Surge in violence among black teens in Boston

The good news is violence is still nowhere near the levels of the crack-fueled early 1990s. The bad news, according to this report by Northeastern's James Fox and Mark Swatt, is that violence among this group is on the increase, even as violent crime in Boston in general is going down.

Between 2001 and 2007, the homicide rate among blacks in Boston, aged 14-24, increased from 36 to 64, or 78%, compared to a decrease among the comparable white group from 15 to 9, they report. Across Massachusetts, the homicide rate among blacks, 14-24, increased 98% (the homicide rate among comparable whites also increased, but by 17%, so that more young blacks now die violently in Massachusetts than young whites, even though they make up a much smaller percentage of the population).

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