More than half of all the murder victims in Dallas since the beginning of the new year were black, a disquieting fact that hits all the harder considering City leaders have spent so much time on their Racial Equity Plan and invested in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies.
According to The Dallas Express Murder Graphic, which was updated Friday and is based on data from the City of Dallas Open Data crime analytics dashboard, 15 of the 29 murders (52%) involved the killing of a black person.
Ten of all murder victims were Hispanic white (34%), two were non-Hispanic white (7%), and two were labeled “other” (7%) by the City.
At a glance, these figures suggest Dallas is a very dangerous place for people of color, with black and Hispanic people making up a combined 86% of murder victims.
Meanwhile, city council members make symbolic gestures and create new bureaucracies that make no meaningful impact on the number of lost lives suffered by Dallas’ black and Hispanic communities.
The Dallas Express discussed the racial demographics of this year’s murder victims with Rosalyn Clough-Hilburn, the senior pastor at Wheatland United Methodist Church, which is located in City Councilman Tennell Atkins’ District 8 in South Dallas.
As it happens, Atkins’ district is clocking the most murders (5) so far this year. Out of the five, four victims were black, and one was Hispanic.
Clough-Hilburn told The Dallas Express about the crucial role faith communities can play in preventing violent crime, especially in a day and age when news headlines can easily stoke division in communities all over the country.
“We understand that crime is usually concentrated in underserved communities and that there are specific events, locally and nationally, that have an effect on criminal activity,” she said.
“Faith communities hold a crucial role in efforts to mitigate crime by leveraging partnerships, to include policing and social service agencies, to develop unified strategies to combat violence and crime in our communities, promote the well-being and restoration of individuals within the community and strengthen family relationships,” she said.
Hopefully, the city council will listen to community leaders like Clough-Hilburn before more black lives are senselessly lost.
The Dallas Express reached out for comment from City Councilman Atkins but did not receive a reply by press time.
As it stands, through Thursday, murders are up by 16% year-to-date over 2022, according to City data.