Black Male Homicide Rate Surges to Historic High Amid Crack Epidemic

By 1988, homicide is the leading cause of death for Black men aged 15–34, with a rate of 72.5 per 100,000 — nearly seven times the rate for white men the same age. CDC data links the surge to crack cocaine market violence. Cities including Washington DC, New York, and Los Angeles post record homicide totals concentrated in Black neighborhoods.