ATLANTA — Atlanta police statistics show the number of murders and violent assaults is about the same as last year, but it appears the victims are younger, and predominately Black boys.
Channel 2′s Dave Huddleston is diving deep into what seems to be the causes of this violence.
Huddleston spoke with a Georgia State University professor about what seems to be the cause and the solution.
“It is true, hurt people hurt people,” Dr. Maurice Hobson said.
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Dr. Hobson, a historian and African Studies professor said that to find out why some young Black boys continue to hurt and kill one another, we have to talk to them.
“Violence is the language of the disenfranchised. We must really sit down with our youth and help them understand how to deescalate situations,” he explained.
Police and social leaders have been saying that for awhile, but the problem still persists, especially in some Black kids.
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Hobson says every group is violent.
“A lot of folks have been hurt and mistreated in a particular way and they hold resentment, they hold anxiety and they don’t know it,” he said. “And whenever they feel attacked or threatened, they then lash out, and the thing is there’s a lot of that in the Black community, It’s been passed down generationally. There are issues around racism. there are issues around sexism, classism.”
Hobson says that American culture is violent and we must consider that, as well as access to jobs and education for lower class communities.
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