Gangs

Many feel that the major problem in the black communities is the lack of fathers in the homes. How did this happen? In the 60's about 25% of young women were having babies without being married and that has risen to 72% today. What changed? As part of the civil rights movement young women were told that if they had a baby, the government would set them up in their own apartment and pay all of their expenses. This told the young men that they were no longer needed and they felt rejected and responded by what has become known as dissing your women. Women were degraded by the young men in their actions and in their music. It was a cultural shift. As the men left behind their family responsibilities they joined gangs and got themselves in trouble with the law. In 1960 the incarceration rate among black males was 1,313 per 100,000 and today it is 4,500 per 100,000. Many of these young men see school as a waste of time and that limits their career choices and adds pressure to join the gangs.