08-21-2014, 09:33 AM
I've heard innumerable pundits on TV talking about the lopsided numbers of white cops, white teachers, white School Board, etc in Ferguson, Missouri which is a predominantly black community. Of course, these pundits have nearly all labelled it a result of racism. It does seem odd and made me want to do a little research as to why. Typically, in predominantly black communities in America this disparity doesn't exist so why is Ferguson, Missouri different? Well, the census data provides some answers.
Between the 1990 and 2010 Census' Ferguson went from being a predominantly white community (73% white) to a predominantly black community (67% black). With a population of only about 21,000-22,000 people, in a 20 year span, the white population decreased by 10,000 and the black population grew by over 9,000. The total population of the city didn't change much but the demographics did.
I'm not sure what caused this demographic shift but given that that disparity in ethnic ratios of police, teachers, etc. exists, it does make some sense in that public employees are more apt to linger on in their jobs than those in private sectors, which go where the jobs are going. As a result, the poverty rate in Ferguson more than doubled in just one decade. If the poverty rate, which is typically tied to drop out rates, is so high, it also makes sense that efforts to recruit blacks among the locals for these public jobs is also a challenge. One needs a college education to be a teacher and given the small size of the community the pool of available minority teachers and available police recruits that don't have criminal records or are high school graduates would be small. Of course, it could be purely because of racism. Why bother looking at the facts?
Between the 1990 and 2010 Census' Ferguson went from being a predominantly white community (73% white) to a predominantly black community (67% black). With a population of only about 21,000-22,000 people, in a 20 year span, the white population decreased by 10,000 and the black population grew by over 9,000. The total population of the city didn't change much but the demographics did.
I'm not sure what caused this demographic shift but given that that disparity in ethnic ratios of police, teachers, etc. exists, it does make some sense in that public employees are more apt to linger on in their jobs than those in private sectors, which go where the jobs are going. As a result, the poverty rate in Ferguson more than doubled in just one decade. If the poverty rate, which is typically tied to drop out rates, is so high, it also makes sense that efforts to recruit blacks among the locals for these public jobs is also a challenge. One needs a college education to be a teacher and given the small size of the community the pool of available minority teachers and available police recruits that don't have criminal records or are high school graduates would be small. Of course, it could be purely because of racism. Why bother looking at the facts?