Black community starts dialogue on recent violence

NAACP leader: Lincoln University not to blame

Monday, April 18, 2011

Kemoh Edwards is concerned about what he sees in the headlines these days.

More importantly, he wants to do something about it.

Following last month’s shooting death of Cortez Bellamy and last week’s shooting incident that hospitalized Jeremy Tisdel, Edwards decided it was time to get people talking about the issues surrounding the incidents. He started the conversation with a letter to the editor in the News Tribune.

“Every time there is an incident of violence, especially one that is perpetrated by a black person, the negative comments about it ... are obvious,” Edwards said. “People don’t see it as a crime perpetrated by an individual. It seems to be a group perpetrated by a group, which is stereotyping.”

Edwards said, first and foremost, there needs to be a dialog started, headed up by the leaders of the black community.

Nimrod Chapel Jr. is one such leader of the black community who agrees there’s a need to talk about these recent issues and the elements that precipitated the events.

However, the president of the Jefferson City chapter of the NAACP is the first to say that just because leaders of the black community might be the people to begin the discussion, the conversation should not simply be limited to the black community.

“I think this is a community conversation, one that is not limited by race in any way,” Chapel said. “What we are talking about is one human being doing an act, and in one case, murdering a person or severely hurting them. That is a conversation that we as people need to have.”

Chapel said he is not sure at this point what shape those conversations might take, but presented the meetings of the NAACP as a potential forum to at least begin that discussion.

But simply talking about the problems is not enough, in Edwards’ opinion. He said it is also extremely important for the community to understand the events are not tied directly to Lincoln University, and to make such an assumption is not a fair connection.

“These violent acts would persist even if Lincoln University was not here,” Edwards said. “They are crimes that have been perpetrated by individuals. I don’t think that having this university in town necessarily has any correlation.”

Chapel echoed those concerns regarding connections that might be drawn to Lincoln. He pointed out generalizations and assumptions that Lincoln must be connected in some manner if a black individual is involved in a violent crime are not necessarily supported by the enrollment numbers.

“If you look at the makeup of Lincoln University, although it is classified as a HBCU (Historic Black College and University), it has a majority of its attendees who are non-minority,” Chapel said. “I understand the concern that these crimes could be purely viewed in relation to race, and then quickly turning to say, ‘Where are these particular ethnic minorities located,’ and then look over at Lincoln. But I don’t think that you can do that any more than you can look at state government, the public schools or any other public institution that is publicly funded.

“There are always going to be people in this community or others who will look at a particular outcome — whether it is something violent like this, poor test scores, poverty or some particular social issue — and make some broad generalization based on a particular incident. But that broad categorization of a group of people based on the actions of a few is just not proper and is what is defined as prejudice in some way.”

More like this story

gofish 2 years, 1 month ago

And the non-minority, majority are all to eager to get the heck off of campus after dark because of the crime on and around campus. Thinking otherwise is to have one's head in the sand.

Most crimes against blacks are perpetrated by blacks. It's not an issue of race. The issues are drugs, poverty, and St.Louis/Kansas City thugonomics (visitors from the big cities perpetrate crime during their visit, leave, and are seldom caught).

IMO the NAACP needs to "start with the man in the mirror".

JCLifer 2 years, 1 month ago

How about the NAACP meet with the NAAWP sometime and figure out a solution. Oh, there is no such thing as the NAAWP, because that would be racist.

3blindmice 2 years, 1 month ago

who ever mentioned race? the issue is simply families fleeing the inner city of chicago, st louis, and kansas city and bringing their inner city ifestyle to jefferson city.

Festus_Hagen 2 years, 1 month ago

This is not an issue about racism. This is an issue with a culture.

wcywing 2 years, 1 month ago

its good they are talking about the problem, and hopefully find a solution.

wow 2 years, 1 month ago

Amazed...although the current JC crime wave is a problem I don't believe race is the reason. Oh sure I'm sure some of the criminals and possibly the victims have individual hang ups about racial issues, but that doesn't mean the recent crimes are racially motivated? Perhaps the more logical reason for the crime wave is that the suspected criminals and some of the victims were associated with past criminal conduct? Just as always...criminals are prone to criminal conduct...it's a criminal connection not a racial connection. Also, PC has nothing to do with that.

Ponder this...why after the Civil War was segregation the norm for centuries in America? What is the court case US vs Reese about? Why is there a Civil Rights Act of 1866, 1870, 1875, 1965 even though the original Bill of Rights provided those protections to everyone? Why was there a need for Brown V the Education? Why today do so many celebrate the Civil War and consider the actions of the slaves who fought back acts of insurrection? Who is Sen Theodore Bilbo and what is his importance to racism. James Vaedaman a Miss politician announced in 1890 his racial intents and when left challenged they helped spur SC 1895, Ala 1901 and other Southern states to put into writing the racist laws their benefiting citizens wanted enforced....read up on that and then get back to me on racism.

Trying to link these recent JC crimes to racism isn't only a joke, it's pretty much impossible, unless the criminals admit race was their motivating factor. Amazed...racism does exist and no one gender, race, age group, etc has a monopoly on it. But if you are interested in real racism cases, check out the stuff I mentioned, get back at me later and let's discuss. Until...the JC crime wave..is about criminals committing crimes and nothing more!

JCLifer 2 years, 1 month ago

Wow makes some very good points here. I agree- the crimes themselves are not racist. These are just low-lifes who have no respect for others or themselves who think the thug lifestyle looks cool, and they have no problem dumping on others or their community by stealing, raping, assaulting, killing others.

The thing that IS RACIST is the response to these crimes and the lowlife thugs that commit them. Instead of racist groups to hold meetings, what really needs to happen is to run these thugs out of our fine town. Lock them up. Taze them. Shoot to kill when they are breaking into our homes. The only way we will ever get rid of the crime is to get rid of the criminals. JCPD needs to get rid of the speed traps and get on the ball and start running these scum out of town. City Hall needs to rigorously enforce the building and nuicanse codes in the thug parts of town. Make this town very unfriendly to these lowlife thugs and show them we will not tolerate them in our town. Let them go to Columbia and do their nastiness there. Anywhere but JC.

JCLifer 2 years, 1 month ago

No, I want the laws enforced rigorously in ALL parts of town. The laws are made for ALL, not just some people. That is a major problem here, that they are enforced sporadically depending on your last name, your neighborhood, your church you go to, etc.

Enforce the laws for ALL.

asb 2 years, 1 month ago

A thing doesn't have to be "about" race to have a racial component. There IS a cultural support component to all crime. We cannot get the Taliban out of Afghanistan because they are supported. We cannot get the Mexican drug thugs out of Northern Mexico and Southern US because they have cultural support. Thuggery, whether bank & railroad bandits of the 19th century who are still lionized today, or gangstas made icons by record companies, has to have a community and cultural structure born of the perceived disconnect of a given community from the political and economic process. The far Right will soon be spawning criminal behavior based on its pending disenfranchisement from the national power structure (McVeigh & Nichols accomplished their hideous goals with a cultural support system). DISENFRANCHISEMENT is the issue, and whether race or poverty is the base key, this attempt at community conversation is THE answer. Christ is the answer for many, Mohammad too, but neither are required. I'm sorry to anger religious purists but faith and spirituality, while valuable in themselves, are often not able to overcome the force of dogma and exclusion that usually goes with formal religious teaching.

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