This article appears under the Spirituality heading. If not for new definition, it would have been listed under Philosophy. If we are to address crime in oppressed communities, we must first recognize and more importantly, stop seeking to “be on good terms” with the oppressor. We must say what needs to be said, in plain, unapologetic terms!

Crime is a spiritual issue. It is not spiritual in the sense of the criminal needing to be “reformed”(as in cheat at taxes? Enron? Kill people with guns in the name of the law?). It is spiritual in the sense of this wealthy nation having people who are homeless and don’t eat or who have no medical care.

Even further, it is spiritual because we practice lies and deceit!! Are we going to continue acting as if oppressed people-no matter what time period after the emergence of organized society or what part of the world-are committing crimes( the ones that count anyway), that we are seeing for the first time. This is a evil lie because it can- and has – lead to the blaming of specific groups-racial, ethnic, sexual orientation to name a few.

It is deceitful because it lets oppressive society off the hook in terms of responsibility.

Certainly gang violence in urban communities is nothing new( Al Capone, Legs Diamond, etc.). gangs and young people exhibiting anti-social behavior has been a problem before (including Irish, Jewish and Italian in America).

The oppressed need to be loyal to each other above all other things. We must re-learn to love and trust each other. We must spend money with those in our community who give back ( and they must learn to give back lest they lose an economic base).

Crime is spiritual mostly because poverty is immoral and crime is an ingredient of poverty! If we don’t grasp that concept, we as an oppressed people, will always be like sky scrappers built without steel beams that keep collapsing while the oppressor says “what’s wrong with you?”