This is particularly unsettling for me as I've read of attacks occurring in the area of my commute home from work.

As a black male, this calls to mind a very important issue that has occurred to me in recent years--the thinking amongst many blacks that it's perfectly okay to be racist and make racist comments. And attack people of other races. There's certainly a notion amongst many young black males that a 'white' person by virtue of his or her whiteness cannot (or should not) beat a black person in a fight. There's ignorance and hostility there, often for reasons that more likely show their hatred of their own lives, their own inability to succeed, more than anything else. It's something that blacks in large part really need their consciousness raised about. Yes, there was slavery and there have been grievous, inhuman things done to our ancestors and sometimes to some of us. But we should take people as individuals, forgive the wrongs that were done to our ancestors and utilize the rights and tools that many of our ancestors fought and died to secure for us.

"We need to engage these young people"? How likely is it that any of these kids is actually going to class and paying attention? If they were, they'd be at home doing their homework, getting some rest, helping out around the house, or participating in sports or chess club or something useful and inspiring. I can guarantee that not a one of these kids has decent grades or attends all their classes on a regular basis. But blame that on white people, right?

Unfortunately, a lot of kids have unstable homes with no fathers and overworked mothers, some of them have a parent or parents who abuse them or abuse drugs or alcohol. Some of them see family members murdered in the street on a regular basis. They see few examples if any to inspire them for something better. Cornel West described the way of thinking as nihilism--a feeling of hopelessness and meaninglessness. If they don't think they have any value, why would they value anyone else?

Breaking it down, I'm not going to be able to talk it over with a group of black teenagers planning to hit me. It's illegal for me to be armed, so that's not an option. So the best I can do is keep my wits about me and do what I can with my various limbs and my mind to protect myself.

It saddens me because I know these kids are slaves to a slave mentality. There is no sense of personal responsibility, no hope beyond becoming a sports or music star, and mostly just anger. The obvious thing is, why are they hanging out in the street all the time? Because they don't want to face what's inside their homes, that's why. It's depressing. They look for a sense of belonging with their friends because their family structure is broken. And if your friends are your family, you do what your family does or else you become ostracized. So if they want to knock someone out for kicks, so do you.

The truth is, by and large, there will be no reasoning with people like this. There is hope for some of them--those who (1) apply themselves to bettering their minds and (2) separate themselves from the unruly ones who just want to hang out and don't expect to reach the age of 21. It's good to live your life, but better to live a good long life.

I mean, my goodness, kids here get free education for 13 years, so many government programs, tons of books in the library to learn on your own... It was illegal for our ancestors to learn how to read. It galls me to see this kind of stuff. We are exceptionally fortunate to be alive in this world where so much is possible if we're willing to earn it.

Arresting those guilty of these assaults is their natural consequence. I'm okay with that. But this is what people don't understand about the culture--getting arrested is as commonplace for some black folks as going to the store. I ride the bus and every so often I hear people discussing how a friend of theirs has their 'court date' as casually as one might discuss a sporting event or the latest news. Arresting them won't deter them. I can guarantee it. It'll stop the ones who get arrested, but it will not reach their minds.

There aren't any good solutions I can come up with. Trying to go into troubled homes and communities to help and educate often just ends with you getting beat up and robbed. So...at the very least, this is one function the government should take more seriously--protecting the rights of the innocent from those who prey on them.

It is indeed shameful that the President can speak out about Trayvon Martin and have a frank discussion of what it means to be black without taking a hard look at the other side of the coin. What it means that groups of black teenagers are behaving like animals, what it means to walk the streets and wonder if you're the next victim. What it means to see people of your own race making you feel embarrassed because now people will look at you with suspicion.

Thomas Sowell wrote about this as well.
http://townhall.com/columnists/thomassow...
I hope more leaders of the black community speak out. This could escalate into the 60"s style riots.