When I was an undergraduate student from 1981 through 1985, the field of computer science was still evolving.  My declared major was “Management Science” with a concentration in “Management Information Systems,” which in those days seemed to be little more than a rather awkward hybrid of a traditional business degree and the fledgling area of computer science.  It sparked my curiosity and has proven to be invaluable in the various career iterations I have experienced in the nearly thirty-five years since graduation.  However, like millions of college students throughout time immemorial, there was one required class in my undergrad program that I approached with nothing short of fear and loathing…statistics!  (It also didn’t help that my Statistics professor bore a striking resemblance to the Muppet known as “Beaker!”)

Today, with increasingly sophisticated computer simulation models, we are surrounded by statistics about everything from Presidential approval ratings to breakfast cereal preferences. However, in recent months I have found one rather troubling, not to mention frustrating statistic, that seems to surface again and again in the online discussion forums which I frequent (both as a solution to the isolation that can come from working alone at home and as a source of ideas for this, my “personal therapy blog.”) The statistic is this, “African-Americans are only 12% of the U. S. population but they commit 50% of the crimes.  Doesn’t this prove that they deserve to be subjected to profiling, excessive force by the police, and the overall distrust of law-abiding, white Americans?”  To say that I find the logic behind this statistic and the underlying reason that it is so often quoted in discussions surrounding race relations in the U.S. disturbing would be a massive understatement.

First, there is a problem with how to measure the commission of crimes.  Not everyone who is arrested, convicted, or imprisoned is actually guilty.  Conversely, not everyone who commits a crime is caught.  So, technically, the quote should probably be something more along the lines of, “African-Americans are only 12% of the population but have a 50% arrest, prosecution, conviction and/or incarceration rate,” because,   while African-Americans (especially young men in the 18 to 25 age group) are arrested and incarcerated in larger numbers, that doesn’t necessarily mean that they have committed more crimes, only that they are caught more often, prosecuted more zealously, and sentenced to harsher sentences than criminals of other races, for any number of reasons.  It is not secret that racial profiling is a tool used by police forces around the country.  In their book, Suspect Citizens, researchers Frank Baumgartner and Derek Andrew Epp, analyzed more than 20 million traffic stops in North Carolina over a fifteen-year period from 2000 through 2015.  They found that African-American motorists were twice as likely to be stopped as white drivers and, once stopped, twice as likely to be searched.  If the occupants were young males, the likelihood was even higher.  Interestingly, however, in African-American neighborhoods that were perceived to have higher levels of political power, the number of traffic stops and searches more closely mirrored the numbers that occurred in similarly situated white neighborhoods (Baumgartner & Epp, 2018).

Although I do not believe that African-Americans or any other people of color are inherently violent or criminal by nature, let’s suppose for a moment that the implication of this often-quoted statistic were true.  Should we, as the individuals who cite this particular statistic seem to be suggesting, simply write-off an entire group of people as worthless and without redemption?  Do we, as a nation, really believe that the best course of action is to “lock them up and throw away the key?”, or failing that, allow, perhaps even, encourage, police officers, to shoot these frightening predators on sight?  It is my fervent hope and prayer, that I am not the only one who would answer those questions with a resounding, “No!”

In the world of information technology, problems can and often do arise and range from minor glitches to major computer meltdowns.  However, never, in all of the years that I worked within that field, was abandoning the entire system to the scrap pile the recommended course of action.  When a particular piece of equipment or a software application wasn’t functioning efficiently and effectively, a team of highly trained analysts was generally assigned to determine the “root cause” of the problem.  Determining root cause was sometimes a daunting and time-consuming task as it required extensive research to avoid the “red herrings” of secondary impacts that could often masquerade as root cause and to resist the urge to slap a “Band-Aid” solution on the problem in order to simply keep the operation moving.  If this amount of time and attention is regularly devoted to inanimate objects of the technological world, however, doesn’t a subset of the human family deserve at least the same amount of due diligence?

In 1965, Daniel Patrick Moynihan wrote a report entitled:  The Negro Family:  The Case for Action (Patterson, 2015) in which he attempted to explain the “root cause” of problems within the African-American community, which would likely continue despite the benefits afforded by the recently enacted Civil Rights and Voting Rights legislation.  While Moynihan’s research was largely rejected at the time, for a variety of complicated reasons, he did make a valid argument that the breakdown of the African-American family structure was likely a major contributing factor in the unending cycle of poverty and crime that continues to plague the black community even today.  The presence or absence of a positive and stable family situation appears to be a consistent factor in determining which path a young person of color will take in life.  In fact, according to the Los Angeles Police Department, gang membership often seems to serve as a type of “substitute family” for young people who are unable to achieve “a sense of identity, recognition, brotherhood, and protection” in any other way (Why Young People Join Gangs).

Unfortunately, in the years following Moynihan’s research, government enacted “solutions” such as increases in public assistance and the rise of affirmative action, have not effectively stemmed the tide of continuing deterioration of black families and their communities and may have contributed to the growing divisiveness in our country as liberals seek more money for additional “programs” that seem to achieve only marginally successful results, and conservatives preach “personal responsibility” and appear ready to completely slash the social safety net without understanding that people who have lived in poverty for generations may have no idea how to begin to take personal responsibility for their lives.

One of the most inspiring approaches that I have seen for beginning to tackle the problem of the disintegrating family structure is The Harlem Children’s Zone (HCZ) model.  Founded in 1997 by Dr. Geoffrey Canada, this non-profit organization, funded largely through private donations, has taken a holistic approach to teaching disadvantaged children and their parents how to achieve success. The multi-pronged approach that focuses on developing excellent parenting skills and supporting the health, education, and welfare needs of children and families in at-risk populations continues to enjoy great success.  Canada began small, focusing on a 24-block area in Harlem and gradually expanding into larger and larger segments of the city.  The biggest question may be, why hasn’t this model been extended and replicated across the country?

HCZ seems to have all the components necessary to address the scourge of poverty, drug use, and gang related violence that threaten urban, low-income neighborhoods throughout our country.  With 90% of its funding coming from private donations, fiscal conservatives should not object on the grounds of it being a  tax-payer supported entitlement program.  Additionally, the community-based approach, with its focus on local, neighborhood solutions and family involvement, avoids concerns about government overreach.  Finally, empowering parents by teaching them the skills they need to improve the lives of their children would seem to satisfy conservative demands for “personal responsibility” while avoiding a punitive, “blame the victim” tone that would be objectionable to liberals.

Instead of remaining deeply entrenched in the same old arguments that fail to reach across a growing political and social divide, why not try something new?  If an additional 12% of the U.S. population could be productive, happy, and successful, wouldn’t that be better for all of us?

Works Cited

Baumgartner, F. R., & Epp, D. A. (2018, June 1). What 20 Million Traffic Stops Reveal About Policing and Race in America. Retrieved from Scholars Strategy Network: https://scholars.org/brief/what-20-million-traffic-stops-reveal-about-policing-and-race-america

Patterson, J. (2015). Moynihan and the Single Parent Family. Retrieved from Education Next: https://www.educationnext.org/moynihan-and-the-single-parent-family/

Why Young People Join Gangs. (n.d.). Retrieved from Los Angeles Police Department: http://www.lapdonline.org/top_ten_most_wanted_gang_members/content_basic_view/23473