lower for white than African American youths, there is basically no difference by race in prevalence rates for serious self-reported violent behavior. So, too, even when statistics do point to a higher prevalence rate among ethnic youth, these youth are typically from the poorest neighborhoods with the highest crimes rates. In fact, such social conditions not only manifest more violent behavior but they also make youth in those conditions more liable to be a victim of school violence. A myth in the 1990s from all of the high-profile school shootings in suburban largely white neighborhoods was that school violence was affecting mainly white “geek” youths who were the targets of bullies or social cliques. However, the report of the Surgeon General also puts the lie to this myth, “African American and Hispanic males attending large inner-city schools that serve very poor neighborhoods faced
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