Timely Warning

by guest blogger Uchechi

Research indicates that images of Africans in mainstream popular culture and prime-time programming (from 1996) have traditionally been quite negative and demeaning, often centered on stereotypical portrayals. Example: gangster, poor, jobless, lazy, unintelligent, hustlers, criminals living in ghetto and slums. The expectation is that as a consequence, black viewers will feel like they do not matter, they are unimportant and do not count (Ward, M.L., 2004). Below are two different emails sent to my EMU (school) inbox on the 23^rd and 27^th of March respectively per warning regarding crimes committed by “only” the African American folks.

MY EMAILS:

1. Timely Warning 12-06 March 23, 2012
Shooting - Area of Jarvis and Lowell St -City of Ypsilanti (off-campus)
A shooting occurred in a parking lot, off campus, near the intersection of Jarvis St. and Lowell St. The intersection is near the Alexander Music Building. Three people have been shot and taken to a hospital, and none of the injuries are considered life threatening. The suspect is described as a black male, white baggy shirt, blue jeans, red baseball cap, scraggly beard, pierced ears. The Ypsilanti Police continue to investigate. The area has been re-opened again to the public. Anyone with information related to this case is asked to contact the Ypsilanti Police at (734) 483-9510.

2. Timely Warning 12-08, March 27, 2012

Reported Crime: Armed Robbery (Handgun Seen) – Off Campus.
The Ypsilanti Police Department is investigating a report of an armed robbery that occurred near Cornell Road and Roosevelt Boulevard at approximately 10:35 p.m. tonight. The victim, who is not an EMU Student, reports that he was approached on foot by two suspects while walking in the area. The suspects demanded the victim’s money and pointed a silver handgun at the victim. The victim says he gave the suspects his wallet, and the suspects fled south on Cornell. The victim did not report any injuries. The victim described the suspects as being African American males in their early to middle twenties.

REFERENCE

Ward, M.L., (2004). Wading through the stereotypes: Positive and negative associations

between media use and black adolescents’ conceptions of self. Developmental psychology, 40:2, 284-294

http://www.emich.edu/publicsafety/police/services/prevention/safety_tips.php

Why has the image of the average African American man in the city of Ypsilanti Michigan become akin to crime?