WASHINGTON WATCH: Gun Violence Among Black Men

Gun violence takes the life of a young African-American man every five hours. It's the leading cause of death for black men under the age of 35. And in Chicago, President Barack Obama's hometown, it is the epicenter. Yet, gun violence among black men rarely makes the national agenda and is hardly discussed outside the black community.

The numbers are staggering. More than 4,680 black men between the ages of 15 and 34 were murdered, primarily from guns, in 2010. That is far more than from car crashes, AIDS or suicide. Imagine nearly 5,000 black men in a college. That's what we're talking about there, folks. It's nearly twice the rate for white men the same age.

Experts identify several reasons for the crisis: poverty, cheap guns, broken families, confused ideas about manhood. But the solutions, including more social services and more police, haven't stopped the bloodshed.

Chicago is home to several violent street gangs. It is bracing for its deadliest year, with black men as the primary victims. The city has recorded more than 400 homicides through November -- more per capita than in Los Angeles and New York. But no Chicago youth is entirely safe. A University of Chicago study indicates that, perhaps, as many as one out of every five youths shot to death was a bystander who wasn't the shooter's intended target.

"There's a shooting here almost every day," says one South Side Chicago neighborhood activist. "They feel, I think, that no one cares."

The issue of black men and gun violence burst into the national conversation last week when Jovan Belcher, a pro football linebacker for the Kansas City Chiefs, killed his girlfriend -- shot her nine times -- and then killed himself in the team's parking lot.

Can the attention paid to this story lead us to some answers on the tragic intersection of guns, young black men and death?

Joining me to examine the problem and talk about solutions: Dr. Steve Perry, host of "Save My Son," shown right here on TV One; and Dr. Chuck Williams, director of the Center for the Prevention of School-Aged Violence at Drexel University.