I was inspired to write today’s post by the comments of a Coalition member, Paul Merriwether, who is quite active on our Facebook page. Paul’s comments concern who has the right to observe that the great majority of murders in Oakland are committed by Black men against Black men. Here’s Paul’s take (by the way, Paul is Black). (I have lightly edited his comments for clarity and brevity.)
“It’s racist IMO not to call out who is doing the crimes in Oakland. FACTS MATTER!!! It’s time we speak openly about who’s committing the crimes in Oakland and it’s minorities…It’s not racist to state the facts. It’s Whites that aren’t saying enough in Oakland to help change the crime culture. ‘Don’t say anything…they’ll call you racist.’ Spout the facts and shut those people up.”
And in another comment:
“Don't be afraid to say who's to blame in Oakland. We need more honest talk to solve Oakland's problem… I'm tired of Black people killing other Black people & others!!! WE ALL NEED TO SPEAK UP!!! TELL BLACK PEOPLE TO STOP THE KILLINGS IN OAKLAND!!!”
I replied to Paul: “The consequences of a White person asking ‘Who’s to blame in Oakland’ and saying it’s Black people can be severe and unpleasant. I've dipped my toe into those waters. The trolls immediately come out in force and call me a racist. It’s not pleasant. The message has to come from the Black community itself—not just a brave iconoclast such as yourself, but from everyone: preachers, politicians, community leaders, moms and dads.”
On those rare occasions when I’ve published crime statistics in Oakland citing actual numbers, I get jumped on by Black people. There’s a Black woman who reads my posts—I won’t identify her—and here are some examples of what she writes whenever I suggest that there’s a problem in the Black community:
“You know nothing about tjhs subject. SO STICK TO WHAT YOU KNOW....YOU DONT SPEAK FOR BLACK PEOPLE!”
And
“I would say start talking about all the horrific/violent/ sick/ behavior from White people towards black people that has gone on for over 400 years, all over the world than we can discuss your dumbass column. Maybe you as a white man need to look in the mirror. I would say to you: STOP BLACK HATE! You got some nerve to even post this. Shame on you.....White people have committed atrocities against Black people for centuries. You should write about that and you got the nerve to try to pit Asia people against Black people. Not on my watch. We don't want this in Oakland.”
You can see why White people might have some hesitation before stepping onto that hornet’s nest! Nonetheless, I’m writing this today because somebody, somewhere has to start this conversation. We have a form of political censorship, or self-censorship, in which Black apologists essentially threaten White people with ostracism or, worse, the threat of physical violence, if we dare to write that it looks like the majority of killings in Oakland are Black on Black. Part of the problem is that the Oakland Police Department doesn’t publish data on the race or ethnicity of crime suspects and victims. I’ve been told, by a high authority in OPD, that the department does indeed possess such data, but for some reason, getting access to it is like breaking into Fort Knox. I can only speculate that OPD doesn’t want to jeopardize their funding, what with people like Bas, Fife, Kaplan, Gallo and Thao on the City Council: it seems likely to me they’ve ordered OPD to conceal the true facts, to avoid heating up an already inflammatory situation.
But, as Paul Merriwether says, “We need more honest talk to solve Oakland's problem.” Can we have this honest talk? Or are we going to allow the intimidators to cancel the facts?
Steve Heimoff