That's a two sided coin. Why do people engage in criminal activity? Especially gang activity? You talk to kids in those neighborhoods before life screws them up, and not a single one of them wants to sell dope, or be a gangbanger. Nobody grows up wanting that life. But when you go to a school that's a drop out factory, and you dont have any employment prospects, you gotta do something to keep the lights on and keep yourself fed. I'm not saying that excuses violent crime, but if you want to understand why people in certain communities engage in certain behaviors then you have to look at the big picture, instead of essentially just telling black people to pull their pants up (metaphorically).
Now of course their are some very prominent leaders in the black community trying to push for the community to focus on education and bettering themselves from within. But when the odds are stacked against you to that extreme of a degree, it makes things a lot more difficult. Personally, I went to a nationally ranked blue ribbon school where over 99% of the students graduate. If you don't think that afforded me significant advantages over someone who goes to a school where over 50% of the students drop out and the school is crumbling because it doesn't get any funding then you are crazy. Of course any student at that school is more likely to end up in a gang or selling drugs than I am. Of course they're more likely to end up engaging in criminal activity and eventually in prison. That isn't hard to figure out if you ask me. Its another reason why we have to double down on our investment in education, and make sure that money is distributed in a way that is more even, so that you don't have the huge gap in quality of education like you do today.
