Incarceration is a crisis among African-American men and boys, so why are so many killing each other? The African-American male is often called a moving target by some police departments, and some say the black male is an endangered species. So I ask, why are black men killing other black men?
You may have heard the song “Waiting for My Child to Come Home” and the lyric “No matter what the crime, he is still a child of mine, and I am waiting for my child to come home.” So I am saying to some parents: If your child is in a gang, or carjacking, or committing an armed robbery, or selling drugs, you must know that his chances of coming home are diminished, and his probability of being killed or harmed is intensified.
Since young people who join gangs come from every neighborhood, race, religion, culture, and economic level, parents need to know how to most effectively protect children from this danger. Parents and guardians should recognize the signs.
If you suspect your child is a gang member or in danger of becoming one, don’t make the mistake of denying your suspicions. Your feelings are probably right; you know this child better than anyone else. Talk with your child and express your love. But don’t feel you have to deal with the problem alone.
Why is the number of homicides committed by youths rising in the United States? Is it because most black youths do not know their history? But just as black history is more than a month, so too are the numerous events and figures that are often overlooked during it.
Malcolm X said, “You can’t hate the roots of the tree without ending up hating the tree. You can’t hate your origin without ending up hating yourself. You can’t hate the land, your motherland, the place that you come from, and we can’t hate Africa without ending up hating ourselves.”
The bond between the parent and child is one of the strongest connections in nature, but if a parent is aware of gang activity, or crimes committed by their family members, they must tell. If you’re a victim of a crime and you or someone you trust cooperates with the authorities, you are not a snitch. If you try to get rid of criminality and misconduct in your community, you are not a snitch.
We have a right to be safe from drive-by shootings, murder, intimidation and disrespect; we have an obligation to uphold the laws that ensure public safety. When a citizen witnesses crime and decides to be conscientious, this doesn’t represent snitching; it’s doing the right thing.
Parents should start telling on their children before they lose them. Not to punish them, but to protect them. A mother’s and father’s love could be the reason some of these killers and carjackers are running loose. I understand that parents love their children but are they doing them more harm and putting them in danger by not reporting the guns, the bandanas and the gang affiliations? Just think about it.
Please watch the Bernie Hayes TV program Saturday at 10 p.m. and Sunday at 5:30 p.m. on KNLC-TV Ch. 24. I can be reached by fax at (314) 837-3369 or e-mail at: berhay@swbell.net. Or on Twitter @berhay.
