Mr. Kushma's column is a reflection of this story that ran on Sunday:
Toledo Police to Announce Crime-Reduction Strategy
From that story is the statement:
John Jones, president and chief executive officer of the Urban League, noted during a meeting on Tuesday that in 2008, 2 percent of the city's population committed 70 percent of the violent crime.
Toledo [P]olice have, in a gang database, a list of 2,500 individuals known to be involved in gang activity and about 25 active gangs, said Toledo police Capt. Brad Weis.
2,500 / 25 = 100 average persons per gang. Not an insignificant amount
Kushma: About 85 percent of suspects in shooting incidents are black males. As much as 90 percent of crime in Toledo involves black perpetrators and victims.
That seems like a stat you could run the numbers on pretty easily--not a "survey" figure that's made up.
To me, the saddest thing in the earlier article is the picture of the four guys, a couple of whom are quoted in the article as wanting to turn their lives around and "get a job" and need the community support. Then you look at the picture of them in twisted baseball caps, not smiling, looking kind of standoff-ish in a "hangin' with the homies" pose and you think...these guys have no idea the message that picture sends and they, unfortunately, have a long road ahead. I can hope for the best, but......
