Following the tragic murder of Zara Aleena the issue of making our streets safe for women is back in the public spotlight, and understandably so. But what is not so understandable, is how there was no outrage for the dozens of boys and men also needlessly killed, or similar demands made to ‘make the streets safe’ for them. And I hate making this type of post, because people accuse me of not caring about women. But I do care. As much as you or anyone else. I just also care for the men and boys being killed too. When I ask ‘what about male victims of violence? I’m tired of being told the same ‘this isn’t about that right now’, or to ‘wait your turn’. So I wait, and I watch. I watch as the city of London where I live, experiences its highest rate of teen homicide in recorded history. And I see how all of those killed were boys. (Yes. Every single one.) I wait, and I listen, and I hear nothing. Not outcry. No talk of ‘epidemics of violence’ from our Mayor, or protests in the streets. In fact the gender of these boys was often concealed beneath generic headlines such as ‘worst year for *teenage* homicide’, and media talk of ‘young *victims*’ – but never ‘boys’, never ‘men’. Never the shocking truth. And it never will be. How London’s Mayor @sadiq Khan can preside over such a record breaking wave of violence against men and boys, and then talk of ‘epidemics of violence against women’ less than a year later, I do not understand. So I wait a little longer for ‘my turn’, as the boys continue to be killed, and watch the political ambition, public discourse and media campaigns to ‘end violence’ directed only toward ‘women and girls’, and not the group who are *most* at risk. The most at risk group being young, working class, inner city Black *boys*. I don’t understand, what am I not seeing? So I ask the same question ‘what about boys and men?’ Only to be told again, and again, and again, ‘this isn’t about you right now!’ But I knew that already, that’s my point. It never is about us. ~ ONS Images by Dan Cristian Padure, Anthony Tyrrell and Thomas Charters from Unsplash. #violentcrime #london #knifecrime

2022-11-24