Another Child Dead In Chicago... And I'm Angry
An Angry Facebook Post
By Joshua Boyd
I wrote the following piece on my Facebook page after seeing many posts and comments saying that black people don’t seem to care about the violence erupting in our inner cities. I almost deleted it, and questioned posting it here, but I felt sometimes it is good to let anger show even in my role as “The Informer”.
I've edited this a few times to take out the f-bombs because y'all know I don't swear publicly, and my mom and grandma read this stuff.
If you know me, you know I'm pretty calm and collected. You know I make an intentional effort to use a "Wise Mind" approach that acknowledges emotions while staying rational. It takes a lot for me to lose my cool.
Well, right now. I'm pissed off.
If I hear one more argument that says that black people (which includes me) don't care about violence in the black communities y'all might see a side of me you didn't know existed. You think I don't care when I see the pictures from Chicago of victims that look like my brothers? Like my cousins? Like my beautiful nieces and nephews? You think I haven't lost sleep trying to figure out how we can fix the issues of gang and inner city violence? You think because I live in the suburbs I don't know anyone whose lost people in Chicago?
The weekend after the murder of George Floyd I hit a literal point of exhaustion from commenting, texts, phone calls, private messages, researching, and sharing thoughts and facts on the issues. I spent 8 hours straight that Friday doing those things. I've spent 5 hours today researching gangs, poverty, and inner city violence.
I don't say that to brag or look for a pat on the back, but because I know I'm not the only Black that's been doing that multiple times this past month! If you honestly think we black people don't care, then you'll have to call me to hear what I think about you right now because I can't write it on Facebook.
I'm shaking right now with how mad I am.
We are not just sitting back and watching the violence. It is not some simple problem that requires "caring more". How could someone seriously think that these neighborhoods in poverty can just fix themselves? That's like telling the homeless community to fix the problem of homelessness. You think people in poverty can just end the problems?
And by the way, there are protests and marches on inner city violence too so don't even try that one with me. Blame Fox and CNN for not showing you.
While y'all were fuming over "defund the police", you probably weren't researching the correlations between poverty and crime, or how reinvesting into those communities would actually make the jobs of the police less of a burden while lowering rates of violence. You didn't think about how kids join gangs because there often isn't any other opportunity for community, respect, making money, protection, and survival. You didn't care about the research that shows that kids are less likely to join gangs when they have alternative outlets and opportunities which most inner city communities can't afford due to lack of funding. You forgot these inner city youth have little access to extracurricular activities, mentors, art programs, sports, quality health care and counseling, and a million other things that kept you out of trouble and healthy as a kid.
Research and understand the cycles of poverty and trauma.
Research and understand that white kids in similar situations make similar choices.
Y'all have sympathy for the suburban white kid who came from a lower income broken home, saw violence growing up, coped with weed, had a hard time making friends, got in trouble often, struggled in school, and never seemed to get ahead. You never blamed that kid (and if you did I don't know what kind of human you are). Yet, when you see an ENTIRE local community of black kids growing up with all of that and more your first thought is "what's wrong with them?"
(breathe)
The funny thing is, we have the solutions for decreasing violence and poverty, but instead of seeing the lack of opportunities, funding, jobs, and resources you blame the communities that are struggling!
For the last 10 years or so I've been trying to research and come up with solutions, and none of them work unless we invest in the communities. Our capitalist society doesn't want to do it because they can't see a positive dollar amount on the return line. This is about more than politics and parties. This is the lives of children we are talking about. If you want to see change, just like every black person I know does, start pushing for budget reform.
Black people have cared about the plights of our brothers and sisters since long before you cared about us. We've been crying, screaming, and dying for change since we came here on slave ships. It seems we're at a point the world is finally listening. Maybe the establishment is scared of Wakanda but start funding our people and you'll see the beauty that comes of it. The beauty that benefits every American.
If it makes you feel better, we believe the changes should happen all across America which will help the 4.2 million white kids in poverty too.
If you still think we don't care, that we don't mourn, or that we are turning a blind eye to all of this, thank my mom and grandma for me not telling you what I think of you here.
Goodnight.
If you you want to learn more about movements in Chicago against violence, click here.
