I often hear claims that blacks are criminals, wife beaters, drug addicts etc. Many Americans and non-Americans globally have internalized these views without thinking beyond what they are being fed by the “mainstream” media. This topic is important to me because, growing up in Nigeria, I attended a high school that was run by conservative white Christian missionaries, mainly from America. The missionaries often gave us mixed messages about race in America. On the one hand, according to the missionaries, there was no racism in America and that they love black people. After all, they are in Africa to save black Africans from their savage ways. Praise the Lord. On the other hand they often would equate crime in America with African Americans (blacks).
Upon my arrival to the United States, I had these stereotypes in my head but I began soul-searching and doing research alongside my academic work only to discover that what I had actually learned was racist views of African Americans. Below are a few statistics and references on this issue. This is the America that claims to be leader of democracy and human rights. Lets get educated, small, small ( as Yotti/ Bali people of Nigeria would say, “fem,fem “)…..
1. Blacks are 14 % of drug users but 74 % in prison compared to
2. 74% white drug users but only 10% are in prison,
3. 60% of violent crimes in America are committed by whites but only 23% are in prison.
These are stunning examples of institutional racism explained by Tim Wise. Wise’s audience is mainly white Americans because black scholars and activists have been saying this for centuries. To be fair, Tim Wise usually gives homage to black scholars, intellectuals, activists, etc. who inspired him to think more critically about the “facts” of crime and race.
Also check these scholars below. They have made massive contributions to a better understanding of race and crime in America.
1. Michelle Alexander’s “The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness”
The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness
Here is a video on the book, Alexander’s interview on “Democracy Now” with Amy Goodman and Juan Gonzalez:
2 Harriet A. Washington,
Here Washington’s interview on her research and book…
link to an article:White Doctors, Black Subjects: Abuse Disguised as Research
3. Douglas A. Blackmon’s ” Slavery by Another Name: The Re-Enslavement of Black People in America From The Civil War to World War II”
Here is a documentary based on Blackmon’s work.
4. The Condemnation of Blackness: Race, Crime, and the Making of Modern Urban America by Khalil Gibran Muhammad
here is a link to those interested in purchasing it…ref=rdr_kindle_ext_tmb
and interview by Bill Moyers
5.”Criminalizing A Race: Free Blacks During Slavery” by Charshee C. L. McIntyre 
I hope the examples I provided above answer your questions, to list a few:
a. Do black (and brown) people commit more crimes than white people?
b. Does the American justice system work for all of its citizens?
c. Why are American prisons flooded with black and brown people?
d. What is the way forward?
For additional information
1. Top 15 Crime Bosses and Drug Lords in 2012, U.S.A ….read it here top-15-crime-bosses-and-drug-lords-in-2012
The “current leaders” include, “Sicilian Mafia, American Cosa Nostra, Neopolitan Camorra, ‘Ndrangheta, Russian Mafia, Albanian Mafia, Chinese Triads, Japanese Yakuza, Montreal Mob, Solntsevskaya Bratva, Clerkenwell crime syndicate, Los Rastrojos, Sinaloa Cartel, and the Juárez Cartel.”
2. “Balkan gangs, the Albanian crime groups” one of the most sophisticated crime groups in the U.S they are based in New York city…03albanian.html
3. Scholarly piece on the growth of Albanian crime groups, title “MEN OF PURPOSE: THE GROWTH OF ALBANIAN CRIMINAL ACTIVITY” …gus.html
4.Quoting Toni Morrison, “Black boys became criminalized. I was in constant dread for their lives, because they were targets everywhere. They still are”.
5. Read always…..don’t allow stereotypes control you..
6. Read the story of Lance Armstrong and how he cheated through out his career by doing drugs with the help of high profile drug company and sport officials. “Lance Armstrong Doping: International Cycling Union Strips Champion Of 7 Tour De France Titles, Bans Him For Life”….lance-armstrong-stripped-of-medals-banned-from-cycling_n_1999965.html
7.Matthew Fogg, a former U.S. Marshal/ DEA Agent Says He Was Told to Only Lock Up Blacks/African Americans for Drugs….former-dea-agent-says-he-was-told-to-only-lock-up-black-people-for-drugs-video
8. Annie Dookhan a “chemist” intentionally gave false drug test results as a result criminalized innocent people, mostly brown and black people.( p.s it was later realized that she lied about her education…) …annie-dookhan-chemist-lie_n_1917182.html
9.”NYPD Narcotics Detective Admits Cops Regularly Plant Drugs On Perps”..http://http://gothamist.com/2011/10/13/nypd_narcotics_detective_testifies.php
10.White Man murdered African-American youth because his music was too Loud….http://http://www.politicususa.com/man-killed-florida-teen-loud-music-alters-story-fit-stand-ground.html
12. African-American/black boy was attacked by over 7 white youth, sentenced to 12 years in prison for fighting back in self defensed…http://http://www.blackyouthproject.com/2012/12/brandon-jackson-defends-himself-after-being-jumped-by-white-mob-sentenced-to-12-years-in-prison/
13 Melissa Harris Perry speaks on the killing of Jordan Davis and how America is not a country for young black men. She also highlights it similarity with the killing of Trayvon Martin and Emmett Till.
http://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHqomZskG1I
14. White man shot 60 people, killed 12 in Aurora, Colorado at a movie Theater.http://http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57477243/the-aurora-shooting-victims/
15. Anders Behring Breivik a white Norwegian killed 77 people in a mass murder, sentenced to 21 years in prison…http://http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/25/world/europe/anders-behring-breivik-murder-trial.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
16.Griselda Blanco aka “Cocaine Godmother” is from Columbia and a “devout” Christian.Blanco had so many connection in New York and Miami government this helped her become one of the most powerful drug dealer in U.S History, making $1 million dollars a week and was regarded very dangerous. Read recent news about her here…http://http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2012/09/09/griselda-blanco-cocaine-godmother-meets-a-sudden-grisly-end.html
17. Fred Brito, the master con artist. He lied his way through some of the highest leadership positions, from a priest to head of red cross etc… http://thatliarfredbrito.blogspot.com/p/timeline.html
18.
19.”Connecticut shooting, white males, and mass murder”…www.examiner.com/article/connecticut-shooting-white-males-and-mass-murder
20.
21. Watch the story of medical doctor Harold Shipman aka Doctor Death ( he killed more than 150 people ) in the UK
22.”Black Americans FOUR TIMES as likely as whites to be arrested for marijuana possession”
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2336026/Black-Americans-FOUR-TIMES-likely-whites-arrested-marijuana-possession.html
23. “New York City Cop Testifies That He Was Told To Target Young Black Men” dap@http://kwamezulushabazz.tumblr.com/ for the information
http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2013/03/22/1761621/black-men-stop-frisk-recording/?mobile=nc
24.
WEHNAM 
this is an interesting site, totally agree with you. thanks!
anytime!!
thanks for sharing.
with pleasure!!
Are you trying to say thay white people committ more violent crimes than black people in general? Yeah right. And the media in this country always goes out of their way to make it appear that white people are the only racists. And every single time a white person kills a black person its automatically classified as a hate crime according to the media and the law but when its a black killer and a white victim you wont hear one word about it being racially motivated. I went to a predominately black school when I was younger and a lot of the black kids were racists. But thats ok in this country. Well Im from Philadelphia and know the reality of racism and the truth to the bullshit you are coming up with. I know there are white racists but there are black racists too.
Also no young black people know anything about having no civil rights like the black people from that era. And no black person period that is alive today knows how it is to be a slave. So stop all the bitching about it like u know. Only slaves know how that was. This whole site is rediculous. I didnt realize it is for black point of view only. Ill delete myself from it. Im an idiot for thinking there would be any open minded unbiased black people posting on here. Smh.
Anthony Pagano,
read the entry, I have provided you/ us with Historical facts and current cases, not hear say. If you wish to close your eyes because of your internalized racists views of non-whites that is your issue. I am committed to providing my readers with well researched information, so if you are looking for unthoughtful cyber fights, I don’t engage in such activities.
Best in your journey
hi there i like your post.
appreciate the shout out!
I am enjoying what I’ve read thus far! Thank you for your posts. Please keep writing and inspiring your African brothers and sisters.
@ Nqobile,
I appreciate your support, and I will certainly keep doing my best to share helpful information.
Thank you so much for the awesome post This is exactly the thing I needed this morning.
Arkaan,
Asanti Sana ( thank you) for stopping by and for finding this piece helpful. If you need further information, do let me know and I will make things happen.
Respect cuz!
Thanks for this post. It is filled with the facts of what actually goes on in this country. For some people racism is dead but for those who pay attention it is very much alive and has only changed it’s face. Now it is true that racism goes both ways but that doesn’t mean the playing field is a level one. (Now just to make the none believers think) Mostly if a black man does something wrong it is against another black person. Notice the word mostly! If someone does something to a black person it normally is a problem between said person and the offender. Now I want to ask you how many buildings full of people have black people blown up? How many college campuses have black students shot up? How many serial killers have been black? I can ask questions like these all day so if the above article is wrong and the facts in it are not true then how can the answers to my questions be what they are. Be honest with yourselves people. The true is out there for anyone willing to seek it. Stop listening to biased news networks and anyone else that misleads you. Check your own facts out and know the truth.
@Trey,
yes, folks need to research before accepting whatever it is that main stream media feeds them. Personally one of the reasons why I do what I do including writing on this blog it is because I am curious about my History, culture etc…
thanks for stopping by and wishing you a wonderful day.
African Americans are only 13 percent of the united states population there was a statistic released awhile back that was per capita based that said African americans commited 440 percent more crime then Caucasian.
@ Aaron Smith,
I am not sure whether you read the piece, if you haven’t please do that. It is in fact a response and reflection about your claims.
ever read shelby steele
what part of his work do you think is relevant to this piece?
Hi there, I check your new stuff on a regular basis. Your
story-telling style is witty, keep up the good work!
There are six times as many white people compared to black people in the U.S.
According to the US Department of Justice, blacks accounted for 52.5% of homicide offenders from 1980 to 2008, with whites 45.3% and Native Americans and Asians 2.2%. The offending rate for blacks was almost 8 times higher than whites, and the victim rate 6 times higher. Most murders were intraracial, with 84% of white homicide victims murdered by whites, and 93% of black victims murdered by blacks.
The “National Youth Gang Survey Analysis” (2011) state that of gang members, 46% are Hispanic/Latino, 35% are African-American/black, 11.5% are white, and 7% are other race/ethnicity.
According to the FBI Uniform Crime Reports, in the year 2008 black youths, who make up 16% of the youth population, accounted for 52% of juvenile violent crime arrests, including 58.5% of youth arrests for homicide and 67% for robbery. Black youths were overrepresented in all offense categories except DUI, liquor laws and drunkenness.
I’ve heard the numbers are misleading because in all jurisdictions we let white people go and frame black people but I haven’t been able to believe that myself. I guess I’m a racist. I’ll have to try harder.
I never had a problem with black kids at school or black people people at work. I brought black people home to where my mother started to wonder if I had any white friends. My wife is black. I guess that is neither here nor there, it certainly doesn’t change the facts whatever they really are. It is true that more black people than white people have attempted to rob me but I don’t hold a grudge, they never got anything.
Wayne Williams