That’s the headline of an article in the World Street Journal.

And I might add a comment from a reader that is very apropos.

If the members of the white hooded club from the 1870’s to the 1950’s could be alive today, they would revel in what black men are doing to one another. Very sad!!

A chill wind has changed police behavior, and now violent crime is rising – and it’s victims are almost entirely young black men.

How did it get to this point? The article explains.

Far more people are being killed in America’s cities this year than in many years. And let’s be clear: far more people of color are being killed in America’s cities this year. And it’s not the cops doing the killing. We are right to focus on violent encounters between law enforcement and civilians. Those incidents can teach all of us to be better. But something much bigger is happening. Most of America’s 50 largest cities have seen an increase in homicides and shootings this year, and many of them have seen a huge increase. These are cities with little in common except being American cities—places like Chicago, Tampa, Minneapolis, Sacramento, Orlando, Cleveland, and Dallas. If what we are seeing in America this year continues, we will be back to talking about how law enforcement needs to help rescue black neighborhoods from the grip of violence. All lives matter too much for us to let that happen. We need to figure out what’s happening and deal with it now. Communities of color need to demand answers. Police and civilian leaders need to demand answers. Academic researchers need to hit this hard.

My new novel Murran offers some suggestions.

It quotes and old African proverb:

“If you don’t initiate the young, they will burn down the village to feel the heat.”

That quote explains a lot of what ‘s happening in our cities today. We must initiate the young into adulthood and that means teaching them what it means to be a responsible adult.

Respect for oneself and other people and taking responsibility for one’s actions and for one’s community. These are ADULT values and must be taught to our children as the transition from child to adult.

But this rite of passage is more than a transition. It is a transformation that challenges the young person to become respectful person and responsible adults of their community.

As the title of the article says, there is something deeply disturbing happening to our youth and only a deep transformation will cure it.