In a typical U.S. murder, both the perpetrator and the victim are young black men

Blacks are six times as likely as whites to be the victim of a homicide. Blacks are seven times as likely to commit a homicide. For example, the Baton Rouge Advocate published a lengthy analysis of the 2012 murder stats in the city. Last year, 83 people died by homicide in Baton Rouge. Of that number, 87% were black, and 87% were male. Two-thirds had been in trouble with the law before, and one-third had been in trouble with the law for drugs. The median age of victims: 26. Of the perpetrators, the median age was 22, 96% of them were black, and 90% were male. Almost two-thirds had previous arrests. One out of four had a drug record. Most of the murders took place in the poorest parts of the city. Murder in Baton Rouge is almost entirely about young black men from the poor part of town killing other young black men from the poor part of town. It's mostly a matter of thugs killing thugs.