Black Voters Now Demanding that Presidential Candidates Discuss Growing Gun Violence
People of color around the country are starting to stand up, speak out and demand that the two leading candidates for President of the United States start to speak about gun violence that is continuing to plague the nation. Observers are noting that President Barack Obama appeared in Chicago for the wedding of the daughter of his senior advisor, Valerie Jarrett. During the president’s visit, he failed to mention the violence taking place just blocks away from his home, while in the same week, the president went to Colorado to console the victims of the Aurora Batman Shooting.
Residents around the country are growing confused and frustrated by both candidates’ lack of willingness to address the gun issue.
“People are being gunned down. Nobody’s talking about it. But both parties want our votes,” said the Rev. Ira Acree of Greater St. John Bible Church in Chicago.
In Acree’s neighborhood, seven-year old Heaven Sutton was killed by stray bullets while selling snow cones in front of her house. In Chicago, scores of children are dying every year from gun violence and homicides continue to rise.
“It’s a state of emergency here in Chicago,” Acree said. “We want all hands on deck. That includes the president.”
But Acree is having trouble getting President Obama’s attention on the matter and is certainly not going to hear from Mitt Romney. Politicians are discussing jobs and the economy, with death from gun violence not even appearing ahead of gay marriage on the Democratic national platform.
The spokesman for President Barack Obama has claimed that the president is seeking to re-establish a ban on military-style assault weapons. The ban lapsed in 2004, but the president isn’t pushing the issue. Also, there is no evidence that gun control is going to be mentioned during the Democratic National Convention this Tuesday.
Many African Americans are frustrated that while the stories of mass shootings of whites get a great deal of national media coverage, the deaths of young black males and children are effectively ignored.
“It’s sad. You can’t walk to the corner store,” Kisha Walker of Philadelphia told the Washington Post. “You limit your kids to the things they can do because of the violence.”
For some reason, there is not as much public support for stricter gun laws as some might think. According to a Gallup poll taken last year, just 43 percent of Americans favored stricter gun laws. Also, many Americans don’t put gun laws high on the list of Democratic and political priorities.
Acree, the pastor in Chicago, told the Washington Post that this is not a time for Obama and other politicians to simply think about votes and money. It is also a time that they show courage. He is working with a coalition of clergy that is calling for President Obama to end the ban on assault weapons.
“This is the civil rights issue of our day and time,” said Acree. “We cannot ignore our urban violence crisis, in Chicago and in New York and in Detroit.”
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Yes, it is past time (overdue) to demand that this major problem get some attention… and to find some solutions. We know that there are too many guns available. But what is causing so many young people to take to the streets and just shoot at each other? That is the $64k QUESTION.
When unemployment is high…there is always a rise in crime. Whenever people don’t get good education and training…that leads to them having good jobs…they turn to crime — which shows up in our prisons.
SO…I AGREE… all of us need to address it !!!!
Cheers for posting this piece. I agree that it is well past time for the entire American public to address this problem as more than just a “one event outrage”. The public is becoming numb to the sheer numbers of people losing their lives through gun violence. I disagree with the Mayor of Chicago that most of the murders in that city are gang related and that the answer is “more cops on the streets”. Cops on the streets are good if you want to arrest the shooter AFTER HE HAS KILLED PEOPLE. Cops on the street WILL NOT PREVENT THE SHOOTER FROM PULLING THE TRIGGER! The only thing that will prevent young black men from shooting somebody IS TO TAKE THE GUNS OUT OF THEIR HANDS.
In that regard I have written a blog which I will post on the DKOS website, which is titled “A Tactic to help reduce the inner city Murder Rate”. Please drop by DKOS today a take a read and act on the recomendations.
IMHO the only way we can eliminate this murderous environment in America today is to duplicate the example of the “Mothers Against Drunk Drivers” (MADD) nation wide organization. Once upon a time the country faced a similar social problem in that drunk drivers were killing thousands of people on America’s roads and highways, and although people complained and grieved nothing was done about it because the Liquor Industry was supposedly too powerful. Finally a group of American mothers decided that they had enough and founded MADD. Just take a look at what MADD has accomplished over the years. Virtually every state now has strict laws with heavy consequences for those caught driving under the influence, and these laws are strictly enforced by all local police.
So I am suggesting that you mothers out there, those who have lost children to gun violence or those who are motivated to protect your children against being shot by those high velocity “military grade” bullets fired on America’s city streets – consider organizing yourselves to stop the killing. Some of these weapons have bullets with more than enough energy to travel over a mile, so a child doesn’t have to be in the immediate vicinity where the actual weapon is fired to be killed.
Since this highest murder rates are happening in the urban centers of America’s cities, especially Detroit, Philadelphia and Chicago, I suggest African American mothers start a dedicated militant organization called African American Mothers against Guns (AAMAG) and make this organization a force within your respective community, especially within the inner cities of America. If you read my blog over on DKOS you will find a suggestion for your very first task that you can take on as an organization.
African-American better go to the polls and vote and not just for President, but for Congress and Senate or more youth will die.
Did any of you hear the theory that organs are being harvested from the bodies of young African-Americans killed in gang wars and that is why the killing is tolerated. To much money is being made off of us.
A youth is killed, the body is taken to the hospital and organs,tissue and bones are harvested, the body goes to the funeral home, the undertaker gets his cut to keep his mouth shut and the family is unaware.
Keep killing yourselves, another way for us to be used.
About time…
I wouldn’t be surprised if our organs weren’t being used. Also as the prisons are privately run, the powers at be need these filling, so they have no interest in cutting gun crime. “two for the price of one”, all these puppets irrespective of country are all working for the same mafia, and the ones that aren’t get killed! Cheap labour going off in these prisons, it’s time for the brothers to wake up and take control, idiots!
I am SOOO SICK of us black people wanting somebody to “save” us!!! What is the gov supposed to do about us blowing each others brains out?!!! Gang members and street dudes 9 1/2 times out of 10 do NOT buy their guns legally…my 1st gun was bought from a dude in my neighborhood…so no laws or regulations will help that.
And no laws will help regulate the hateful attitude that makes a brotha kill somebody for looking at them wrong…what can the president do about that?!!! What can a politician do about our fathers being absent from the home to help teach these boys to be men?!!! What can the president do about all the music that promotes aggression, overt sexuality, and over the top materialism and all the young black males that treat rap music as their religion?!!! How can a politician stop the “stop snitching” mentality that treats a person that reports a criminal as being the scum of the earth more so that the actual criminal himself?!!! The answers to our problems are within our own communities….NOT THE POLITICIANS!!!
@ Joe THANK YOU my sentiments exactly!
agree, Joe!
why are these people using these gun against each other…and we know the drugs…this is why i hate drug dealer and hate being around them…..and i’m black seen when the first drug was put in place in south carolina in a all black hood in 1985…took a few of my cousin….brother…sister….and i know we all have had this problem but it time we get rid of these people
What are the elders teaching? Just like the keys to the car the gun represents power. But power that is not properly channeled is
a destructive force. That which is not constructive is destructive. Those who know and enjoy the power of gun ownership are taught from childhood that you never point a gun at another human being. Someone has access to these young minds other than the elders. The streets are not the environment to build wise and constructive character. Competition and strife destroys. Constructive minds give to the common good because they care and want to build strong communities. You must catch the youth while they are young and teach them right from wrong. It is not the guns that are doing the killing. It is the minds that think that killing is a justifiable act. War in the community fuels the sales of guns and the theft thereof. The saying, “You had better pack your piece at least,” comes to mind. The violence of video games has come to our streets. But death is a reality that you cannot walk away from. He or she who lives by the gun will die with the gun in their hand. A right education eliminates the carnage. Guns are neutral.
Let’s understand this. The only way to stop violence is not to punish the law abiding, but the criminal element and to start snitching!
URGH this really p****s me off! Forget the politicians and gun laws! These same folk need to be out crying to the NEGROS doing the killing. In Chicago at least, I know the folks know who gunned down the block and who has beef with the next. ITS NO SECRET! When the police come around its like someone issued a gag order. I agree politicians can do more. BUT THEY WILL NOT SOLVE THE PROBLEM GET REAL!! Why should the politicians give a c**p about us when WE DON’T GIVE A c**p ABOUT US!!
“Nobody can save us, from us, for us, BUT US!
It’s apparent that gun violence in the African American community is at a all time high and many young people are often the victims of heinous and senseless crimes. Political candidates should make the topic of gun violence their primary topic of discussions during conventions, debates, and interviews. As Americans all our lives are important and have value therefore people within the political arena should take the opprtunity and address this subject that’s killing and destroying lives and families around the country.
The law freedom to bare arms is causing so much trouble, change it or sit back and watch the killing contuine, Too many guns for sell, and any one can buy them then sell them to the wrong people. People we have to pray for the law to be changed,There are a lot of people out their doing so much wrong they don’t want to be exposed, thats the devil working thru them, and they don’t even know it. Keep praying don’t STOP!