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Murder rates are rising in American cities


After a shootout in Chicago in 2016. image: Supaflyrobby/CC By-SA-4.0

Chicago continues to lead the way in murders and shootings, Donald Trump threatened to send the cavalry in January and issued an executive order in February

Chicago had become the city with the highest homicide rate in the United States. A few days after taking office, US President Donald Trump probably still believed that he could bring about rapid changes through rumbling. So wrote on Twitter that if the “butchery” did not stop, he would send the cavalry, he spoke of the federal police. There were already 228 shootings and 42 murders in January. What happens in Chicago cannot happen anywhere else in the United States. He already had the city as a “war zone” designatedthat got completely out of control.

Trump did not send the “Feds”, nothing has changed. In fact, the violence has continued to spread across major American cities since then. However, Chicago still leads the field with 328 victims in the first half of the year. In the same period last year there were 324 murdered. Robberies and rapes have also increased. In July and August things continued to climb. By August 11, another 100 people had been killed.

According to information from 62 police authorities, the data for the Message the Major Cities Chiefs Association, the number of murders in the first half of the year rose 3 percent compared to 2016 to 3,081. The number of rapes and robberies increased slightly, more severely from 104,316 to 108,243. 32 of the 62 police authorities report an increase in murders and 35 an increase in serious bodily harm.

Of the long-standing trend the decline in serious violence appears to be gradually reversing. Will that be reinforced with Trump’s presidency and the increased presence of right-wing extremists, the neoliberal ideology of the strong and social cuts? In any case, apparently the inhibition, perhaps also the despair, at least the harshness with which one’s own interests are enforced.

Not only in Chicago, but also in Cleveland, Columbus, Kansas City, Nashville or New Orleans, more is murdered, but less in other cities like Las Vegas, Orlando or Washington. In New York, which has not submitted any data, the number of serious crimes and murders is said to have decreased again. There were 176 murders by early August, 20 percent less than last year. Mayor Bill de Blasio spoke of the safest year yet. The situation is very different within the cities and between the cities.

Trump said he had done more for inner cities than ever before

There are different views on the causes. The Justice Department points to gang conflicts that are also related to the “opioid epidemic”, which is driving increased demand for these pain relievers on the black market and for heroin among those switching to hard drugs. Others blame the gangs for the difficulties experienced by people who cannot find a job after being released from prison. The violence is mostly high in poor neighborhoods, not in whole cities. Sending only the cavalry, as Trump has in mind, is likely to have less success than the threats to North Korea.

Although the police in the gun-staring country are shooting fast – this year nearly 1,000 people shot dead by police officers -, the dismantling of police personnel should play an important role. In New Orleans, for example, where the number of murders and shootings has increased, police stations have been cut by over 30 percent since 2010. Justice Sessions, who has fallen out of favor with Trump, has urged prosecutors to curb violence or to make America safe again, to enforce the most severe punishments for perpetrators, to eliminate the gangs, and to enforce immigration laws. The Ministry of Justice is apparently betting on being able to reduce crime by increasing the deportation of illegal immigrants.

Donald Trump issued an order in February to restore public security to all communities. On the program drawn up by the Ministry of Justice Public Safety Partnership (PSP) so far only a few cities have participated. The aim is to enable cities to do better themselves against violence. The program already existed under the name of the Violence Reduction Network under the Obama administration.

Donald Trump withdrew at his infamous press conference on violence in Charlottesville on Tuesday, where he also condemned the condemnation of racists, right-wing extremists and alt-right supporters who shouted anti-Semitic slogans, to blame both sides, apparently in a balanced manner efforts to make the inner cities safer again. A lot of money has been put into the city centers, Trump said, who promised “to restore the city centers”.

He had done a lot more than ever before, and it was a priority for him. So far, however, little money has flowed to the cities USA TodayThe Trump government wants to cut or abolish social assistance programs such as the construction and urban development program and the Community Development Block Grant program, which supports cities in construction and development projects. The Ministry of Education, Health, Environment and Transport is also planning massive cuts, which will certainly not improve the situation in cities.
(Florian Rötzer)

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