Member-only story
“Build A Wall To Keep Out Black Youth to Reduce Crime”
Said an “educated and socially aware” individual
I spent a semester at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, about 10 years back. I still happen to be in a FaceBook group run by the university.
The university campus has always had a crime problem. Following a recent shooting and carjacking announcement, one of the parents or community members left a comment that essentially translated to the quote in the title.
He insinuated that police can only react to crime, and can’t really build a wall to prevent crime that stems from the “pre-dominantly Black youth of East Cleveland.” Hence, we couldn’t blame the police for the actions of one “community.”
The guy doesn’t even live in Cleveland, or the United States, according to his own admission but seems to believe he knows the core of the problem all so well.
The city of Cleveland, like many parts of America, has had the same systemic issue of racism for a long time, and nothing has changed in 10 years. Ten years ago, I saw the same symptoms of systemic racism that clearly haven’t gone away, and might even have gotten worse.
To understand the problem, let me tell you a story.
