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Full resolution (TIFF) - On this page / på denna sida - X. The Negro Community - 44. Non-Institutional Aspects of the Negro Community - 2. Crime
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972 An American Dilemma
Negroes tend to commit certain types of crimes and not others j
on the
average the distribution of their crimes according to type differs from
that of the white population. We have already mentioned that Negroes
do not tend to commit ^^white collar” crimes; they do not have the
opportunity to commit these large-scale, almost respectable crimes. Another
significant omission is organized crime by gangs; Negro criminals commit
their crimes as individuals, often more spontaneously than do white
criminals.® There are Negro racketeers, of course, but most of the big
rackets operating in the Negro community (mainly connected with gam-
bling) are run by whites.*’
Statistics on offenses by type are faulty because of variations in definition
and classification used by different states. But they can be used to give a
rough picture of the differences between whites and Negroes according
to type of offense. We shall use the Uniform Crime Reports of the Federal
Bureau of Investigation, since these offer the only available nation-wide
information classifying arrests both by race and by specific offenses, includ-
ing minor offenses. From Table 3, we can see that the Negroes’ proportion
was particularly high in crimes of homicide, assault, carrying and possessing
weapons, robbery, burglary, larceny, receiving and possessing stolen goods,
prostitution, disorderly conduct, ^^suspicion,” violation of liquor laws,
gambling. On the other hand, the contribution of Negro offenders was
noticeably low in cases of embezzlement and fraud, forgery and counter-
feiting, auto theft, sex offenses other than prostitution, drunkenness and
driving while intoxicated.
In view of the fact that whites generally believe that Negroes are
especially responsible for rape and sex crimes, it is important to note
that these offenses seem to be relatively unimportant among Negroes
(although the rate is higher among Negroes than among whites). All
existing studies bear out this point, so that the low rate of sex offenses is
not just a quirk of these specific statistics.^^ Like other Negro crime rates,
the Negro rape rate is fallaciously high: white women may try to extricate
themselves from the consequences of sexual delinquency by blaming or
•The following statement refers to the Harlem Negro Community of New York City:
“In regard to adult delinquency we find no organized criminal gangs, but a preponderance
of snch crimes as flourished among poverty stricken and disorganized people. Moreover, the
fact should be stressed that the very economic impotence of the community and its subjec-
tion to exploitation by outside interests, such as the policy racket and the location of institu-
tions in the community for the pleasure and vices of whites, who seek this means of escape
from the censure of their own groups, encourages anti-social behavior and nullifies the efforts
of responsible citizens to maintain social control.” (The Mayor’s Commission on Conditions
in Harlem, “The Negro in Harlem: A Report on Social and Economic Conditions Responsible
for the Outbreak of March 19, 1935,” typescript [1936], p. 1x5.)
"See Chapter 14, Section 10, for a discussion of racketeering, gambling and other
“shady” occupations.
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