine what they are about and hope that they will make changes in their life for the better.
scrawled by Thelmon | July 15, 2007 10:51 PM
I have to agree with the others about the violent videogame thing, since most of the time, with a few rare exceptions (Saints Row), the main character is white. The main character is also either a cop, a cyborg, or both, from the future, or a secret agent, or an assassin, or what have you.
Off the top of my head, I can only think of four videogames, released within the last five or years, that really glorify gang violence, and only two of those glorify black gang violence.
Most other forms of media, though, I'm with you on. There are a lot of magazines and tv shows that I don't think kids should be looking at. I long for the days when kids will watch stuff like Square One and The Electric Company over 106 & Park.
At the very least, I've managed to train my nieces and my nephew out of some of that crap. They know what they are and aren't allowed to watch when they visit me, they know better than to "walk it out" or "chicken noodle soup" (two really stupid dances) in my presence.
scrawled by Slick | July 16, 2007 12:55 AM
Sir,
I have a thought that I am not sure is original, but is at least something I haven't heard discussed much. I was listening to NPR and there was an interview with a fellow who recently wrote a biography of Condoleeza Rice. He was saying that Rice's family was from Birmingham, AL and that she grew up during the Civil Rights movement, but that she was seperated from it. That her parents had a different structure and belief about how it ought to work. They were relatively well off, and had been successful, even under Jim Crow. They felt that working hard, being educated and achieving through normal, systemic, means was the way to go. They encouraged CR to work twice as hard, as she could work twice as hard and no one would be able to say she was not equal. They felt the MLK et. al. were using up time, effort and money that could have been better spent on things that were more necessary. The writer said that the NAACP felt the same way, the MLK was setting up straw men for them, when there were more important things to do in the meantime.
My point, and how this comes to be in this particular comments section, is that I was thinking that the archetype for black-male success is that of a rabble-rouser. It is an MLK-type, lots of splash, lots of noise kind of archetype. In the same way that Condoleeza seems to get very little credit for being who she is, both her race and her sex, that educated, well-to-do, hard-working archetype seems to be at best a niche less-explored.
This then leads to the POV that todays black-youth culture is a direct result of that more powerful archetype. Make a splash with a gang, with a video, with what-have-you. That seems to be the way to succeed. Any thoughts on this? Am I just another racist white-guy? I am genuinely moved by the plight of the community and am just trying to see it correctly.
scrawled by Owen Pitrone | July 16, 2007 9:12 AM
Totally un-related to topic, but who's the model/singer/actress crotched down (black, light-skinned, curly hair) on the splashpage?
Thanks
scrawled by Hardware | July 16, 2007 12:03 PM
Priest,
I'm curious. What anti-gang programs is your church involved in?
scrawled by Fred | July 16, 2007 6:13 PM
"Totally un-related to topic, but who's the model/singer/actress crotched down (black, light-skinned, curly hair) on the splashpage?"
That would be the lovely Claudette Ortiz. She was the lead singer of the group City High:
http://www.answers.com/topic/city-high?cat=entertainment
scrawled by Kristopher | July 17, 2007 8:21 AM
Looks like BET is weighing in on the matter, sort of (not so much gang-related in specific, but toxic black culture in general). Not getting warmly received on Countdown....
scrawled by David Van Domelen | July 17, 2007 6:39 PM
I hope you haven't gone on hiatus again (and following that train of thought, that all is well in your neck of the woods).
scrawled by Jp Pollard | July 26, 2007 6:29 AM
I.E. owen...are you (explanitives omited)serious?
scrawled by Verb | August 1, 2007 10:16 PM
Priest, I'm an African American and I agree with everything you said. We as a people need to check ourselves and not be afraid or ashamed to do so.
scrawled by Blade X | August 5, 2007 9:02 PM
Priest, I'm an African American and I agree with everything you said. We as a people need to check ourselves and not be afraid or ashamed to do so.
scrawled by Blade X | August 5, 2007 9:04 PM
Priest, I'm an African American and I agree with everything you said. We as a people need to check ourselves and not be afraid or ashamed to do so.
scrawled by Blade X | August 5, 2007 9:05 PM
I'm not serious or not serious, I'm asking for thoughts. Anyone have any?
scrawled by Owen | August 6, 2007 9:44 AM
(in best final scene of Shane impression)
"Priest come back! Come Back PRIEST come back!"
scrawled by Jp Pollard | August 8, 2007 6:27 AM
uh JP you know that Shane was dead at the end of that movie I understand the sentiment, but I pray nothing and I do mean nothing bad has or ever will happen to Priest. and if some body crosses him
(in my best Sophia aka oprah winfrey from The Color Purple) I'll kill'em dead.
scrawled by mdwaire | August 9, 2007 8:40 PM
For a while, the word "Christian" had to go in my spam filter, because of all the loanspammers using it in their From and Subject lines. Caused me some problems getting email from a friend with the last name Christian....
scrawled by Dave Van Domelen | August 30, 2007 7:26 AM
God bless, Priest. We're looking forward to hearing from you again, whenever you are able.
scrawled by Eric | September 11, 2007 2:36 PM