No Ghettoness Please! We're Suburbanites!

I woke up to this text from my sister at 6:57am "a man has been shot in the head on grange road!!! You be careful x x "

This came through my front door from the police this afternoon, after doing door to door enquiries. I saw them, but went out before they came to my house.

I wasn't even scared, I was vex when I heard about this. To turn off Grange Road will lead you onto my road. I live in South Norwood, it's very suburban, and I wouldn't call it ghetto, so why has this ghetto youth foolishness now spread to these sides? And not with a stabbing, or whack around the head with a baseball bat, we're talking bullet in the head!!!

I've lived here for 22 years. In the same house, so I've seen from 7-29 years old this area grow and change. ASBO (Anti-Social Behaviour Order) kids we've had yes, now to the point of gun crime round the corner? Take that mess back to Myatts Field Estate where it's the norm.

Listen, I know crime is everywhere yes, but I remember the days where it was rife and concentrated to the likes of Brixton, Hackney, Peckham to name but a few. These areas have, or still have a reputation to some degree but you can't even say these areas house it all anymore. Where you knew certain areas of Peckham were bad you always knew you had that comfort of coming back to SE25 where everything was alright and these things didn't happen. So after The Apprentice finishes last night, round the corner fools are pumping bullets into someone at 10pm.

I'm a Londoner! Get me out of here!

If I go from here to somewhere else I know crime will exist there, but when you've lived here and see it going downhill you may as well just go move to the ghetto where at least you know what you're getting drugs, robbery, muggings, prostitution and murder. I don't want no damn surprises in Suburbia where kids play in their back gardens and old women walk their dogs, which is what makes it worse. If this was in Peckham, you'd expect it, as it 'comes with the territory' in some parts there.

I didn't need to hear the radio to know it was a 'black thing' In London if you're Black, White or Asian and get stabbed or shot, you will make the news. There isn't the whole 'let's push the black crimes to the forefront and make them look bad as a people', well not from what I've seen and heard anyway. I follow these stabbing/shooting stories closely and find that the police don't take the crime any less seriously than if the victim was white. Now in the US [in certain states] there maybe that issue, but I'm not getting that vibe here.

Sadly but not surprised, a majority of these stabbings and shootings are black on black. Anyone that wants to get mad at that better go find a remote island called Denial and sit their ass there. I'm not a black woman that thinks everything negative that happens in our community isn't down to us and it's really the man making it happen. I'm a realist baby. We screw up, I'll talk about it. We do well, I'll talk about. I give props and bashings where it's due. Sharing an African/Caribbean heritage doesn't warrant a pass from me and some black folks in 2009 need to wake up and stop thinking that the sun shines out of our asses and that we're being forced to do wrong, commit crime and have a high percentage of school expulsions.

Let's stop with the white man, economic issues finger pointing and get started on accepting some damn responsibility and start parenting like our parents and grandparents did.

• Stop trying to be friends with your kids and be parents.
• Show discipline and demand respect from these little low-lifes, and have their asses at home on a school night.
• If the police or school come to the door about your child, he deserves an ass whooping for bringing shame to your front door. Instead you wanna stand up there and act like your son is an angel and cuss the principal or the policeman out. Angels don't have the police coming to your front door or the teachers calling your house because Tyrone is being disruptive in class or skipping class altogether.
• You have no business walking the street at 11pm when you are 13 years old. Take your ass to bed and read a damn book. No wonder these little bastards can't even spell or know the difference in the meaning of 'there' and 'their'.

If we make up 2% of the country's population and a smaller percentage are in London with the rest spread out amongst other major cities like Bristol, Birmingham, Manchester etc, then WTF is going on at an alarming rate with our people that the LONDON Metropolitan Police have to set up a division SPECIFICALLY to deal with black on black crime?

Seriously people answer me that? I'd like to find out the time span of the last 5 murders where the victims were black and the perpetrator was NOT. I can't think of one off the top of my head, but if you can then feel free to let me know.

Some people may not like Trident and they usually don't because as a people we don't like our 'dirty laundry being aired in public', but obviously it was cause for concern for the Met to set it up in the first place. Trust! If there was a huge rate of Indian vs. Indian crime, we'd be sitting here wondering WTF is their problem and WTH is going on, there's obviously an 'issue' of great magnitude that deserves special focus and attention on it.

What is the problem that out of so many races, creeds and colours we as a people a lot of the times can't even get along? Whether it be jealously, a screw face at the club to black gangs rivalling other black gangs. We got some issues where we'll turn on our own before we'd even think to get vex and screw face with the White or Asian girl in the club or Black man in the street.

Someone just Twittered me and saw it as more of a money/economical issue. I respectfully disagree. I have been young and dumb, and hated on black girls as a black girl, and hated hard, just because they were black. I wasn't bothered about the whites or asians. I saw the black girl instantaneously as my enemy before I saw her as a sista. A lot of folks feel this way, even if they don't know why. Hey, at least I can admit it, not saying it makes it right. But I like to be open about my faux pas's and not give off this perfect and holier than thou image about myself.

When I walk the street as a 29 year old woman (who now has more sense) I get the stares from black women and the looks from young black men like they want to rush me on the street. Black youths here have no problem in being disrespectful to women I have you know. I look around A LOT (I'm an observant person) I don't see this amongst whites, or Asians much [of course it happens, not saying they don't do it] but a walk from Thornton Heath train station to my house just walking past black people as a black person there is a vibe from a perfect stranger, looking in my face hard like I've done them something. Is that even necessary? Why do we always have to walk the street looking like we want beef, a fight, or arguments. Something is in the air with us as a people.

How many times have you been in a car, at the traffic lights next to a car with black folks in there and you feel some kind of tension like if you casually look over, something is gonna kick off? Defenses go up, for what reason? Don't know they just do. Are we very highly strung, always wanting to prove one is badder than the other? When I was this young, angry black woman it surely wasn't about money or economical issues with regard to my mindset. I've mentioned before in previous blogs I was one of those girls that always wanted to get into it with anyone, didn't care who, just big up your chest and see who's bad....just because I was I guess bad mind. A lot of kids aren't admitting that these days. There are some people out there that just get off on just being or wanting to be perceived as a bad ass or bad mind.

Of course we as a people are not all bad or have issues with one another. Black on black crimes are not isolated in the western world to just the USA, it's a proven epidemic in the UK now too and they're bringing it hard to my area now it seems.