The statistics are shocking: every year this decade, Indiana has ranked among the top five states in the nation for the percentage of Black males who die in a homicide—a rate that’s ranged 15 to 23 times higher than that of White males in the state, according to The Indianapolis Star. What is perplexing is why this problem is so acute in Indiana. Census data from 2007 shows that such predictors as unemployment and poverty are no worse—and in some cases better —for Black males in Indiana than those in other states with similarly high victimization rates. Some experts say it can be explained in part because the majority of homicides among Black males occur in Indianapolis and Gary, which had a rate almost triple the statewide figure in 2007. Also, social networks are smaller in those cities than places such as Chicago or Los Angeles.—BB