General Assembly's Report of NC Gangs

There used to be a saying that if you want to hide information from black folks, just put it in a book. In the 21st century you can also say, "put it on the internet."

With most of the current anti-gang legislation going to be targeted at young black males, I wonder how many folks have researched the information on the internet?

I guess it won't hit home for some people until their 16 year old child is misidentified as a gang banger.

Last march, the NC Dept. of Crime Control and Public safety released some information to the NC General Assembly called "A Comprehensive Assessment of Gangs in NC."

http://www.ncgccd.org/pubs/gangs2008.pdf

Some real heavy stuff is in that report.

Trivia question time...

Did you know that the report says that 49% of the gangs are black and another 20% are mixed.
So do the math about who they are going to be targeting.

There is also a Durham Gang Assessment that was done last year that reports that 82% of Durham gang members in 2006 were Black.

http://www.durhampolice.com/news/pdf/071220_1.pdf

Did you know that there was a system known as gang net that tracks gang members in NC called NC Gangnet and a child's name stays on the list for five years? So, if Tyrone is labeled as a Crip when he is 14, I guess he can forget about college?

Is your child in that data base? Are you sure?

You owe it to yourself and your children to study this report...

Letter to North Carolina General Assembly

Dear Members of the North Carolina General Assembly,

As a community activist, I am opposed to House Bill 274 also known as the Street Gang Suppression Act. While I do not condone criminal behavior, I find several parts of the bill disturbing.

Primarily, the bill does not clearly define what constitutes gang affiliation. As you may know, mega corporations have glorified gang culture for the last two decades. Therefore, it is hard to tell where Hip Hop fashion ends and "gang" attire begins. Every teen that wears a white T-Shirt or has a tattoo is not a blood thirsty murderer.

Also, when one thinks of the typical "gang member," the image one gets is not of a middle class white child but a young black male from the so called "hood.". As an African American male, I know how it feels to be stereotyped as a criminal. I am no stranger to having little old ladies clutch their pocketbooks and cross the street when they see me coming in their direction. This bill preys are the fears of those who already have a false impression of black manhood.

Lastly, I come from a black community that is not too many generations removed from Jim Crow Laws and "Black Codes" which made it illegal for African Americans to gather on street corners during the early 20th century. Certain parts of this bill seem as though they were written in 1908 instead of 2008.

While solutions must be found to curb youth violence, We must not cave into the politics of fear.

So, I ask that you, please reconsider passing the Street Gang Suppression Act.

Thank you,

Minister Paul Scott

Durham, NC

(919) 451-8283

Pimpin' a Murder Case

Every year, since at least since 2003, NC politicians try to push the "Street Gang Prevention Act" and every year it gets shot down because of Constitutional violations. With the murder of Eve Carson, some are already trying to use the tragedy to once again push this lame bill.

Take a look at my post from last July "When Mayberry Goes Gangsta.."

http://nowarningshotsfired.blogspot.com/2007/07/when-mayberry-goes-gangsta.html


The problem is that the bill is too ambiguous and anyone who fits the description of a "gang member" could be snatched up. And who do you think that is gonna be ?

If we learned anything from 9/11 it is that there are those that would pimp the politics of fear to take away the rights of citizens and if one citizen's rights are violated, we all are violated.

Min. Paul Scott can be reached at (919) 451-8283

Ain't My Brotha's Keeper

Ain't My Brotha's Keeper

When I first heard about the murder of UNC student body president Eve Carson, like most folks I felt a deep sense of sorrow for the family. But then like most black folks, this was immediately followed by "please don't let the suspects be black." And for me, an extra "please don't let them be from Durham."

My worst fears were realized today...

According to news reports the two suspects are black dudes from Durham. Time to duck and get ready for the fallout.

Now, I'm not tryin' to be insensitive because if it was my daughter, sister, friend who was murdered I would want everybody and their mama even remotely responsible for the crime to pay the ultimate price...But that is a prerogative reserved for the family and friends...

My concern is with the other folks...

There is a feeling in many places in this country that black folks are soft on crime and are always makin' excuses for criminals. Especially in Durham.

This is not true. If you look at the history of black folks who commit crimes on white folks, they probably shot or robbed five other black people before they got to the white side of town...

A criminal is a criminal and a victim is a victim whether she is a high school drop out from tha 'hood or a college student.

But black folks are looked at as being monolithic in thought and action. You can believe that many African Americans will be walking around the next few days feeling guilty about Carson's murder even though they had nothing to do with it.

(Just because the suspects look like your sister Ruth Ann's sons does not make you an accomplice.)

Also, there are many folks who will use this event as a platform to spew deep seated prejudices that have nothing to do with the issue at hand.

I dread going to Mickey Dees tomorrow and having my Big Mac dining experience ruined by the couple at the next table beaming at me as they "loudly" whisper about Durham being full of no good thugs and animals just loud enough for me to hear..

Not to mention the onslaught of camera crews that are undoubtedly on their way to Durham as we speak..I'm sure the good folks at Fox will have a field day with this one.

What is most disturbing is that black youth advocates like myself will have to endure the taunts of the Sean Hannity's of the world for the next 20 years when any black person is treated, unjustly..

"Well, where were you when your Afr-i-can A-mer-i-can brooothers murdered that college student in 2008 !"

(Um, in bed sleep?)

Contrary to popular belief, all black folks are not criminals nor do we turn a blind eye to crime. We are clear in separating those black people who practice proper African behavior from those who are just plain thugs.

A local poet, Queen Sharon has a phrase that she uses when making this separation. It ain't "us" that are robbin' folks it's "those that are them."

Unfortunately, not everyone takes the time to make that distinction...

Min. Paul Scott's blog is http://www.nowarningshotsfired.com/. He can be reached at (919) 451-8283 info@nowarningshotsfired.com