Communities grapple with rise in violence

[Rose Siding]

Summer crime wave hits Washington, Seattle, Indianapolis, other U.S. cities

...After a decade of decline, violent crime is on the rise across the U.S. Assault and rape rose 2.5 percent between 2004 and 2005, according to the FBI’s latest report of national crime trends. Murder and robbery are up nearly 5 percent — the sharpest increase since 1991. Medium-sized cities of between 50,000 and 500,000 have been the bloodiest.

So many police chiefs have expressed concern that the Police Executive Research Forum, a Washington-based think tank, is holding a national crime summit Wednesday. Mayors and law enforcement officials from 45 cities — both those hit with a rise in violence and those, like Dallas and Chicago, that have so far escaped an increase, are discussing strategies for reversing the trend.

“We’ve been watching crime decrease or flatten out for the last 10 years,” said Chuck Wexler, executive director of the forum. “But last year we started hearing from police chiefs (about increasing violence) ... enough of them, that we started to wonder, what’s going on?"

...Last year, Congress cut a major community policing program by 21 percent, or $127.7 million, and a Justice Department grant program by 34 percent, $217.5 million. Funding for the programs has declined by more than $1.5 billion, nearly 65 percent, since 2002.

“It’s understandable that with a war going on in Iraq and terrorism, that the country would put its resources around those issues,” said Wexler. “But our thought is that things are changing and we’ve still got 15,000 people murdered in this country every year. That’s pretty high for an industrialized country.”

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14137625/

[AngryAmish]

1. Demographics, people, demographics

There are many people (especially males) in the age cohort that commmit crimes. Thus, more crimes.

[NMDemDist2]

3. no$$ no jobs

during the Clinton years you could find a job

now you can't and it makes people desperate

[Rose Siding]

4. Cuts to programs, poverty and state sanctioned violence all contribute

Are there more young people now than before 2002?

[AngryAmish]

6. Yes

Largest college class ever because of size of population.

[Bluzmann57]

2. Yes it's true

even here in a city of around 100,000, we have an increase in violent crimes. There was a tragic drive-by shooting last week and several other violent crimes have been commited this year as well. I believe part of it has to do with people feeling hopeless, although a lot of it also has to do with people just being bad people as well.

[zanne]

5. Same situation here.

I also live in a city of about 100,000 and crime is spreading all over town. Things that used to happen in only the "bad" neighborhoods now happen everywhere. On Sunday morning, my brother was driving back from Dunkin' Donuts and had his driver's side window shot out by a pellet gun. It could have been worse, but it makes you kinda shaky, y'know?