Posted on 01/24/2014 9:24:46 AM PST by Responsibility2nd
The day of the funeral for a 5-year-old Omaha girl killed by a stray bullet, a national organization declared that Nebraska has the highest black homicide rate in the nation.
The statistics that the Washington D.C.-based Violence Prevention Center analyzed do not include the Jan. 15 killing of Payton Benson. The numbers come from 2011, the most recent year for which comprehensive national homicide data is available. But a high ranking is not a one-year anomaly.
Thirty black people — including 27 people in Omaha — were killed in homicides in Nebraska in 2011. That translates to a black homicide rate of 34.43 per 100,000 people — twice the national average.
By comparison, a total of 65 people of all races died in homicides in Nebraska in 2011, a rate of less than four per 100,000 people.
The overall national homicide rate was 4.44 per 100,000 people.
The Violence Policy Center, a research and advocacy group that promotes gun control, released the rankings Thursday as part of its annual study, “Black Homicide Victimization in the United States.”
The center analyzed data that the FBI collects each year from local law enforcement agencies.
After Nebraska, the states with the next four highest black homicide rates were Missouri, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Oklahoma.
Nebraska ranked fourth for 2010, and 11th for 2009.
The center's executive director, Josh Sugarmann, called gun violence a public health crisis affecting all Americans, but especially devastating for African Americans.
In Omaha, City Councilman Ben Gray — whose district includes northeast Omaha and who has been active in anti-violence work — said he is “less interested in the statistics than in what the city, collectively, is going to do about it.”
Omaha knows what issues it has, Gray said.
“But do we have the political will to fix them? And when I say we, I'm talking about all of us,” he said.
Meanwhile on Thursday, the Omaha 360 Collaborative and the Empowerment Network announced an anti-violence rally for Saturday, saying that gun violence has affected every part of the city.
The event is scheduled for 2-4 p.m. at Omaha North High School. A tentative list of speakers includes homicide victims' families, Gray, Mayor Jean Stothert and Police Chief Todd Schmaderer.
Omaha. I didn't even know there were any black people in Omaha.
(And at this rate....)
“Thirty black people — including 27 people in Omaha — were killed in homicides in Nebraska in 2011.”
That is a weekend in Chicago.
“OMAHA.....hut...hut!”
““Thirty black people — including 27 people in Omaha — were killed in homicides in Nebraska in 2011.”
That is a weekend in Chicago.”
Yeah, but I think they are talking per capita, since there are only a total of 40 black people in Omaha, that makes the black murder rate fairly substantial”
though, if that rate keeps up, the problem should self correct.
There aren’t many—which is why the per capita works out so badly on only 27 homicides. A black population of 80,000 accounts for nearly half of the homicides in a state of about 1.5 million people.
Exactly. The article is written on the basis of percentages, not total numbers. A change from one to two is a 100% increase, for example.
Was wondering how long it would take for the first Peyton Manning reference.
I know of a black man from Omaha--Malcolm Little.
The little 5 year old girl who died, her name was Payton Benson, but her mother’s last name is Manning. Sad irony, huh?
Remember, Omaha is the source of the odd and repulsive video that was all the headlines a couple weeks ago, with the toddler being taught gang lingo, etc. There is a breeding ground.
LOL. I noticed that as well.
Omaha? OMAHA?????
Ah-HA! So THAT’s why Peyton Manning says, ‘”Omaha” all the time’? He is obviously a RACIST! ;-)
“though, if that rate keeps up, the problem should self correct.”
Excellent Point.
This is a classic instance of how very low actual numbers can make percentages look misleading. I remember back when the left used to say that hetrosexual transmission of aids was the “fastest growing” number of those with aids. It was done in an attempt to take away the gay stigma of aids. When you looked at the raw numbers it reavealed that the number of aids patients who got the disease supposedly from hetrosexual sex these cases has risen from .25% of the total aids cases to .5%. So yes, the total number had doubled (fastest growing) the the actual numbers were a miniscule number of cases compared to homosexual transmission of aids.
Really? Wow. I do remember. A couple of FR threads.
Us FReepers are pretty hard core against the State stepping in with their child protective service goons.
But in this case - it was justified.
I didn’t even know Josh Sugartit was still around.
Since Little Payton Benson was killed four (4) years AFTER the statistics used in the story, I can only wonder what he writer is trying to say.
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