Sorry about doing this after the thread got re-railed. At least the top part might be of some use when we get in to "how severe is this problem?" arguments.
This is where I take issue. Never mind that a black man is also a man,
The point is not to separate "black men" from "men". It is intended to point out that they are disproportionately affected. If you aren't aware of the disparity, it makes it very difficult to determine the cause, and an effective way to reduce the rate of homicide.
This isn't just important for murder statistics. There are huge disparities in income, the draft, sexism, homophobia, and transphobia. In all cases, having darker skin means having things worse, but often white, or lighter skinned groups will use statistics including all races in order to make their own situation seem more urgent. When there are racist intentions, you'll then see the the separate statistics for different races, and the difference will be used as "evidence" that one race is better than the other because they have more favorable numbers.
but it's a bit presumptuous to take all of this data and dream up the motive for each of those crimes.
I said "because" not "motive". Cause and motive are not the same thing. The distinction is important because "cause" is a much broader concept. I did not dream up any motives. Cause is also potentially much more complex in this case, but it is something that is studied, and my claim is based on the reporting of the outcomes of those studies, and sometimes seeing the actual study.
Just to clear it up before it needs to be addressed specifically, I probably shouldn't have used the term rivalry. I was looking for a single word that means "this person is in the way of me getting something that I want" or "this person is a threat to my well being or interests". In both cases it is a person that is known to the perpetrator.