Lecture on black violence erupts into debate

Ian Meyer Arizona Daily Wildcat Julian Kunnie (left), an associate professor of African American studies, confronts James Clarke, author and political science professor. Clarke gave a lecture titled "Black-On-Black Violence" at Gallagher Theatre yesterday. Kunnie accused Clarke of ignoring the causes of black violence while several other audience members looked on.

"A sizable segment of the black population is impoverished and poor," said Julian Kunnie, an associate professor of African American studies, from across the auditorium. "When one talks about the black lower class he should realize that white institutions created the ghetto."

James Clarke, a white author and political science professor, gave the lecture titled "Black-On-Black Violence" to about 150 listeners at Gallagher Theatre yesterday. He has taught classes on violence, race and public policy at the University of Arizona for 25 years.

Clarke displayed graphs that mapped violent crime arrest rates and described the homicide frequency among black Americans. He said that since 1964, half of the country's violent crime has been committed by young black Americans, who make up 3 percent of the U.S. population.

"As the 20th century comes to a close, more black males will be incarcerated in prison than go to college," he said. "Half of our nation's prison population is black."

Kunnie accused Clarke of ignoring how the media reproduces notions of violence.

"It's the black underclass that is most susceptible to those types of behaviors," he said. "And today's capitalist society classifies black people as a burden."

"No one is suggesting its (black-on-black violence's) core comes from the black lower class itself," Clarke answered.

Clarke said that while most people concentrate on the last 30 years of black-on-black violence, the problem goes back more than a century.

He said that after the Civil War, violence between other ethnic groups dropped, but violence between blacks climbed steadily with only brief breaks.

"Southern blacks were assaulting and killing each other at extraordinary rates," Clarke said. "If their victims were also black, the courts cared little about it."

He said that a crime committed by a black against a white receives more attention than if a crime against another black.

"A criminal case (between two black Americans) included language such as 'those niggers,'" he said. "The white people were not interested in black murder."

Blacks would settle disputes personally because they did not have "due justice of the law," Clarke said.

"In a small southern 1930 community, it (violence) was a part of daily life - and premature death," he said.

Clarke said this is why black-on-black domestic violence occurs today.

He also said that homicide rates are increasing because of overcrowding and greater availability of alcohol.

Overcrowding is also a reason for child abuse, Clarke said.

He said that in 1992, 754,000 black children were neglected and abused.

Clarke said society needs to start encouraging parental responsibility.

"Twenty-nine percent of the neglected and abused children grow up to be offenders themselves," Clarke said.

He said these children, armed with easily accessible guns, too often take matters into their own hands.

Donna Swaim, a white humanities senior lecturer emeritus, asked Clarke what he thought the solution was.

"There's no quick fix," he answered. "Frisking laws, gated communities and more police on the streets are temporary solutions at best."

Carlton Young, assistant professor of surgery, said after the lecture that it was not enough for Clarke to merely list the facts.

"You can't list things and say that's it," he said. "He should have talked to folks who live it day to day."

Young said the majority of Clarke's data was generated by "white folks" who do not understand the difficulties of being black in today's society.

"Because I'm a black man in this country I am perceived differently," he said. "The white arena sits back and forgets what happens in the inner-city."

Young encouraged college students to talk with black students around campus and learn what their struggles have been.

Discussing various issues is the goal of the Building Academic Community speaker series. It is a joint project organized by the American Council on Education and coordinated by the Faculty Fellows, said George Davis, coordinator of Faculty Fellows and geoscience professor.

"Hopefully the discussions will continue more outside of the classroom and will be provoked by the contents of the speaker's messages," he said.

Clarke is the seventh professor to speak in a series of 14 that began January 29 and will end May 7.

Dean of Students Melissa Vito, who was in the audience, said she thought the speech produced quality discussion.

"The speech provoked thinking and I hope people follow up by talking about it," she said.

"It makes me remember why we were drawn to a university - to be around interesting ideas and people," Davis said.