I was listening to an NPR segment on the rise of violent crime. It seems that New Orleans is not undergoing it’s own particularly virulent strain of murders but instead murder rates and violent crime rates are on the rise in most major cities. Here is an excerpt from a Silence is Violence email:
“As many of you know, yesterday the FBI released crime statistics for
2006 and the news was not good: New Orleans topped the list of most
murderous cities. And violent crime is on the rise nationwide. This
is particularly true in large cities, which have seen an increase of
6.7% in the murder rate compared to 2005. Looking at the stats by
region, only the Northeast was spared and the greatest increases were
seen in the west. But these statistics should not be used as comfort
or excuse. We need to continue our work within our own communities in
order to turn it around.”
The study also shows that in New York, when crime was reduced by 74%, some of the factors that are criticized here in New Orleans were uber present – disparity of income levels, deplorable education, ethnic diversity, availability of drugs. So was it Gov Rudy’s hands on crime prevention – you bet your sweet bippy – consider that when Richard Pennington came to New Orleans, policemen were killing and robbing people and in the short period of time he was in office, there was a major reduction in crime. Why did he leave? He ran for mayor and didn’t win, so then he went to Atlanta. Let’s get him back. Or let’s get Rudy to come down here as a humanitarian effort to help us after Katrina.
It’s not the heat, it’s not the schools, it’s not the poverty, it’s not the [insert excuse here], IT IS THE INEFFECTIVE police department, justice department, and MAYOR that are causing crime to escalate in this city.