Eruption: What's
at the root of the unrest in America's cities? Handelsblatt columnist Thomas Jahn
writes that the existential
crisis of the middle class hits Blacks even harder than Whites.
Black Unrest in
America: The 'Middle Class Effect' (Handelsblatt, Germany)
"The
excessive use of force by police and discrimination against Blacks in American
society are at the core of the problem. Most of the officers who arrested Gray
were White - but that only partly explains the rioting. In contrast to
Ferguson, racism in Baltimore is not as institutionally entrenched. The mayor
is African American as are other city officials, including the chief of police
and 43 percent of the police force. … Many of the demonstrators are young
people who see few prospects for themselves. The middle and poorer classes
continue to suffer – despite, when compared to Europe at least, was a strong
economic recovery over recent years. … The rich get richer and the
poor … poorer. This law applies to U.S. society as a whole – and for Black
Americans it's even worse."
The street riots in
Baltimore demonstrate just how inequitable the U.S. economic recovery has been.
The middle and poorer classes continue to suffer - despite the expected rise in
the U.S. gross domestic product.
NEW YORK: Burning cars, looted shops, wounded police officers and
rioters: The consequences of the nightly riots in Baltimore are awful. In the
city on the American East Coast, the governor of state of Maryland has declared
a state of emergency. The National Guard is marching through the streets – and
at the moment there is an eerie calm.
The trigger for the violence was the funeral of Freddie
Gray. The Black man suffered a spinal injury after his arrest and died in
hospital a week later on April 19th. The 25-year-old’s death came after a
series of similar incidents over the past year in various parts of the United
States such as Ferguson, Missouri, where similar violence broke out after the
death of another young Black man - Michael Brown.
The excessive use of force by police and discrimination
against Blacks in American society are at the core of the problem. Most of the
officers who arrested Gray were White - but that only partly explains the
rioting. In contrast to Ferguson, racism in Baltimore is not as institutionally
entrenched. The mayor is African American as are other city officials,
including the chief of police and 43 percent of the police force.
Posted By Worldmeets.US
Many of the demonstrators are young people who see few
prospects for themselves. The middle and poorer classes continue to suffer –
despite, when compared to Europe at least, was a strong economic
recovery over recent years. Economists expect an increase in the U.S. GDP of 2.7
percent in 2015. Economic equality for Blacks is showing progress, but the
upward trend is sluggish. Blacks, like the U.S. middle class as a whole, are
burdened by wage stagnation.
The extent of the problem is revealed by a new study by the Congressional
Research Service. The average annual income of the bottom 90 percent of
taxpayers is now $30,980 - whereas in 1970 it was $33,621. Not taking account
of inflation, their incomes fell an astonishing 8 percent.
The rich get richer and the poor … poorer. This law applies
to U.S. society as a whole – and for Black Americans it's even worse. The U.S.
unemployment rate is 5.7 percent, while for African Americans it is nearly
twice as high at 10.3 percent. The poverty statistics reflect the same picture:
while the national average is 15 percent of all families, more than a quarter
of Black families fall into this category.]
The unequal distribution of income tends to diminish Black
middle class progress. Although in 1960 no more than 20 percent of African
Americans finished high school, the number rose by 1980 to more than 50
percent. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, of a total of 14.7 million Black
households, 38.4 percent earn an annual income of between $35,000 and $100,000
dollars - an income group that U.S. social scientists define as middle class.
That's fairly close to the national average of nearly 44 percent.
'Birkenstock Racism' and Europe's Moralizing Over Ferguson (News, Switzerland)
However, half of all Black households have an annual income
of less than $35,000 and belong to the category of “working poor” – or are even
worse off. Every recession hits Blacks harder because they have fewer reserves.
According to the Pew Research Center, White households, with average savings of
$113,000, have 20 times the net assets of Blacks, who manage just under $5,700.
The reason, according to Pew, is asset structure:Black household assets are
disproportionately concentrated in home ownership. Property lost considerable value during the housing and financial crisis, which explains the decrease in individual Black net worth. In 2005 the average net worth for Blacks was $12,100 - more than twice what it is today.
NEW YORK: Burning cars, looted shops, wounded police officers and
rioters: The consequences of the nightly riots in Baltimore are awful. In the
city on the American East Coast, the governor of state of Maryland has declared
a state of emergency. The National Guard is marching through the streets – and
at the moment there is an eerie calm.
