In extremely unfortunate news, ex-NBA player Lorenzen Wright, the one who we said was missing just a few days ago was found dead in a wooded area 15 miles from downtown Memphis. This is extraordinarily sad news. Furthermore, its telling of a community that has been quietly suffering for quite some time. The Color Curve explains when you read the rest…

It’s not just another black man murdered.

It’s not just another day in bad news.

This is a growing catastrophe that deserves more attention in the black community.

Friends and family came to Memphis to grieve the loss of a good man who happened to be wealthy; courtesy of the many years spent playing for the NBA. Wright played 13 years in the NBA for the Los Angeles Clippers, Atlanta Hawks, Memphis Grizzlies, Sacramento Kings and most recently the Cleveland Cavaliers with 17 games in the 2008-09 season. Wright left the University of Memphis early for the NBA, and the Clippers made him a lottery pick with the No. 7 selection overall.

Throughout many circles, he was also known as an outstanding community contributor and devout family man.

The 34-year-old Wright was last seen July 18 when he was expected to fly out of town. His family filed a missing person report July 22.

Earlier this week, police identified a body buried deep in the Tennessee woods. Unfortunately, it was him.

How he got there, no one knows. But what I do know that Memphis has been a troubled city since the economy has taken a dive.

In March, the New York Times ran a rigorously revealing piece on the destruction of black wealth in Memphis. Check the snippet:

“The median income of black homeowners in Memphis rose steadily until five or six years ago. Now it has receded to a level below that of 1990 — and roughly half that of white Memphis homeowners, according to an analysis conducted by Queens College Sociology Department for The New York Times.

Black middle-class neighborhoods are hollowed out, with prices plummeting and homes standing vacant in places like Orange Mound, Whitehaven and Cordova. As job losses mount — black unemployment here, mirroring national trends, has risen to 16.9 percent from 9 percent two years ago; it stands at 5.3 percent for whites — many blacks speak of draining savings and retirement accounts in an effort to hold onto their homes. The overall local foreclosure rate is roughly twice the national average.”

(Source)

What does this have to do with Lorenzen Wright? By all accounts, his death could have happened in a myriad of ways. But a city desperately rampant with growing poverty could have led to a crime that should not have been.

African-Americans must stick together. It’s about community and unity. Prayer and power in numbers. It’s unfortunate, we just lost one.

A good one.

1. 

   Margo

   July 29, 2010 at 7:45 am

   Thank you for that story. Very sad news indeed. Memphis needs our prayers and yes we do need to stick together. I have a feeling he was murdered. May he rest in peace and the truth come out for the families sake. Thanks for the news.
2. 

   Anthony Baskerville

   July 29, 2010 at 9:43 am

   These are sad times in which we are living. More often than not, a story such as this is responded to by a raised eyebrow and a shrug of the shoulder. Apathy abounds. A wake up call is truly a required course of action. The question is ‘what’ and ‘how’?