Inventing Black-On-Black Violence - Discourse, Space, and Representation

This book explores the societal construction of "black-on-black"referring to the 1980s when violence among African American perpetrators and victims increased. Massive job losses, debased identities, and rampant physical decay made American blacks seem ripe for explosive behavior. Many people blamed black lifestyle, values, and culture. David Wilson shows how America imbued a process of violence with race and accepted it as one of the country's most vexing ills during the Reagan era and afterward. Based on statistics, ethnographies, anecdotal accounts, and national reportage the findings are hard to dispute.
Wilson tells of prominent conservative and liberal writers, reporters and politicians who collectively nurtured this issue, then parlayed it into "truth" in the public mind. Mixing memoirs, critical geographical studies, and race theory, the book shows how vulnerable groups of society can become pawns in an acute process of racial demonization. And how, in America, this allowed blacks to be marginalized.

About the author

Inspired by family, friends, and Emerson's poem "Success," David Wilson, a lifelong Nutley resident (LLNR), began his service career in 1974 joining the Nutley Volunteer Emergency & Rescue Squad, becoming an EMT, treasurer, crew chief, training officer, day captain, serving on many committees, and meeting his wife, Dianne. The American Red Cross provided more opportunities to serve, donating blood, volunteering on the Board of Directors, and becoming chairman of building and grounds. David also served as deacon at Franklin Reformed Church. In 1980, he began working at H&R Block as a tax preparer, instructor, public information coordinator, office supervisor, and specialist in IRS audits. He was appointed by the Nutley Board of Education as Treasurer of School Monies for twenty-seven years, beginning in 1986. He prepared monthly audits and financial reports for the district. In 1985, Commissioner Carmen A. Orechio appointed David as Nutley Fire Department fire inspector. Here was a career where his mechanical background from Lincoln Technical Institute, public speaking, financial training, love of people, and the need to make the world a better and safer place all came together. He was certified as a fire official, arson investigator, instructor, Haz Mat technician, fire sub code official, housing official, along with being the deputy coordinator with OEM. His many fire investigations led David to create a Burn Avoidance educational program for all preschoolers, a Dorm Fire Safety program for college-bound seniors, Juvenile Fire Setter Intervention program, and Senior Citizen Fire Safety. He wrote monthly safety and preparedness articles for local papers, radio, and cable shows. Functioning as the damage assessment coordinator, he arranged over two million dollars in FEMA and insurance grants that reimbursed Nutley for disaster losses. In 2007, he was promoted to lieutenant, retiring in 2010. He worked through 2016 as fire sub code official for Nutley Code Enforcement overseeing permits for new and renovated properties and field inspecting for compliance. "So You Want to Be a Fire Inspector?" written by David and published by Fire Engineering Magazine in 2009. He also had articles in Firehouse, Time, and Nutley Neighbors Magazine. He appears on JOEYBEE.TV as Organic Gardening with Inspector Dave, teaching healthy, low-cost, and time-friendly backyard gardening and bird feeding. A passion for local history research has led to an alliance with Town Historian John Demmer. Together, they do local history walks, lectures at the library, preserve Nutley artifacts, and appear on YouTube. Dave served on the Municipal Tree Inventory Committee. David was awarded by Nutley Jaycees, Nutley Rotary, Knights of Columbus, NJ Citizens Alliance for Fire Safety, Nutley Elks, American Legion, VFW, American Red Cross, Nutley Emergency and Rescue Squad, H&R Block, Nutley Board of Commissioners, and New Jersey State Legislature. ¿

Summary

This book explores the societal construction of "black-on-black" - referring to the 1980s when violence among African American perpetrators and victims increased. David Wilson shows how America imbued a process of violence with race and accepted it as one of the country's most vexing ills during the Reagan era and afterward.

Product details

• Authors: David Wilson
• Publisher: Syracuse University Press
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 31.03.2005
• EAN: 9780815630807
• ISBN: 978-0-8156-3080-7
• No. of pages: 212
• Dimensions: 159 mm x 229 mm x 25 mm
• Series: Space, Place, and Society (Har; Space, Place, and Society (Har; Space, Place and Society
• Subject: Social sciences, law, business > Sociology > Sociological theories