Study: Rate of black men slain in U.S. rises - USATODAY.com

Study: Rate of black men slain in U.S. rises - USATODAY.com: WASHINGTON (AP) — Nearly half of the nation's murder victims in 2005 were black, and the number of black men who were slain is on the rise. A majority of the black murder victims were relatively young — between 17 and 29, the Justice Department said in a study released Thursday. The department's Bureau of Justice Statistics report offers a snapshot of racial disparities among violent crime victims. Black people represented an estimated 13% of the U.S. population in 2005, the latest data available, but were the victims of 49% of all murders and 15% of rapes, assaults and other non-fatal violent crimes nationwide. Most of the black murder victims — 93% — were killed by other black people, the study found. About 85% of white victims were slain by other white people. National Urban League President Marc Morial, a former mayor of New Orleans, said the data reflect a trend that cannot be reversed by law enforcement alone. It will require changes in public education and a revival of federal summer jobs programs for economically disadvantaged young people, he said.