A Rising Undercurrent of Fear

They call me Mister Tibbs!”

The conversation about race in America is often reduced to slogans, soundbites, and selective outrage. In the months since the last election, the tone has shifted sharply, with media outlets and political influencers on both the left and the right casting Black Americans into roles that serve their own agendas. Some call us “savages,” others use us as props to appear inclusive, but few are willing to confront the full truth. This post digs into the myths, the numbers, and the double standards that shape how we are seen, treated, and judged. It also sets the stage for my next piece, where I will revisit Uncle Tom’s Cabin to show how old narratives never truly die.

Over the past several months, an undertone of fear has been rising in this country. There is a growing sense that Black Americans have had enough of being mistreated and disrespected, and we are starting to fight back. The disturbing trend is that, at times, it has become violent. That is uncalled for and harmful.

The best way forward is not through acts of violence, but by using our power to vote. We saw what happened in the last election as more Black Americans shifted to the right, aligning themselves with Republicans for two reasons: first, because we love this country; and second, because we love our community.

A Shift in Political Assumptions

I believe Republicans have falsely assumed they had ADOS in the palm of their hands. Now they are witnessing something unexpected: Black Americans standing up and forcing the national conversation to finally focus on our community.

Yet instead of seeing us as fellow Americans, some still treat us with disrespect. They use language like “savages” and show half-naked young women across our screens, suggesting that “White equals good,” and then pretend that was not the message.

The Podcaster Divide

White men, emboldened by the last election, have taken to podcasts to draw lines. Some Black men, the ones who do not push back against their violent verbal assaults, are labeled “good.” Those like Officer Tatum and the Cartier Brothers are perfect examples.

They argue in percentages, condemning their own communities as if they are not Black men themselves, as if the world sees them as the “good guy.” The rest, they imply, are dangerous. It is the same old tale dressed in new language: that Black people need to be “whipped and chained,” locked in prisons for violence they are accused of committing, while every White savage, monster, rapist, and child predator slips by without the same scrutiny.

Media Framing and Manipulation

When a man of Hawaiian descent walked into a New York City building and opened fire over the NFL’s handling of player concussions, right-wing media was outraged that CNN called him a White man. They quickly flipped the story, calling him Black, though he was neither.

This was the White media’s attempt to frame the image of the Black man as violent and savage.

What the FBI Numbers Show

The FBI’s numbers tell a different story. In raw counts, White offenders commit more drug sales, more drug possession, more domestic violence, more property crimes, and more sexual assaults than any other group. Even for rape and pedophilia, Whites lead in total arrests.

Robbery is one of the few major crime categories where Black offenders outnumber Whites, yet Blacks are the ones overrepresented in statistics.

The Family Values Myth

Right-wing media pretends to be the protector of marriage, women, and family, when in reality, White Americans lead in the number of divorces. In 2022, Census data shows over 1 million divorces in the U.S., with the majority involving White couples, far more than any other group. Divorce is not a crime, but this idea that evangelical Christians are more wholesome and family-oriented than Blacks is a straight fallacy. The fact remains: more White couples divorce than any other group.

Percentages vs. Raw Numbers

People like Charlie Kirk, Matt Walsh, and others will argue statistics and percentages. Whenever a larger population outnumbers a smaller one and you want to reject the truth, you frame your argument that way.

Statistically, they will say Black people are more violent or commit more crimes because they do not want to face the raw numbers.

FBI 2022 Arrest Data:

  • 6,875 arrests for rape (66% of known offenders) vs. 3,150 Black offenders (30%)

  • Over 600,000 property crime arrests vs. 270,000 for Black offenders

  • More than 500,000 drug possession arrests vs. 220,000 for Black offenders

And let us be clear, these so-called “Black” crime numbers include every person who identifies as Black, not just ADOS (American Descendants of Slavery). The number of ADOS individuals committing crimes is overinflated because the statistics combine all Black people, including African and Caribbean immigrants and their descendants.

A Double Standard in Justice

The truth is simple: all men are capable of violence. Some are not savages or monsters, while others are innocent victims, regardless of race.

A perfect example is the situation in Cincinnati. Republicans are outraged that a group of Black men fought back against a White man who continuously verbally and physically attacked them, calling them the n-word and slapping one of the men.

The White man picked a fight, and when he got beat up, he cried, “We’re the victims.” The far right told the story as if it were unprovoked, framing it entirely from a single perspective caught on video. Now they are going to use every Black person involved as an example, while the individual who instigated the altercation still walks free.

Mainstream media outlets, podcasters, and even the Vice President showed and addressed only one side of the footage. They used words like “brawl” and “attack” to suggest that Black people randomly targeted a group of innocent White people.

The Historical Pattern Continues

This narrative reflects a long-standing expectation in America: if a White man strikes a Black man, the Black man is expected to turn the other cheek. But if he dares to fight back with rage and vengeance, suddenly he is the threat, the one who must be jailed. Law enforcement often aligns with this narrative, functioning like modern-day plantation overseers.

If any other group commits violence against Blacks, we are told we must have started it, provoked it, or deserved it. People feel entitled to spit on us, call us names, and still expect our silence. They will pull us over for not having headlights on during the rain, even when the rain has stopped. If we do not comply, we will be punched in the face, handcuffed, and taken to jail.

The unspoken rule is clear: we should be used to violence by now. And God forbid we ever respond to it.

A Creeping Sentiment

Whites have long viewed Blacks as a quiet threat. Since the days of slavery, they have done all they could to keep Black people oppressed.

A creeping sentiment suggests that, because we are seen as violent, we need to be “checked.” Whites act on this by taking measures such as sending the National Guard into D.C. after a White person known as “Big Baller” was allegedly carjacked by a group of teens. The implication is, of course, that they were Black teens. It is fine to send in troops to address crime in D.C., but what will you do about the crime in suburbs across America?

Of course there is a problem, but it does not begin or end inside the Black community. It began with Black families being pushed to the margins, where drugs and other destabilizing forces are intentionally allowed to take root, just as they were during the War on Drugs, when federal policies flooded our neighborhoods with narcotics under the guise of law and order. And long before that, during COINTELPRO, when federal agents infiltrated, surveilled, and disrupted Black leaders and movements to prevent unified political power. These forces weaken our communities while fueling wealthier, whiter enclaves like Georgetown.

The hypocrisy is staggering. Those who benefit from this dynamic turn around and point to our youth as the threat. And beneath it all is a dangerous suggestion: with the right mix of federal law enforcement, redistricting, shifting party lines, and consolidating power in Congress, Black people could be pushed neatly back into bondage.

This is happening in Georgetown because newcomers with lavish lifestyles see “Black youth crime” as a threat. They call for troops to keep those youth, and by extension, the parents they say are not minding them, out. Even Green Party voices on podcasts like Breaking Points sound like conservatives, aligning with Trump’s ideology because it makes them comfortable. The same people who champion abortion rights, free healthcare, food stamps, and speak out against starvation in Gaza are now the ones saying, “Seize them and put them in jail until we get to the root of the problem.” Well, if that is the standard for Black kids who commit crime, then let us see you demand the same for White kids. But we know you will not, because mercy takes a back seat the moment it threatens your comfort and your control.

Our Message to Both Sides

The pressure comes from both the left and the right, each with its own methods of keeping us in our place. But like Mr. Tibbs, we can proudly stand our ground and strike back, not with fists, but with our minds, our actions, and our votes. I get it, Black people commit crimes; this is true. But we have worked hard in this country to improve our lives, and these narratives will no longer work to condemn us. Our fight is through the strategic use of our voting bloc power to command justice.

To White liberals, we say: we are not pawns to ease your conscience while you pretend to be the Good Samaritan, knowing you are the greedy master.

To White conservatives, we say: your feigned superiority must be checked, and we welcome this fight. We will no longer be the victims in your den of hate, fear, and unearned superiority.

DAHTRUTH

If I have to keep this real, then I must state that addressing violent crime means addressing crime in all neighborhoods. That means confronting the root causes wherever they exist — whether in Black communities, White communities, or anywhere else — without selective outrage or political favoritism. Until we apply the same urgency and resources across the board, we will keep treating symptoms instead of curing the disease.

——————

The narratives that define us are not accidental. They are crafted, repeated, and reinforced until they feel like truth. But history tells us they can be challenged, reshaped, and dismantled. In my next post, I will turn to Uncle Tom’s Cabin, not as a sentimental relic of the abolitionist era, but as a blueprint for how stories have been used to control the image of Black Americans. Understanding those patterns is key, because until we name and confront the lies of the past, we will keep living under their shadow in the present.

The lies that bound the slaves in Uncle Tom’s Cabin still bind us. They have just been dressed in modern language.


© 2025 Jacqueline Session Ausby. All rights reserved. This post and all original content published under DahTruth are the intellectual property of Jacqueline Session Ausby. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the author.

Jacqueline Session Ausby

Jacqueline Session Ausby currently lives in New Jersey and works in Philadelphia.  She is a fiction writer that enjoys spending her time writing about flawed characters.  If she's not writing, she's spending time with family. 

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