CHICAGO — A Black Lives Matter group based in Georgia says it has a solution to ending the violence in Chicago, but members have run into criticism from organizers in Chicago who question the group's motive in focusing on black-on-black crime and on the murder of 8-year-old Tyshawn Lee.
Members of Black Lives Matter Savannah said they plan to release a book, "Social Surge Theory: Eradicating Black On Black Crime in Chicago & Other Major U.S. Cities," by the end of the month.
The solution that Black Lives Matter Savannah proposes is called a "Social Surge Theory," in which clergy, upper-middle class blacks and social activists would be asked to move into the neighborhoods in Chicago most affected by the record-breaking violence, discriminatory policies and black flight.
"The 'surging individual' recruited would be evaluated, trained, and embedded to live within this particular area with a strategic purpose based upon the need of targeted area and the social qualification of 'surging individual,'" the book summary states. "Surging individuals would be commissioned to use formed relationships with community while also using their unique skills to serve the needs of that particular area based upon the analytics and research of the crime study."
A few weeks ago, several community organizations used a similar tactic when asking Chicagoans to patrol their neighborhoods. Despite the "surge," 13 people were killed and another 52 people were wounded in citywide shootings during the Labor Day Weekend.
The book has a chapter called "The Chicago Effect," along with mentioning strategies regarding as conflict resolution, job creation, opening businesses and opening charter schools.
"In our research, you'll need at least 5 to 10 percent of people to move into a neighborhood such as Riverdale to stabilize it," said Jomo Kenyatta, a member of Black Lives Matter Savannah. "You can't do that overnight. It takes months. It takes years. For a surge to work, it takes a consensus of community groups to work together."
The book features a photo of Tyshawn Lee on the cover. Tyshawn, 8, was killed after being lured from a basketball court in Auburn Gresham to a nearby alley last year by a gang member who targeted Lee's father by going after his family members, prosecutors said.
Kenyatta, who is listed as a contributor to the book, sai the circumstances surrounding Tyshawn's death resonated with him.
"It was one of the most heartbreaking stories I've ever heard. In gang culture, there's some sort of code of conduct," Kenyatta said. "The people that knew Tyshawn in Chicago, he left an imprint on their lives. We wanted to dedicate this book to his memory and write this book with a sense of urgency so the next Tyshawn Lee may not have the same fate."
"The focus of the book is not Chicago, but Chicago is seen as a microcosm of what is occurring in other major U.S. cities," Kenyatta said. "The book will be released nationally and we hope more cities might adopt the theory."
Black Lives Matter Savannah said the group's parent organization has not done enough to address violence in the black community.
"We have been moved by the recent rise of murders in Chicago, and commissioned our research committee to study and analyze the situation along with rising murder trends among blacks in Chicago and other cities," said Shakuria Smith, a Black Lives Matter Savannah spokeswoman.
"We realize that Black Lives Matter has not addressed black-on-black crime as a whole. Our book reveals a workable strategy that can be applied to Chicago and other cities, called the Social Surge Theory. The theory is able to be implemented apart from government intervention, meaning, we believe that reduced homicides in Chicago and other cities can occur apart from new laws."
Kenyatta also said Black Lives Matter, along with the greater black community, has not properly addressed violence.
"There are those who propose that it is a myth. We also understand how our opponents bring that up as a distraction to the systemic issues. Yet we know that black-on-black homicide occurs about four to five times the rate for whites," Kenyatta said. "We feel as if that has to be addressed. Because ALL black lives matter, whether killed by a cop or killed by a Crip."
But those sentiments have riled other chapters of Black Lives Matter, including members in Chicago.
Kofi Ademola, the lead organizer with Black Lives Matter Chicago, said the Savannah chapter is not officially recognized by the national Black Lives Matter group. He said its use of the term "black-on-black crime," is problematic.
"It implies that black people are inherently criminal and pathologically violent. It doesn't take into account that intra-communal violence is a product of institutional racism and structural violence," Ademola said. "It doesn't account for segregation and poverty, and it adds to the stereotypes that the media pushes that interpersonal violence isn't just that but some bigger moral problem in the black community, in which we naturally kill each other. It also erases the fact that violence happens with all ethnicities but we don't hear it framed like 'white-on-white crime,' etc."
Ademola questioned the book, and Black Lives Matter Savannah's motives on using Tyshawn's photo, and said members should come to Chicago before proposing solutions.
"Why didn't they get permission from the family to use their child as a marketing tool? Why didn't they speak to organizers on the ground?" Ademola said. "Until they come and see conditions on the ground, they shouldn't be trying to sell a book talking about the violence here, period. They have to build relationships, do the actual work in the community and have an analysis through a social science lens before they can propose solutions."
Kenyatta said he hopes to meet with Black Lives Matter in Chicago and other groups
"If this is going to work, we need a consensus among many groups," Kenyatta said. "This has to be [Black Lives Matter] plus other groups for this to work effectively."
"Social Surge Theory: Eradicating Black On Black Crime in Chicago & Other Major U.S. Cities" is scheduled to be released at the end of the month, Kenyatta said.
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