Britain: The continuing problem of gang violence is due to the absence of fathers in black communities, Justice Secretary Jack Straw says
BBC News:
He said young black men needed their fathers as role models, otherwise their development suffered.
Black girls from similar backgrounds had different attitudes and succeeded more than black boys, he said.
He was responding to US civil rights activist Jesse Jackson who said inner city violence was an economic problem.
"Gang violence is rooted in the economics of desperation," said Rev Jackson, adding that some people were "profiting" from providing guns to deprived areas.
He called for more investment in pre-natal care and education, rather than building more jails.
But Mr Straw, speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, said the problem was not due to economics.
"One of the striking things is the difference between the attitude and the success in life of black girls from exactly the same backgrounds compared to black boys."
Black girls perform around the average at Key Stage 4, aged 16, compared to the overall population, he said.
"Black boys go backwards when they get to secondary school.
"It's a cultural problem. It's the absence of fathers who are actively involved in parenting.
"And as we know - lads need dads. Of course they need their mums as well, but there is a particular point in teenagers' development, of young men, where fathers are very important and they are more likely to be absent in the case of the Afro-Caribbean," Mr Straw said.
Mr Straw said the government had put in place schemes to deter people from getting into gang violence, but admitted "there is a very great deal more to do".
"But this cannot just be a matter for the government.
"It has to be a matter for these communities because the problem for these communities is that not only are they - the black lads - much more likely to end up in prison, but they are also much more likely to be the victims of crime than the white or non-black sections of the community."
Straw blames absent dads for gang violence
posted by Adam Lawson @ 3:46 PM
2 comments
2 Comments:
Jesse says the silliest things. Of course someone profits from selling. Why else would you sell? As a public service?
What Jesse means is that a WHITE man profited from selling guns to black men, and that cannot be allowed. We cannot bust black men for selling the other blacks since that would just put black men in prison. But we CAN go after the white folks that sell them. And that is precisely what Jesse is doing these days with his marches and boycotts of white-owned and white-operated gun stores.
Frankly, I agree wholeheartedly. But I would be a little more upfront than Jesse. I would pass a law making it a crime for any whites or Asians to sell guns to Blacks or Mexicans.
They lack the ability to make guns themselves, so a prohibition on arming black and Mexicans would probably be pretty easy to enforce. If a black man or Mexican is found with a gun, and that gun can be traced to a white manufacturer or owner, then the gun must be confiscated.
Once we have solved Jesse's problem with guns, we an move on to alcohol and drugs, which black men also have major problems with. They also buy houses and cars they cannot pay for, so we should stop that as well.
Would we have anywhere near the problems we do now with sub-prime mortages if lenders had refused to lend to black folks because they are irresponsible and bad credit risks?
Just wait, as more black folks lose heir houses, you will see an ever growing chorus of black folk saying we never should have lent them that money, and that it is all the white folks fault.
And I, for one, agree. Now if we can only ge Jesse and Al to sign on to the "no-sales-to-black-folks" laws, everything would be fine.
maybe the figure of father is not there...
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