Spike Lee believes “there is a war on the black male” in America, as the Spectator reports. He is absolutely correct, but he has not to my knowledge pointed his finger at the primary culprit: other black males who are part of the gang culture.
As I pointed out last year for the Objective Standard, about half of all homicides in the United States involve black victims. And it simply is not the case that usually the problem is whites killing blacks; as the Wall Street Journal reported a couple years ago, “Bureau of Justice Statistics data show that from 1976 to 2005, white victims were killed by white defendants 86% of the time and black victims were killed by blacks 94% of the time.”
So, yes, march against police brutality—and demand changes to prevent such abuse (such as by requiring officers to wear and use video cameras). Yes, demand changes in America’s drug laws that enrich violent gangs and imprison low-level drug offenders. Yes, demand the repeal of economic regulations that especially harm minorities. But let’s not lose sight of the very real problems of America’s gang-fueled subculture. Where are the marches to address that?