Dozens of cities see jump in murders, robberies

[Algorem]

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2006-10-12-violent-crime_x.htm

By Kevin Johnson, USA TODAY

WASHINGTON — Less than a month after the FBI reported that violent crime rates rose across the nation in 2005, there is fresh evidence that homicides and robberies are continuing to increase in dozens of cities.

A review of 55 cities' crime data from the first six months of this year indicates the overall number of homicides rose by 4.2% compared with the same period in 2005, according to the Police Executive Research Forum, a police advocacy group. In a report Thursday, the group also said robberies rose nearly 10% and that aggravated assaults were up slightly.

The report is the latest turn in a debate over whether the U.S. government has neglected local law enforcement needs by directing tens of millions of dollars to anti-terrorism initiatives. The police executives' group has been among those pressing for more police funding to counter rising numbers of violent incidents involving gangs and drugs. Among other things, the group has cited the FBI's report last month that detailed a 1.8% increase in the nation's murder rate in 2005, after a two-decade low in 2004.

Chuck Wexler of the police group said Thursday's report is an "early warning" that many cities could be at "the front end of a tipping point of violent crime."...

[pitohui]

1. hoo boy

i don't know HOW they are going to blame it on "katrinians" but i know they will

--bitter greater new orleans resident

[ninkasi]

11. Oh, I'm already seeing a lot of that in Houston

I live north of Houston, but the TV channels are from there, and I've noticed a lot of blame being given to Katrina refugees. Part of it, I think, has started in the Middle and High schools, because it added a huge number of shell-shocked young people, usually living in less affluent neighborhoods anyway, and there has been a great deal of tension between the two groups. Kids from Houston resent the crowding, and the attitude of some seems to be resentment that one group of people has been getting assistance from the government, and the other has been neglected.

Some people are simply not able to empathize with others. They see a group of outsiders, competing for jobs, government money, housing, and a number of other things, without realizing how traumatized these people already are. They don't see the tragedy of losing their homes, their jobs, loved ones, their whole lives, when they are distracted by envy.

Add to that the brutality of the Bush administration, the cowboy attitude of the man who should be the best among us to lead the country, but is the worst, and the worsening economic prospects for so many, and things are boiling over. The hatred spills over, and people lash out at anybody they feel they can, whether it's illegal aliens, Katrina refugees, or some other group, people get desperate. How can an administration where the president insists on the right to torture, invades countries that haven't threatened us, and which has showered the rich with even more wealth, while ignoring everybody else, how can this administration possibly expect anything but an increase in lawlessness?

Until something is done to improve the availability of living wage jobs, universal health care, access to higher education, and affordable housing, the situation will only get worse. A government which strips liberties from the citizens, claims the right to hold people without trial, based on nothing but the whims of the president, is proud of sending jobs overseas, and has shown to be corrupt, and arrogant, can not expect sterling behavior on the part of everybody else. If anything, they are complaining because society in general is following in their footsteps.

[barb162]

2. This country needs some good paying jobs for people

except those jobs are going offshore. People are losing hope, people are very angry, people need money

[Viva_La_Revolution]

3. hammer, meet nail.

desperate people do desparate things. :(

[OhioChick]

14. Exactly.....

The poorer the city, the higher the crime rate.

[MadMaddie]

4. Isn't there a correlation between crime and when Republicans

are in the WH? During Reagan....the drug wars and murders were raging...

[barb162]

5. There were jobs back then and people had medical insurance

I think there is a lack of hope and anger now.

[MadMaddie]

6. Well that is true to a point...

but in the inner cities during the 80's the jobs weren't that readily available for many...and the aids epidemic was kicking in..

[barb162]

8. Now the middle class is losing jobs

A lot of people are scared now of losing everything. I don't think people were scared before.

[Maraya1969]

7. I think the fact that the government is casually killing and robbing

people makes some hardened to the effects of violent crime. Add to that the increase in poverty and a feeling of helplessness around this country and it is ripe for criminal behavior. Here are some interesting facts from the "Monthly Review"
http://www.monthlyreview.org/1100wins.htm


The effects of economic changes on crime can be seen in the recent history of poor white immigrants in major cities like New York. In the 1910s and 1920s, for example, Irish, Italian, and Jewish neighborhoods had extremely high rates of street crime. At the time, conservative commentators blamed the problem on genetics. Yet, a mere two generations later, the grandchildren of these supposedly degenerate races are generally affluent and well-educated, with low unemployment rates. Not surprisingly, their involvement in street crime has also plunged.

<snip>

In one study, Don Wallace and Drew Humphries investigated crime rates in twenty-three cities between 1950 and 1971. They looked at the connection between different types of crime and larger economic changes, such as a region's economic prospects, labor-force changes, levels of poverty, and unemployment and analyzed how this affected different types of crime. Overall, they found that older, industrial cities had lost jobs, suffered high unemployment, faced large numbers of new migrants, and had much higher levels of murder, robbery, auto theft, and burglary. They concluded: “This result supports our hypothesis as well as earlier studies linking industrial employment, community stability and low crime rates.”

====================================================================================================================================

They also state in this article that the crime rate increases as the prison population increases. When they started being "tough on crime" and built more prisons and housed more inmates the rise in crime skyrocketed.

[hsher]

9. It's Clinton!

Clinton's to blame!

[Cocoa]

10. you nailed it

God bless President Bush for doing such a fine job in Clinton's disastrous wake.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

21. Hallelubush!

:patriot:

[NOLADEM]

12. It sure is here in New Orleans

We have had over 110 murders since April, and are averaging five or so shootings a day.

This in a city of less than 200,000.

Honestly, I am a little relived that this is a national trend. Gives me hope for the city in a strange way.

If you know anyone who is a police officer or would like to be one, we DESPERATELY need good cops down here. They are spread so thin. And the National Guard is little help. I rarely see them doing anything but sitting somewhere or hanging out in the French Quarter. And an NG kid just back from Iraq was on patrol and shot a man the other day because he wouldn't drop his cell phone.

[Nolo_Contendre]

13. Welcome Home Troops n/t

[IdaBriggs]

15. Wow - do you think laying off A MILLION POLICEMEN has ANYTHING

to do with that "amazing" news? Why, who would have THUNK that????

:sarcasm:

[flamin lib]

16. There is nothing more dangerous than a man with nothing left to lose. nt

[AwakeAtLast]

17. Indianapolis is a good example

That city has had murder after murder for what seems like months. Many of these have been brutal. You may not think much of it, but for Central Indiana, it is definitely a big jump in crime.

[OKthatsIT]

18. its the dying middle class 'cascade'

happens like clockwork when opportunities are only for the ultra rich.

Working class and poorhave to leave their children unattended, taking on several jobs to pay for the heating, gas and electric bills which have sky rocketed.

Of course watching your 'role models' become completely criminal certainly sends the message, huh?

But THE NEW EXPANDING PRISON INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX wiill be rolling in dough...thanks to FEDERAL PORK PROJECTS to incarcerate the lost souls....it's pure evil.

[dflprincess]

19. Minneapolis is having problems as well

but, after 25 years of "greed is good", "you're the only person that matters and the only thing that's important is that you get yours and to hell with everyone else", what can we expect?

[AlCzervik]

20. I live a little south of Sacramento and the local news is nothing but bad

a jump in murder and the usual gang related activity.

[leesa]

22. Welcome to Bush World. The inevtable outcome of bad policies.

[angstlessk]

23. When people rob banks in order to GO TO JAIL...we have a BIG problem

is there ANY other country a person commits a crime and asks the judge to sentence him till he is of retirement age? http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=364&topic_id=2381097&mesg_id=2381097