ACLU: Black people arrested more than whites in Minneapolis (St. Paul: low income, 2013)

[MidwestRedux]

ACLU: Black people arrested more than whites in Minneapolis - KMSP-TV

The above referenced article states that the disparity of arrests between blacks and whites is similar to that of the disparity in suspension rates in Minneapolis Public Schools:

Mpls. schools to make suspending children of color more difficult - StarTribune.com

Both of these statistics underscore one of the greatest challenges that the city and the metro area need to address. However, nothing I have read about either issue alludes to what is probably the biggest reason for this disparity. It boils down to a few simple numbers:

Black $21,174 and $32,534

vs.

White $61,694 and $89,646

These are the median household and family household incomes in the city of Minneapolis. The median income for all white households and white family households is nearly three times greater than that for black households and family households:

http://www.city-data.com/income/inco...Minnesota.html

Using race as the differentiating factor shows positive correlation but does not hold up as a means of determining causation for the disparity in arrests and suspensions. Numerous studies have shown that when statistics of this nature are adjusted for income and/or educational attainment, the racial disparities quickly disappear.

In other words, a poor white kid from a single parent household in Jordan is more likely to be suspended or arrested than a wealthier black kid from a two parent household in Linden Hills. The reason the statistics suggest otherwise is because the majority of black people in the city of Minneapolis live in low income households while the majority of white people live in middle to upper income households.

When you take a look at cities around the country that are struggling, many have failed to narrow these gaps at their own peril. A poster in a recent thread commented that he thought that the majority of black people in Minneapolis were either from Somalia or Chicago. I believe this is a fairly accurate observation and indirectly speaks to some of the reasons for the income disparities.

Almost all Somalis in Minnesota are first or second generation immigrants that arrived as refugees. If the history of other recent immigrants is any indicator, I would expect that the Somali population will be integrated and thriving within a couple of generations despite current struggles.

However, the African-Americans that have recently relocated to Minneapolis from Chicago, Milwaukee and other US cities are in a different situation. Many have left struggling cities for better job opportunities, schools and safer neighborhoods. Those people will also do fine. There is also a segment of the population that has come to Minnesota/Minneapolis for more generous social welfare benefits. The disparity in benefits among states in the region is pretty big:

On Labor Day 2013, Welfare Pays More Than Minimum-Wage Work In 35 States

I haven't been able to find meaningful data on this, but the income figures shown above would suggest that a sizable portion of the black population in Minneapolis falls into this category. Using history as a gauge, the outlook for this segment of the population is pretty bleak. These are the families with kids that get suspended from school in large numbers and end up getting arrested as adults.

All of that being said, what is the solution? Does anyone disagree with the conclusions I've drawn? I believe this issue is going to be one of the biggest factors that determines whether Minneapolis continues to thrive or suffers the same fate of other cities that have fallen into a seemingly permanent cycle of racial disparity and tension.

Thoughts???

[makes no sense at all]

random thoughts:

i don't know if its a given that somalis will integrate. they have been coming here since 1991. Another refugee group arriving at the same time, the hmong are still not well integrated. Contrast to West Indians and Koreans in NYC, who seem to integrate almost immediately. That said, I'm not a kid in high school, maybe the younger somalis are already integrated.

the black population in the twin cities is small and extremely isolated for many years, as long as I have been alive.

for some reason people want to suggest there are a bunch of welfare moochers flooding in from Milwaukee and Chicago, but there are no numbers that back that up.

what's more likely is that minneapolis blacks who are making more money have moved to the suburbs, leaving behind lower income blacks who can't afford to move. at the last census, five suburbs gained more blacks than minneapolis proper did, brooklyn park and brooklyn center went majority black, and south minneapolis continued to lose all its blacks...

Somalis are still extremely poor, one of the poorest demographics in MN. Since they are lumped in with the rest of african americans, and the other african americans in Minneapolis are those who couldn't afford to move to the burbs, it is going to make for very disparate and distressing income statistics.

[iNviNciBL3]

Originally Posted by makes no sense at all

random thoughts:

i don't know if its a given that somalis will integrate. they have been coming here since 1991. Another refugee group arriving at the same time, the hmong are still not well integrated. Contrast to West Indians and Koreans in NYC, who seem to integrate almost immediately. That said, I'm not a kid in high school, maybe the younger somalis are already integrated.

the black population in the twin cities is small and extremely isolated for many years, as long as I have been alive.

for some reason people want to suggest there are a bunch of welfare moochers flooding in from Milwaukee and Chicago, but there are no numbers that back that up.

what's more likely is that minneapolis blacks who are making more money have moved to the suburbs, leaving behind lower income blacks who can't afford to move. at the last census, five suburbs gained more blacks than minneapolis proper did, brooklyn park and brooklyn center went majority black, and south minneapolis continued to lose all its blacks...

Somalis are still extremely poor, one of the poorest demographics in MN. Since they are lumped in with the rest of african americans, and the other african americans in Minneapolis are those who couldn't afford to move to the burbs, it is going to make for very disparate and distressing income statistics.

Yes in the Twin Cities, but we are talking about Minneapolis specifically where the black population is small (but not as small as the state and metro average) it just so happens that a good chunk of them live in high crime areas so this is probably why they are getting arrested more than whites.

of course it has nothing to do with their skin color but the environment they grew up in.

[makes no sense at all]

well TBH i said twin cities but i was thinking minneapolis

the AA community in Minneapolis has traditionally been smaller than the one in St. Paul

as to the OPs conclusions, i guess I agree even though I wish it wasn't true. I don't think MSP is a good place for african americans despite it supposedly being a miracle for the middle class. There is basically no black middle class in Minneapolis like there is in NYC/NJ, LA, Houston, Dallas, Atlanta, NC, etc. there's been a few articles about this over the past few years.

[Minnesota Spring]

Originally Posted by makes no sense at all

random thoughts:

i don't know if its a given that somalis will integrate. they have been coming here since 1991. Another refugee group arriving at the same time, the hmong are still not well integrated. Contrast to West Indians and Koreans in NYC, who seem to integrate almost immediately. That said, I'm not a kid in high school, maybe the younger somalis are already integrated.

I would argue that many of the Hmong have integrated very well. Many of the Hmong my age live life pretty typical of any white american in the Twin Cities. You see them in politics, the military, boy scouts and other civic organizations. Many of the Hmong I know have children where English is the primary language and the Hmong language is not being passed down.

[The Old Scowl]

There needs to be a correction to the statement in the second post that Brooklyn Center and Brooklyn Park went majority black. Neither city is majority black. I only know that Brooklyn Center became demographically majority-minority, or no racial group is a majority in number. Brooklyn Park might have reached that status since 2010, but I do not know of a source to verify yes or no to that. The demographics are as follows for the cities (as of the 2010 census data):

Brooklyn Center:
The racial makeup of the city was 49.1% White, 25.9% African American, 0.8% Native American, 14.3% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 5.4% from other races, and 4.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 9.6% of the population
"American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2012-11-13.

Brooklyn Park
The racial makeup of the city was 52.2% White, 24.4% African American, 0.5% Native American, 15.4% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 3.6% from other races, and 3.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.4% of the population.
"American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2012-11-13.

[Squeamish]

I've driven extensively around the bad parts of most major Midwestern cities. Minneapolis' majority AA neighborhood really does not look much worse than its majority white neighborhoods from a purely visual standpoint. Similarly, almost all of the majority-AA half of Milwaukee looks identical to its majority white neighborhoods, the exception being the worst part of it at the south end closest to downtown Milwaukee. While Rust Belt cities have horrible "ghettoes" with plenty of abandoned houses and dilapidated used houses, that is not true at all in Minneapolis and Milwaukee, at least from outward appearance. I don't know if it's just a culture difference or stricter zoning standards that force people in north Mpls and Milwaukee to maintain their houses, but I'd say it provides evidence that the poorer AAs are doing better here than they are in most cities.

[RogueMom]

I am not black, but I only make somewhere in the mid-range of the average black income figure. Guess what - I'd love to live in a nice city like Minneapolis, but I don't because I can't afford it.

This does not cause my children to go out and commit crimes, and my income is not the fault of the people making the larger incomes either.

[Atalanta]

Just give it the heck up!!

The Chief of Police of Minneapolis was on the eve news today saying this numbers are not correct and inaccurate.

She said that if the same person is arrested more than once they are not counted as 1 black but as more. She said some peoe are arrested 50 plus times in two years. 50 "blacks" are put in, not 1

Give up this poor me I'm black crap.
It is such a sickening disgrace to the human race.

[Mdcastle]

Do black people commit more crimes than white people or act up in school more? If no, then there's a problem. If yes, then shut up with the racism allegations.