Crime analysts say Black people make up the majority of murder victims in NOLA; leaders chime in
NEW ORLEANS —
Statistics show African Americans make up the majority of New Orleans, at about 60 percent.
Still, crime analysts say African Americans have been extremely over represented as victims of murder for decades. Accounting for at least 80%.
"The reality is up to 92% of the victims are African American," said Peter Scharf, a professor at the LSU School of Medicine.
"If you line up 100 Black folk — most of them Black men — and someone said, 'Out of all these people lined up, being faced with violence, only eight percent have a chance to live.' Wouldn't you look at it like, 'That is an emergency, man'?" said Oliver Thomas, a councilman of District E.
Councilman Thomas said years of systematic racism and the lack of resources are just some of the factors.
"Why do we not resource this group? Why have we not focused on this group? Is it because it's Black men? Because we do not focus on the group, we see Black women, Black girls and Black children also becoming victims," Thomas said.
"I think in our community, there is a consistent lack of resources and lack of knowledge about the resources we do have," said Ray Bender, the owner of The Hangout NOLA. "It's unfortunate."