... Women were still the only "possession" a poor black male could obtain. Slavery left its scars on most African Americans. It forced violence into the lives of black people and although they barely escaped slavery they could not escape the violence. Another reason why black crime was elevated in the urban transformation was because black people came to the North in such large numbers that there was almost immediate overcrowding in the slums and a devastatingly poor lifestyle. For those few blacks that could afford to live outside the slums the whites made it clear that it would not be permitted. From the beginning whites let black people know they were not wanted in the North. They demonstrated their feelings with violent methods. Throughout the North race riots were rampant. In September of 1906 25 black people were killed due to mob violence during a race riot, in St. Louis during June of 1917, 48 people died from a riot, and in July of 1919 there were 38 killed in Chicago. Besides violence among the races, black on black crime was occurring at outrages rates. The exact numbers cannot be expressed as most murders among affecting only blacks were not accurately documented. The poor living conditions made it hard for black people to have privacy or space. Therefore many wandered the streets at night. Others found shelter in pool hauls and places where people were gambling. "Gambling between [lower-class] Negro men is a frequent occasion for violent expressions, especially when strangers meet over the gambling table" (Quote from Dollard noted in Lineaments of Wrath 216-217) The amount of black men gathered around gaming areas grew in large numbers because migration to the North was doubling almost tripling "Between 1915 and 1940, the black population living outside the South more than doubled to over 2.5 million." (205) This was out of about 12 million blacks. The number was so great it is obvious how overcrowding could occur. By 1940 16% of the Black population lived in New York alone. "Blacks wanted to live in a crime-free neighborhood just as much as whites, but they were almost always denied the opportunity."(201) The poor living conditions were a main factor in the growing black crime rates. Also, the media aggravated black violence. ...
