Can We Talk About Urban Violence Without the Word 'Black'?

It seems that people will continue riding the “black-on-black crime” train, and the wheels may never fall off of it. But if we can’t get rid of the tortured phrase, the least we can do is bring some clarity to why it’s used. That’s what legendary NFL Hall of Famer/movie star/social activist Jim Brown tried to do Wednesday during the Redefining Public Safety Summit in Newark, which was set up to address violence in marginalized communities. Brown told reporters at the event:

Brown said this while flanked by Ras Baraka, the Newark mayor who apparently surprised The New York Times by actually being an effective public servant, and former Baltimore Ravens star Ray Lewis. Despite Brown’s comments, he participated in a panel discussion with Lewis and Baraka at the summit entitled “The Real Root Causes of the National Epidemic of Gangs/Black-on-Black Violence.”