Baltimore’s Homicide Rate is Getting Out of Control
Jose Nino
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Baltimore is quickly becoming one of America’s most inhospitable cities.
Tyler Durden of ZeroHedge noted that Baltimore is continuing its “slide into a socio-economic mess, with wealth inequality at record highs and violent crime surging.”
According to a WJZ 13 report, Baltimore’s homicide rate is already exceeding 2020’s rate. The city has recorded 138 homicides as of June 2. By contrast, there were 130 homicides that time in 2020. Non-fatal shootings have also increased, with 269 recorded up to early June, while 230 were recorded last year in that time frame.
Following a violent weekend, Mayor Brandon Scott put out the following statement:
The gun violence witnessed this weekend shows us that there are cowards among us who are willing to take a life, no matter how small or insignificant the beef. We must hold them accountable and rid our streets of the weapons they use to take our daughters and sons away from us. I will be meeting with Commissioner Harrison to discuss what changes need to happen for the Baltimore Police Department to have a greater immediate impact on this violence. I will also be determining what other agencies can bring to the table to bolster these efforts.
Durden provided some context to Baltimore’s rising crime rates and how it’s connected to policy changes:
This all comes as Baltimore City State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby halted prosecuting minor traffic violations, prostitution, drug possession, and other minor offenses during the virus pandemic. In March, she held a press conference to declare rough policing doesn’t work to prevent more violent crimes.
Mosley’s soft-on-crime approach is clearly doing nothing to halt crime and could actually be contributing to the current rise. The crime problem has been so significant that Baltimore’s Spending Board was recently compelled to refund the police.
Should the current homicide rate continue, Baltimore’s metro area will likely record north of 300 homicides by the end of 2021.
The US has witnessed a generalized rise in crime, which is evident in cities like Austin that have also experienced unusual increases in homicides. This trend has emerged against the backdrop of unrest that kicked off following George Floyd’s death last summer.Leftist commentators will likely blame “white supremacy” for Baltimore’s woes, but this problem is self-inflicted and is an indictment of its irresponsible political leadership.
In previous eras, when there were minority leaders like S.B. Fuller who championed personal responsibility and community engagement, problems such as crime and family breakdown were much less prevalent. However, that does not exist in America’s urban centers these days. Instead, leaders prefer to “wokesplain” away why their cities are a complete mess and don’t even bother to admit that their policies are the culprit.
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