Murders of Black Teens Soar 39%

Murders of black teens between the ages of 14 and 17 are up 39% since the start of the millennium—five times the overall homicide surge in the same period, and twice that of white teens, reports the Wall Street Journal. The authors of the study attribute some of the staggering jump to slashed law enforcement and youth programs, though conceded it's "hard to pin down" cause and effect.

"Cuts in support of youth have a much greater impact on black families who don't have alternatives," said the study's co-author. The vast majority of victims were killed in  black-on-black crime. Some criminologists attribute high crime rates in some black communities to incarcerated young men returning to their neighborhoods after release from prison.
(More race stories.)