By

Dr. Sherman N. Miller

November 24, 2007

As I listen to the Philadelphia, PA television evening news, I find myself feeling apprehensive awaiting the latest homicide report (over 350 to date). It is very disquieting to see black mothers lamenting the death of their sons at the hands of other black males. The troublesome issue here is to accept that today the thug culture is the dominant culture in many inner city neighborhoods and the gangster is America’s new folk hero for many African American and Hispanic youth.

Al Baker writing in November 23, 2007 The New York Times, City Homicides Still Dropping, to Under 500, quantifies who is doing the killings. "Killers and those killed are overwhelmingly male and most in both categories are between 18 and 40, according to the police analysis. In terms of race and ethnicity, whites make up 7 percent of victims and assailants, while 66 percent of the victims and 61 percent of the assailants are black and 26 percent of the victims and 31 percent of the assailants are Hispanic."

Tucker pulls a verse out of a rap song "Hurt" by T.I. to make her case.

The gangsta rappers appear to be taking lessons from yesteryear’s Nazi propaganda leader Joseph Goebbels who dehumanized the Jewish people during the World War II epoch, thereby fostering an extermination of six million Jewish people while the German people remained tight-lipped. Today, the US daily murder reports suggest that poor inner city people also have been dehumanized to where it is now okay for gangsters to kill people without concern for the legal consequences for their murderous actions.

What are the solutions to this black on black murder scourge?

Kenya Evans writing in Helium.com contends, "Young black men readily turn to the streets when they fear that there is no other alternative for them to be successful in life. I think the only way to reduce this is to intervene early enough in their lives to let them know that violence is not the final answer."

Professor Elijah Anderson of Yale University at a Trotter Group (African American Columnists) meeting held at Temple University in early October 2007 defined a potential Achilles Heel in the leadership style of the neighborhood thug. Professor Anderson shared how as an ethnographer he lived in the tough neighborhoods to research their workings. I spent my early childhood growing up between two public housing projects in Wilmington, DE, so I found Professor Anderson’s comments on target when he spoke of "Street Creds" (Street Credits - tough persona) that the gangster must have to control neighborhoods.

If we take guidance from the great Chinese War Philosopher Sun Tzu about turning the enemy’s strength to his weakness, however, there is hope of defeating the neighborhood thug overlords at their own game. The New York Times reported on November 23, 2007 that Mayor-elect Michael Nutter in Philadelphia is planning to increase the "stop, question, and frisk" policy to go after people with illegal weapons. The mayor-elect stated when challenged about the potential of civil rights abuses and racial profiling that, "My view is that people also have a civil right not to get shot."

Clearly, Mayor-elect Nutter is not taking Draconian options off the table. What the mayor might also consider is what Evans suggests about early intervention. Today the nation is consumed with worries over child abuse. Many parents are afraid to discipline their children for fear of going to jail on child abuse charges. The children recognize this parental impotence, so parental street creds in many inner city neighborhoods may be very low at best. Thus street gangs become the parents and their leaders possess the parental street creds to control the moral values of children growing up in the hood.

What is missing in this debate is in yesteryear African American parents believed strongly in corporal punishment and black children had the upmost respect for their parents’ authority. I talk with many blacks over the age of 40 who share that their parents would be in jail today for child abuse because they took no nonsense and were aggressive about meting out corporal punishment. Black parents used belts and switches to discipline children. Any adult in the neighborhood could correct a child for doing something wrong. School teachers were to be respected and not to be abused.

Some will argue those Draconian days are behind us and there is no way to turn the clock back. I believe Black America needs to support bringing a Singapore style caning to the US for some infractions by males 13 – 40. Six or more strokes with a rattan across the buttocks might defrock some young thugs of their street creds. When the word gets out that the thugs are getting their butts whipped and the cane scars are indelibly etched into their flesh for all to see, the thug persona may fade. Should a thug cry during the caning, then he may be looked upon as a wimp in his old neighborhood.

I believe that many young thugs see serving some time in jail as a rite of passage to becoming a high creds gangster. Yet as a child in the 1950s, I recall stories of people afraid to come through the State of Delaware because the whipping post had an infamous reputation. Today, can the state governments provide the caning needed by some of tomorrow’s would-be gangbangers to help save these children from evolving into gangsters and to reinstitute the respect for authority that was commonplace in yesteryear?