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OK, fine. Let's talk about "black on black" crime.

That, after all, is where the conversation seems to inevitably turn whenever one seeks to engage a conservative on the American habit of shooting unarmed African-American boys and men. So it was exasperating, but nowhere near surprising, to see former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani go there recently on "Meet the Press."

Asked by host Chuck Todd, during a discussion of the Michael Brown shooting in Ferguson, Mo., about the fact that African-American communities like that one are often served by snow white police departments, he offered some perfunctory words about the effort to produce more representative cop shops. But then Giuliani took a sharp turn off topic and into the brambles. "I find it very disappointing," he told Todd, "that you're not discussing the fact that 93 percent of blacks in America are killed by other blacks. ... I would like to see the attention paid to that that you are paying to this."

There followed a sharp exchange with another panelist, author and professor Michael Eric Dyson, which produced this parting shot from the mayor: "The white police officers wouldn't be there if you weren't killing each other."

Somehow, he managed not to call Dyson "you people." In nearly every other respect, Giuliani's words reeked of a paternalistic white supremacy unworthy of a former mayor of America's largest city - or even a sewer worker in its remotest Podunk. But again, this has become the go-to "reasoning" for those on the right - Sean Hannity, Lou Dobbs, Rush Limbaugh - when asked to give a damn about the killings of unarmed black boys and men.

That formulation is false for multiple reasons.

In the first place, being concerned over the shooting of unarmed black men hardly precludes being concerned over violence within the African-American community. Giuliani and others suggest a dichotomy where none exists.

In the second place, they ignore the obvious: When black people commit crimes against black people, they face prosecution, but when police officers (or certain neighborhood watchmen) commit crimes against black people, they face getting off with little if any punishment.

In the third place, what exactly is "black on black" crime?

Do black people kill one another? Sure they do. Ninety percent of black murder victims are killed by black assailants.

But guess what? White people kill one another, too. Eighty-three percent of white victims are killed by white assailants. See, the vast majority of violent crime is committed within - not between - racial groups. Crime is a matter of proximity and opportunity. People victimize their own rather than drive across town to victimize somebody else.

So another term for "black on black" crime is crime.

But there is crime and there is crime.

Redlining, loan discrimination and predatory mortgages have stripped generations of wealth from the African-American community. What is that if not robbery?

The Republican Party practices policies of voter suppression. That's the assault and battery of African-American political rights.

Mass incarceration criminalizes the very existence of black men and boys. That's the rape of equal justice.

Unarmed people are killed by those who are purportedly there to protect and serve them and the "just us" system looks the other way. That's the murder of basic human rights.

It is touching that Giuliani and others are so concerned about black on black crime. But African Americans have also been long oppressed by what might be called "America on black" crime.

When do you suppose they'll be ready to talk about that?

Write to Pitts at lpitts@miamiherald.com.

Read or Share this story: http://cjky.it/1CFeF9B

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OK, fine. Let's talk about "black on black" crime. That, after all, is where the conversation seems to inevitably turn whenever one seeks to engage a conservative on the American habit of shooting unarmed African-American boys and men. So it was exasperating, but nowhere near surprising, to see former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani go there recently on "Meet the Press."

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My mother was my first teacher.

Every trip to the grocery store was a math lesson in how to count money. Every conversation was likely to become an exercise in grammar and enunciation. She regularly called my teachers to check on my behavior in class.

One year when I was assigned to a teacher who didn't meet her standards, my mother had me transferred to another class. She checked my homework everyday, and if I had no homework she created some. If the term "involved single parent" was listed in Webster's, there would have been a picture of my mother next to it. She had high expectations of me and those responsible for my education. As a child I hated it! As an adult I'm thankful.

So when I heard about the colossal failures of those now convicted Atlanta Public School educators who cared more about the appearance of achievement than the potential damage their actions might create for a generation of children, I can't decide who's more at fault: the educators themselves or the parents of the students.

Teachers - at the direction of administrators - conspired to correct wrong answers on standardized tests, because salary bonuses and government funding for schools where connected to test results. This wasn't a one time lapse of ethics. Investigators said cheating had been going on for years before the scandal was uncovered. Apparently their temporary monetary gain was more important than the long-term disadvantage created by illiteracy that often leads to under-employment, negative stereotypes and missed opportunities. The miseducation of (mostly) black children by black adults adds insult to injury.

Clearly their actions show teachers cared more about the money and staying employed in a defunct system - some say they were threatened with termination if they refused to go along with cheating - than equipping their students with the skills to succeed.

But what excuse did parents give? If Johnny can't read, write or count money at the grocery store checkout his parents should have realized it and questioned his teachers about his deficiencies. Most parents claim to want more for their children than they have achieved. There's more to good parenting than just providing food, clothes and shelter.

In this world of instant gratification where people want the rewards of success without doing the work that comes before it, it's easy to forget life's greatest achievements start by mastering the fundamentals. Teachers and parents who offer less than the best chance at success for the children in their care probably don't need to be teachers or parents.

Behind every successful adult is a long line of teachers, coaches and parents who gave their time, talents and resources to insure children in their care received the best they had to offer. On behalf of all of us, you are appreciated.
Steffanie is a freelance journalist living in the Dallas, Texas metroplex. Email her at [email protected] to share comments, questions and speaking inquiries.

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The Journal of Steffanie Rivers: Atlanta School Scandal A Black on Black Crime | EURweb

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My mother was my first teacher. Every trip to the grocery store was a math lesson in how to count money. Every conversation was likely to become an exercise in grammar and enunciation. She regularly called my teachers to check on my behavior in class.

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Enter your email address below. If your address has been previously registered, you will receive an email with instructions on how to reset your password. If you don't receive an email, you should register as a new user

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Trauma, Mental Health and Domestic Violence | Florida Coalition Against Domestic Violence

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More than 57 million people in the United States (age 18 and older) suffer from a mental illness. Over 50% of women who live with a mental illness have previously experienced some sort of trauma such as physical or sexual abuse (either during childhood or adulthood).

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Houston, Texas -- A Houston woman known as the "blue-eyed butcher" was resentenced Tuesday to 20 years for stabbing her husband some 200 times.

Susan Wright was convicted of first-degree murder in 2004 in the stabbing death of her husband, Jeffrey Wright. According to testimony, she buried the body in the backyard of their Houston-area home.

The same jury that convicted Wright sentenced her at the time to 25 years in prison, but an appeals court overturned her sentence last year, saying her attorneys had bungled the case.

A new jury was seated last month to determine Wright's punishment, with possible punishments ranging from community supervision to life behind bars.

During more than two weeks of dramatic testimony, family members, Jeffrey Wright's ex-girlfriends, and neighbors of the Wrights squarely divided over whether the 34-year-old victim was a loving family man or a violent, cocaine-fueled abuser.

A medical examiner testified he was able to count 193 wounds on the body, with the actual number of stab wounds well in excess of that. Defense attorneys claim Wright killed in the heat of passion after years of beatings and rapes.

Prosecutors argued Wright was tired of married life, and angry at her husband's drug use and frequent late nights out. "This was not a battered woman -- this was divorce by homicide," said Assistant District Attorney John Jordan during his closing argument on Monday. He asked jurors to sentence Wright to no less than 45 years behind bars.

Among the witnesses not called in the 2004 trial was psychologist Jerome Brown, who interviewed Wright days after the killing. Brown diagnosed Wright with Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome, and told jurors last week she was in a "dissociative state" while attempting an elaborate cleanup after the killing.

Brown also testified that Wright told him her husband was asleep when she retrieved a knife from their kitchen and began to stab him. This differs from Wright's tearful testimony at her original trial, when she said she killed her husband in self-defense after he stood over her with the knife and said "Die, bitch!"

Prosecutors have scoffed at the idea that the 5'4", 120-pound defendant could have overpowered her 6'2", 220-pound husband, and argued to the jury she tied him to their bed before killing him. They also suggested she may have drugged him with gamma-hydroxybutyric acid, known as the "date-rape drug," low levels of which were found in Jeffrey Wright's system.

Because Brown didn't testify in 2004, prosecutors did not have access to his notes. Last week, however, Jordan questioned Brown about the discrepancy in the defendant's stories and about a telephone call from her original defense attorney, Neal Davis, on the eve of the trial. Davis had just read Brown's notes and realized they were detrimental to his client's claim of self-defense. The call was tape-recorded by Davis.

Brown admitted he responded with an expletive, and then said, "I'll take a look at my notes and see if there's any way to get around that problem."

Also new on the witness stand were two former girlfriends of the victim, whose colorful testimony drew occasional laughter. Misty McMichael testified Wright beat her repeatedly during their two-year relationship and tried to control her every move.

Prosecutors called the woman's story a blend of fiction and exaggeration, disputing her claims Wright that threw her down a staircase 104 times and kept her locked in a room above his family's flooring business. As she sparred verbally with prosecutor Connie Spence, the judge scolded McMichael, saying she was turning the hearing into "a circus."

Another woman, Marcy Holloway, came forward to prosecutors only recently, and testified last week that Wright was a patient, caring boyfriend with whom she broke up only because "I could not handle being with a man better looking than myself."

Wright's new defense attorneys argued that she has been punished enough, and asked for probation. "Her bedroom was a hell chamber. Her house was a prison. She's been in the penitentiary," said Jonathan Munier, adding that Wright has also signed away her parental rights. The Wrights' two children have been adopted by Jeffrey Wright's brother.

"He's the damn devil," continued Munier. "And how do you kill the devil? You can't. He's still here, still tormenting her. What more can she lose?"

Wright was given a chance to address the victim's family after the verdict was announced. "I just want you to know that I'm sorry. I'm sorry he's not here," she said softly. "I'm sorry you don't have your son, and your brother."

The five women and seven men deliberated for more than 10 hours over two days. Wright will be eligible for parole in 2014.

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'Blue-eyed butcher' sentenced to 20 years

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Houston, Texas -- A Houston woman known as the "blue-eyed butcher" was resentenced Tuesday to 20 years for stabbing her husband some 200 times. Susan Wright was convicted of first-degree murder in 2004 in the stabbing death of her husband, Jeffrey Wright. According to testimony, she buried the body in the backyard of their Houston-area home.

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Some signs of domestic violence are more obvious than others. Here are a few common signs.

Does your intimate partner ever:

Accuse you of cheating and being disloyal?

Make you feel worthless?

Hurt you by hitting, choking or kicking you?

Intimidate and threaten to hurt you or someone you love?

Threaten to hurt themselves if they don't get what they want?

Try to control what you do and who you see?

Isolate you from your family and friends?

Pressure or force you into unwanted sex?

Control your access to money?

Stalk you, including calling you constantly or following you?

If you recognize these signs of domestic violence and suspect that you or someone you know is in an abusive relationship, you are not alone; there is help in your community.

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Some signs of domestic violence are more obvious than others. Here are a few common signs. Does your intimate partner ever: Accuse you of cheating and being disloyal? Make you feel worthless? Hurt you by hitting, choking or kicking you? Intimidate and threaten to hurt you or someone you love?

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In order to join a gang, all potential members are required to go through an initiation ceremony to show the gang's members they "have what it takes." Well, at least that's what I thought. It's not true. Some gangs have initiation ceremonies, others do not.