I was delighted to read the article last week about the NAACP and police forming a joint task force against crime (“Police, NAACP partnering to ‘interrupt’ violent crime”), as so many local groups have tried to cope with this growing problem to no avail.

Unfortunately, I fear, the effort will have only limited success because no one seems to want to address the root cause for this calamity nationwide. At the usual risk of being called a racist, let’s mention the uncomfortable truth.

According to government statistics in 2017 (the latest information), about 70% of births to non-Hispanic black women were out of wedlock. This is higher than the national average and three times the rate in 1965 (when social welfare became a federal responsibility).

This is a cultural disaster for the American black community, with the consequences to be felt long in the future.

While crime, drugs, reparations, etc. may be priorities for black community groups, politicians, churches and activists perhaps those priorities are all wrong.

Government programs will not solve this issue. It must come from within the community itself. It will be a tough and long road and I pray, as my life draws to a close, there are folks who will accept this challenge.

— Ken Houston

Salisbury