What, oh what, can President Biden do to rein in our skyrocketing crime rate? Does crime spell doom for Democrats in the 2022 midterms?
I'm tired of this. You're tired of me being tired of this. But one more time: there is no epidemic of crime:
There is an epidemic of homicide, but that's a very different thing. Violent crime rates have been essentially flat for the past five years and property crimes have continued their long-term decline.
OK, so what can Biden do about the outbreak of homicide? The answer is: Nothing. First off, crime is primarily a local problem, and there's very little the federal government can do about it. Second, nobody even knows why homicide spiked up last year, and there's no real way of addressing a problem like this until we have some idea of what caused it. If it was due to pandemic lockdowns, then it will take care of itself. If it was due to George Floyd protests, it will take care of itself. If it was due to poor policing—which is doubtful—then cities need to improve their police departments.¹
Politics being what it is, I suppose Biden has to look like he's taking action. But the truth is there's nothing he can do and everyone knows it. It's all kabuki.
¹I say it's doubtful because homicide went up all over the place. Did dozens of American police departments suddenly disintegrate all at once? And if they did, why didn't other kinds of crime skyrocket too?
It is true that crime control is primarily a local matter, and there is not much the president can do about it. It is also true that the mayor of New York cannot do much to enhance Israel's security, nor that the mayor of Berkeley can do to procure justice for the Palestinians. But all of those political actors will go on posturing.
Dude, homicide is a crime. Crime is up a little bit overall because homicide is skyrocketing.
You mean homicide WAS skyrocketing.
Did it, or did it just replace attempted and assault/battery?
More criminals for you to love.
https://nypost.com/2021/06/25/man-in-custody-in-connection-to-bronx-shooting-near-kids-sources/
Please don't feed him, Crissa. He'll go away eventually if people ignore his inanities.
Biden can do nothing. Nobody can do anything. Apparently the US Constitution, as interpreted by originalists and textualists, demands ever increasing rates of human sacrifice by gunfire.
Extremism in the defense of maximum firepower is no vice, comrade.
Besides that, homicide has been falling in 2021 as you would expect. Sorta like apprehensions along the southwest border which were caused by Donald Trump's complete nonenforcement of border rules which left gaping holes in coverage.
I don’t really care about these killings. Most all the victims are criminals too.
Sadly, a young boy was shot and killed nearby yesterday afternoon. Probably by some awful relative. So there are innocent people caught in the crossfire occasionally, but not really that often. Anyone shot and killed between 10 pm and 5 am is a criminal.
Good riddance. I’d prefer to see more nighttime shootings of criminals by criminals. Cosmic justice.
Yes, I know… I sometimes work 3rd shift at work.
Yes, we understand that you don't care because you're a racist.
That is what you're saying.
https://nypost.com/2021/06/25/five-people-shot-outside-bronx-graduation-party-cops/
Sure. All white people are racist. Didn’t you know that?
https://medium.com/age-of-awareness/yes-all-white-people-are-racist-eefa97cc5605
“I need White people to understand that all White people are racist. Admit it, and let’s move onto the business of repairing and healing the country. We can’t do it without you. Yes my dears, all White people are racists. All. Of. Them.”
Sounds like a good candidate for white socialist reeducation camps. We need to drive the racism out of black culture.
Well, Biden could get a cat. Wouldn't hurt.
He could increase the price of bullets. No bullets, no bang!
Crazy people all over.
Three people have been killed and several wounded in a stabbing attack in the southern German town of Würzburg, Bavarian authorities said on Friday afternoon, adding that police had stopped the suspected perpetrator with a shot to the leg.
The suspected attacker is believed to be a 24-year-old Somali man who has lived in Würzburg since 2015, Bavarian interior minister Joachim Herrmann said in a statement.
He added that the perpetrator had in recent months drawn the attention of authorities because of a number of violent altercations, and had been taken into psychiatric care a few days ago.
"... If it was due to George Floyd protests, it will take care of itself. .."
Only if there are no more similar protests. But if people are constantly looking for incidents they can get mad about it is pretty easy to find things in a big country like the United States.
"So what can Biden do about the outbreak of homicide? The answer is: Nothing. First off, crime is primarily a local problem, and there's very little the federal government can do about it."
I beg to differ. One thing that has always been needed in ultra high crime areas is many more police. "Hot-spot policing" has been shown to work. This doesn't mean we have to put reforms on hold to reduce police brutality. We can do multiple things at once. The federal government could pay to help cities hire more cops for hot-spot policing as well as to implement improved training for cops.
It's criminal that we allow such high rates for violent crime in poor areas of most major cities. Concentrated policing in hot spots can help. And since this is not a common practice, much more could likely be learned. Couple hot-spot policing with community policing with community problem-solving interventions, and I'd expect that significant reductions in violent crime would occur.
What ever it takes to get guns off the streets.
That mainly means working with localities to stop straw purchases, gun buybacks, go after large sellers w/o federal licenses, etc. Everything and the kitchen sink.
What ever it takes to get guns off the streets.
Democrats winning elections about 15 cycles in a row. I figure 30 years of Democratic dominance might give us sensible 2nd amendment jurisprudence.
Kevin, embedded in your post is a better slogan for SJW's wanting better policing. Instead of Defund the Police, it should be Improve Policing.
Kevin, you SERIOUSLY need that "Block" button. The blog is getting infested with rats.
What's the source for this data? Can;t find it, and have been asked by conservative who thinks it;s fake.
I wonder how much the COVID rise in the homicide rate was because people had to spend time with their loved ones. The murder rate often goes up when people get cooped up together, and COVID bubbles and the closing of "third spaces" were a perfect breeding ground for murder.
P.S. Will there be any great murder mysteries set in the COVID era?