African American Youth Homicide

Two months ago tragedy struck Ferguson City, MO when a young African American man named Michael Brown was killed by a police officer. Many witnesses stated that the young man was unarmed, had his hands ups, and asked the officer not to shoot him. I asked myself, “What is wrong with that picture?” As I examine the issue I start with accessing the need for heavy policing in the area. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2010, the population of Ferguson City, Missouri was as 21,203 and of these residents, 67% (14,297) were African American (U.S. Census Bureau, 2010). The city is has a long history of gang violence, drug consumption, assaults, theft, arson, burglaries, rape, and crime (City-Data, 2014). Of these, murder and homicide continue to increase. 

Homicide is not just an issue in Ferguson City; in the U.S. homicide is the leading cause of death for young men age 10 to 24. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) the firearm homicide rate among males ages 10 to 24 years was highest for Non-Hispanic Blacks with 48.4 deaths per 100,000 population (CDC, 2013). In the state of Texas homicide rates has decreased from 16.7 per 100,000 population in 1994 to 6.5 per 100,000 population in 2010, yet for African-Americans males age 10 to 24 homicide continues to be the leading cause of death (30.2 per 100,000 compared to 6.9 per 100,000 population white males and 11.0 per 100,000 population Hispanic males) (CDC, 2013). Homicide rates are perpetuated by social-economic problems and ongoing programs are needed to address these issues to reduce homicides and other crimes.

References

Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2013). Youth violence state statistics. Retrieved From: http://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/youthviolence/stats_at-a_glance/tx.html

City-Data (2014). Crime rate in Ferguson, Missouri (MO): murders, rapes, robberies, assaults, burglaries, thefts, auto thefts, arson, law enforcement employees, police officers, crime map. Retrieved from: http://www.city-data.com/crime/crime-Ferguson-Missouri.html

U.S. Census Bureau (2010). Ferguson City, MO. census interactive population search. Retrieved from: http://www.census.gov/2010census/popmap/ipmtext.php?fl=29:2923986