Speaker A
You know, we see, we get told time and again, "Look, it's all very well you middle-class white people telling us what the problem is." Right? You're not middle class and you're not white. What is the problem and how do we deal with this?
Rapper Akala discusses the link between knife crime, race, and social factors, emphasizing holistic solutions and challenging racial stereotypes.
Key Takeaways
- Knife crime should be framed as serious youth violence, not a racial issue.
- Social and economic factors are key drivers of youth violence across all races.
- Successful violence reduction requires holistic, multi-agency public health strategies.
- Racial stereotypes about violence are misleading and harmful.
- Early intervention and support systems are critical to divert youth from crime.
What the video covers
- Akala critiques the racialization of knife crime, urging use of the term 'serious youth violence' instead.
- He highlights consistent social indicators of violent crime over 200 years: poverty, masculinity, domestic violence, and lack of education.
- Glasgow's multi-agency, public health approach dramatically reduced youth violence, serving as a model.
- Akala challenges the notion that knife crime is exclusively a black issue, citing white victims and perpetrators across the UK.
- He discusses psychological self-hatred as a limited factor in some young black boys' violence but rejects broad racial stereotypes.
- Akala points out the disproportionate representation of young black men in positive fields like sports and academics.
- He criticizes media and political double standards in labeling violence by race, especially regarding white supremacist terrorism.
- Akala stresses the importance of early intervention, education, and counseling to prevent youth violence.
- He acknowledges that while knife crime in London currently involves mostly young black males, the broader issue transcends race.
- The video calls for nuanced understanding and policy approaches tailored to different cities and communities.
Chapters
- 00:00Introduction: Questioning the racial narrative around knife crime
- 00:53Glasgow's approach to reducing serious youth violence
- 01:40Current knife crime demographics in London and other cities
- 02:32Challenging the black-on-black violence stereotype
- 04:07Media double standards and racial virtue signaling
- 04:56Positive achievements of young black individuals
- 06:19Summary: Race, crime statistics, and nuanced understanding
- 07:18Conclusion: The need for tailored policies and early interventions
Full Transcript — Download SRT & Markdown
Speaker A
we deal with this um well as I've said many times before these social indicators I don't say causes because obviously there's still an element of personal responsibility the social indicators for violent crime among young working-class street gangs have remained
Speaker A
Well, as I've said many times before, these social indicators—I don't say causes because obviously there's still an element of personal responsibility—the social indicators for violent crime among young working-class street gangs have remained consistent for 200 years: relative poverty, masculinity, exposure to domestic violence, lack of education.
Speaker A
look at seriously youth violence which is my preferred term if journalists want to be taken more seriously they should use the term serious youth violence because knife crime has become a sort of racial buzzword at the moment Glasgow
Speaker A
So the solutions are fairly obvious in many ways. Glasgow, which was once dubbed the most violent city in Europe, still has a higher murder rate than London. When we look at serious youth violence, which is my preferred term—if journalists want to be taken more seriously, they should use the term serious youth violence because knife crime has become a sort of racial buzzword at the moment—Glasgow has seen a dramatic reduction in serious youth violence to the point that none of the murders of teenagers that occurred in 2017 occurred in Scotland.
Speaker A
her into agency approach they took an approach that saw violence in a holistic way they saw the link between domestic violence and violence in the street they saw the link between violence and society in general and violence in the
Speaker A
What approaches did they take in Glasgow? They took a public health approach. They took a multi-agency approach. They took an approach that saw violence in a holistic way. They saw the link between domestic violence and violence in the street. They saw the link between violence and society in general and violence in the street. They looked to early interventions, basically coming into young people's lives and families' lives as early as possible and diverting them away from crime. Good education, good jobs, counseling. That was so dramatically effective.
Speaker A
always handling in and suggestion an entirely different set of policies should be suggested for London maybe Birmingham and Manchester so let me put this to you it's very interesting yeah your view of this and what I would say to you is this statistically it
Speaker A
So the fact that there's always handling in and suggestion an entirely different set of policies should be suggested for London, maybe Birmingham and Manchester. So let me put this to you. It's very interesting. Yeah, your view of this. And what I would say to you is this: statistically, it looks like in London, right now, this is predominantly a problem of young black teenage boys who are members almost exclusively of gangs attacking each other.
Speaker A
racial element to that in terms of any cultural issues racial issues or do you think it's the same problem I had in Glasgow where they were white and but actually the race part of this is something that we might look at the
Speaker A
So that the perpetrators and the victims appear to be almost exclusively young black men. Do you think there is a racial element to that in terms of any cultural issues, racial issues? Or do you think it's the same problem I had in Glasgow where they were white? And actually, the race part of this is something that we might look at the statistics and think it's a black problem when it's not?
Speaker A
remotely resembling a monopoly on violence over the last few years some of the most horrendous knife attacks both the victims and the perpetrators have been white and they've not been from London including a thirteen-year-old girl stabbed to death in Southampton a
Speaker A
Okay, so there are several regions of the country. Let's just look at the facts. They have higher murder rates than London does. Clearly, for our human history, black people have not had anything remotely resembling a monopoly on violence. Over the last few years, some of the most horrendous knife attacks, both the victims and the perpetrators, have been white and they've not been from London, including a thirteen-year-old girl stabbed to death in Southampton, a 16-year-old stabbed in different Binnington, a seven-year-old girl stabbed in different York, a five-year-old stabbed to death by its own mother in Oxfordshire.
Speaker A
may be important you could argue that only a very particular demographic of young black boys only a very particular stage in their lives through a degree of psychological self hatred or contempt for themselves they project onto other people almost remind them of themselves
Speaker A
When both the perpetrator and the victims are white, race suddenly becomes unimportant. There is one limited sense in which race may be important. You could argue that only a very particular demographic of young black boys, only a very particular stage in their lives, through a degree of psychological self-hatred or contempt for themselves, they project onto other people who almost remind them of themselves.
Speaker A
Premier League footballers my grandmother David Adjaye Ozwald Boateng are all sort of an equal risk of violent crime and well it would it reminds me a little bit I mean it's different but it's in two woven slightly into what
Speaker A
However, the black-on-black violence paradigm, so-called, is never used in that way as this kind of psychological self-hatred model. It's used to give the public essentially the ridiculous impression that black school teachers, black doctors, black lawyers, black Premier League footballers, my grandmother, David Adjaye, Ozwald Boateng are all sort of an equal risk of violent crime.
Speaker A
I've not heard people say this is a white person problem what precisely we have enough trouble getting the what I'm gonna call the racial virtue signal and right wing press to call white supremacist terrorists by their proper name let alone to force all white people
Speaker A
Well, it reminds me a little bit—I mean, it's different, but it's interwoven slightly into what happened in New Zealand where you have this white supremacist committing an act of horror. Had he been an ISIS terrorist, the immediate reaction from many people would have been, "This is a Muslim problem."
Speaker A
offenses area because it's self-evident and if not all middle-aged white men appear I think it's a pletely a valid point I do what let's look at in the other sense where young black boys overachieve is race offered as an
Speaker A
Because he's a white supremacist, I've not heard people say, "This is a white person problem." What precisely? We have enough trouble getting what I'm going to call the racial virtue signal and right-wing press to call white supremacist terrorists by their proper name, let alone to force all white people to explain the bad actions of all other white people.
Speaker A
youngest children in Britain to ever take GCSEs are all black Romario wolfred a young black boy from East London has a higher IQ than Einstein young black men are more disproportionately represented in professional football than any other area of my life with all of the
Speaker A
For example, you will never be called upon to explain that not all middle-aged white men are pedophiles despite the fact that hundreds, maybe thousands of them, are convicted of sex offenses.
Speaker A
their right to be viewed as an individual what I'm saying is I'm not just talking about what I read in sociology books I'm talking about London in the last two years it's still important to remember that the overwhelming majority of murders have
Speaker A
Because it's self-evident. And if not all middle-aged white men appear—I think it's a completely valid point. I do. What? Let's look at it in the other sense where young black boys overachieve. Is race offered as an explanatory factor?
Speaker A
II yeah notwithstanding all that and I think it's fascinating what you've been saying notwithstanding all that there is no doubt that right now the knife crime element of murder in London is predominantly young black teenage boys and so my question for you is is there
Speaker A
For example, British Ghanaian and Nigerian boys on free school meals, the poor sector, academically outperform and are more likely to go to university than similarly poor white, mixed-race, and black English kids whose grandparents came from the Caribbean.
Speaker A
young men half of the young almost half of the young people in prison in Britain regardless of ethnicity were in care as children almost half of young people in prison in Britain were expelled from school children when we offer blackness
Speaker A
The four youngest children in Britain to ever take GCSEs are all black. Romario Wolfred, a young black boy from East London, has a higher IQ than Einstein. Young black men are more disproportionately represented in professional football than any other area of my life, with all of the consequences and implications that has for their contributions to the tax base, etc.
Speaker A
III the idea of a kind of particular psychological self-hatred that affects only a very particular group of young black boys a man and then only a very particular Stajan embody or what is that explore that from I'm saying there is an
Speaker A
So it's almost as if a black person does something negative, the entire so-called black community is to blame. Black hasn't done something positive and they suddenly regain their humanity and their right to be viewed as an individual.
Speaker A
stage react against it perhaps internalize that but we never use it in that way because that would mean a wider dialogue about content for black life in general young parents in Ghana which happens to be one of the peaceful countries most
Speaker A
What I'm saying is I'm not just talking about what I read in sociology books. I'm talking about London in the last two years. It's still important to remember that the overwhelming majority of murders have not been committed by teenage black boys.
Speaker A
self-hatred element to Britain in the United States and another place can I ask because it was the particular point that Alex had made his really important intervention on prison sentences yeah and increased police presence and numbers yes what effect might they have
Speaker A
So, for example, in 2017 there were 117 or 116 murders, 21 of which were young black boys. In 2018, 150 for 2014 ages in general can be twisted anywhere you precisely. However, however, let me throw this back to you.
Speaker A
Buzzard Risinger did a study all around the world where she looked at prison systems and incarceration all around the world she found not one country in which tougher sentences in honor of themselves did anything to reduce crime in fact in
Speaker A
Notwithstanding all that, and I think it's fascinating what you've been saying, notwithstanding all that, there is no doubt that right now the knife crime element of murder in London is predominantly young black teenage boys.
Speaker A
this side of the coin enough and it's very easy for us to see here look at a bunch of statistics and thing that's the problem mm-hmm what often there's a number of reasons for that I myself was the beneficiary of a
Speaker A
And so my question for you is, is there any racial or cultural element to what is going on but relating to knife crime in young black teens?
Speaker A
rarely been heard but coming back to the point you were making about sentencing let's remember we've got a couple of centuries of this type of violent new crime in predominately white communities in Britain what has led to reductions
Speaker A
Listen to what you've just said. When you think that blackness is the most important thing to emphasize about these young men, half of the young—almost half of the young people in prison in Britain, regardless of ethnicity, were in care as children.
Speaker A
the exact opposite policies that have been effective in British history and white communities of turn of 20th century in glass in Manchester and recently in Glasgow we should pursue exact opposite policies you say to it to a young black teenage boy in London
Speaker A
Almost half of young people in prison in Britain were expelled from school children. When we offer blackness as an explanatory factor as if we don't need to know anything else, it is irrelevant. The color, no, is it irrelevant?
Speaker A
Manchester it could be in Glasgow it could be anyway there are a number of solutions and if mandatory self-defence in schools could be one of the solutions not because you teach anyone to face down people carrying knives she's gonna
Speaker A
At the top of the program or a couple of minutes ago, in the one limited sense in which it may be relevant, the idea of a kind of particular psychological self-hatred that affects only a very particular group of young black boys, and then only a very particular stage in their lives.
Speaker A
think support for the scores of already existing community groups that exist in the communities we talk a lot about but not too I think incentivizing schools to reduce expulsion we know that expulsion from school that P I you trajectory is
Speaker A
What is that? Explore that for me. I'm saying there is an internalized racism, essentially, and you hear this in some rap music, in some senses you see in some people's behavior where basically contempt for black life, only a very particular group of young black boys at a very particular stage react against it, perhaps internalize that.
Speaker A
that simple however we could incentivize schools to reduce expulsion 'he's looking at what the cost of the average exploded child cost the British taxpayer and spending that money to keep people in school so their whole load of potential solutions
Speaker A
But we never use it in that way because that would mean a wider dialogue about contempt for black life in general. Young parents in Ghana, which happens to be one of the most peaceful countries, most peaceful countries in the world, the quite being one of them, one poorest. I'm not worri—
Speaker A
should be taken seriously so thank you very much thank you great to see thank you so much your run you have a book don't you and your I do yeah yeah I would join us tell us what it is the
Speaker A
only guest has not been trying to plug something how's your chance it's a basically a post-war social history of Britain told through my eyes is called natives racing class in the ruins of empire you
Topics:Akalaknife crimeserious youth violencerace and crimeGlasgow violence reductionpublic health approachyouth gangssocial indicatorsracial stereotypesLondon knife crime
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