Recent events involving multiple black teenagers and a child, all captured on video, are causing many Americans to ask, “What’s the problem with children today?” This question is quickly followed by, “Where are the parents?” In culture, I’ve witnessed a recurring theme in many predominately black communities: young black children, some as young as six years old, playing outside long past appropriate bedtimes. Many of these kids involve themselves in criminal activity.
The freedom these children possess to roam the streets at all hours calls into question the commentary of many social activists who believe blacks, in particular, are in danger of being hunted down by police. NBA player Lebron James famously tweeted, “We are literally hunted down every day/every time we step foot outside the comfort of our homes.”
The “we” in James’s tweet directly reference black people. While the facts don’t validate James’s position, with this sentiment in…