Following the riots of this spring, Baltimore has found itself a city on the edge. In fact, Baltimore has now surpassed New York City in homicides for the year.
Justin Fenton of the Baltimore Sun:
Baltimore has surpassed New York City in homicidesBaltimore has surpassed New York City for homicides this year.A New York Police spokeswoman said the city had seen 208 homicides as of Wednesday. Baltimore recorded its 213th homicide Wednesday night.It’s a seemingly impossible milestone — New York has more than 8.4 million people, Baltimore just 620,000.New York peaked with 2,245 homicides in 1990, but that number has been tumbling and hit a historic low in 2014, with 328.Baltimore saw a peak of 353 killings in1993, and recorded 211 homicides in 2014.Baltimore surpasses the number of murders for all of last year, with more than four months to go. The dubious distinction comes as the mayor faces growing public criticism. Mike Hellgren reports.Adjusted for population, Baltimore’s murder rate through Aug. 19 is 34 per 100,000 people, while New York’s is so far this year 2.5 per 100,000. If New York had Baltimore’s murder rate, it would have seen 2,874 killings already this year.
Another article by the same writer assigns blame to the riots for the situation:
“Ever since that riot, everything has gone downhill,” said Wesley Wilson, 48, as he looked on at the crime scene. He passes through the area every day to visit his neighborhood bar, he said, adding that it is typically a quiet area.City crime has surged since the April riots that followed the death of 25-year-old Freddie Gray, who sustained a spinal injury while in police custody.
Here’s a short segment on a recent homicide from ABC 2 in Baltimore. You can see from the reportage that this has become routine:
People should be able to defend themselves in such situations. Detroit has faced similar crime problems, but recently, the city has been responding by arming citizens.
Perry Chiaramonte of FOX News reports:
Packing heat in Detroit: Motown residents answer police chief’s call to armsIn a city plagued by chronic unemployment and crime and guarded by a dwindling police force, residents of Detroit are increasingly taking protection of themselves, their families and property into their own hands. Those who do so responsibly have the blessing and backing of Detroit Police Chief James Craig.“When you look at the city of Detroit, we’re kind of leading the way in terms of urban areas with law-abiding citizens carrying guns,” Craig said recently.The chief’s call to arms, which first came in December, 2013, has been answered by thousands of men and women tired of being victims and eager to reclaim their beleaguered city. In 2014, some new 1,169 handgun permits were issued, while 8,102 guns were registered with Detroit’s police department – many to prior permit holders who bought new firearms. So for in 2015, nearly 500 permits have issued by the department and more than 5,000 guns have been registered.
The initiative is working, too:
“Home invasions have gone down,” he said. “A huge reason was that there was a huge spate of homeowners using their guns against intruders. More people have guns and it’s making burglars cautious.”The firearms instructor said women are driving growth in his business.
Featured image via YouTube.
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