CHILDREN dying in shootings and not making the national news is almost incomprehensible in Britain, yet it is the norm in America, as Gary Younge explained in conversation with Colin Grant.
In his book, Another Day in the Death of America: A Chronicle of Ten Short Lives, Younge explored the untold stories of ten boys aged nine to 19, shot dead on November 23, 2013. The day was chosen at random. With what he described as “shoe leather and faux detective work” he looked for people with the same names living in black areas.
He described how America is a segregated society, making it easy to track down the mainly black families who lost children that day.
Why did they die? They were in the wrong place at the wrong time. It’s not a pro-gun control book, he explained. He just looks at what occurs when you don’t have gun control. Even though an average of seven American children are shot dead every day, Younge considers the UK a more violent society.
He is more likely to get beaten up on a night out in Stevenage, but at least he’ll survive. As a black man he’s more likely to be shot, dead, in America.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here