Kerby Anderson

Crime costs both victims and society a great deal. Several years ago, Walter Williams wrote about the “Unappreciated Crime Costs” that especially hit black residents in low-income neighborhoods. His commentary is even more relevant today.

Thousands of black Americans are murdered each year in cities like Chicago, Baltimore, Detroit, St. Louis, and Philadelphia. He documented that over 90 percent of the time the perpetrator was also black.

Crime also imposes a hefty tax on people in these neighborhoods, who can least afford it. Residents must bear the time cost and other costs of having to shop outside their neighborhoods. There are few supermarkets in high-crime, low-income neighborhoods that are often referred to as “food deserts.”

Delivery companies routinely leave packages on the doorstop of homes in low-crime neighborhoods. They wouldn’t dare do that in these high-crime neighborhoods. Taxi drivers, fearing robberies in these dangerous neighborhoods, often refuse to accept telephone calls for home pickups.

You might wonder why black people in these areas often fail to report crime to law enforcement. First, many of them have a deep mistrust of police. Second, there is also the real fear of reprisals by black criminals. Reporting a crime or criminal can have serious repercussions. Criminals rarely fear being brought to justice.

Walter Williams concluded that many of the problems in the black community in previous decades were due to racial discrimination. He then argued that the problems today are due to “high illegitimacy, family breakdown, and unsafe communities.” That’s why I believe the best solutions must come from churches and faith-based organizations.