Twelve U.S. cities have broken their all-time record for homicide this year.
Philadelphia had the 12th highest number of homicides, with more than 500 in 2021. This is the highest total since 1990, when it had its previous record year for homicides. Five of the 12 cities broke 2020 records. Three of the dozen cities, including Philadelphia and Louisville in Ky. and Portland, Ore. were the scene of protests and riots after the killing of George Floyd, as well as the shooting of Breonna Taylor by police officers. All three have Democratic mayors.
Ex-law enforcement officers have suggested that the rise in homicides could be due to a decline in police officers and arrests as well as the continuing effects of the coronavirus epidemic. Between 2020 and 2021, the retirement rate for law enforcement officers increased by 45 percent. The FBI also reported that the United States experienced its highest annual increase in homicides since 2000, a 30% jump from 2020. FBI crime data shows that arrests have fallen across the country. There were 7.63 million arrests in 2020, which was the lowest number in 25 years.
Robert Boyce, a former chief of detectives at the NYPD, told ABC News that “Nobody’s getting arrested anymore. “People are getting picked up for gun possession and they’re just let out over and over again.”
Progressive district attorneys favor diversionary programs, community-building and the imprisonment of criminal defendants. This is why there are declining arrests. They also criticize cash bail as a part of the justice system.
John Chisholm (Milwau County District Attorney) admitted that he had set an “inappropriately high” bail amount for Darrell Edward Brooks Jr. in November. Brooks was the driver of the SUV that crashed through Waukesha’s parade, killing six people and injuring many others. Chisholm stated that progressive attorneys should have expected such an outcome ten years ago and that it does no harm to their justice reform efforts.
“Is there going be an individual that I divert or put into [a] treatment program, who’s going out and killing somebody?” Chisholm stated in 2007. “You bet. Guaranteed. It’s guaranteed to happen. It does not invalidate the overall approach.”
Michael Nutter, Philadelphia’s ex-Democratic mayor, blamed the city’s recent crime wave on Larry Krasner, its progressive district attorney. Nutter wrote a Tuesday editorial for the Philadelphia Inquirer calling for Krasner’s resignation if he “does not have the fortitude or the guts” to do his job and prosecute criminals. Krasner should … send a message to the shooters, murderers, and criminals of this city by committing to actually prosecute them, rather than coddle them, make excuses, reduce or drop charges,” Nutter said. “He should commit to locking them up for carrying illegal weapons or shooting people.”
Both Chisholm & Krasner were elected to office thanks to contributions from George Soros, a left-leaning billionaire who donated millions of dollars to their campaigns.
Philadelphia, Rochester, N.Y., Columbus, Ohio, Indianapolis, Louisville, Ky., St. Paul. Minn., Portland. Ore., Tucson. Ariz., Toledo. Ohio, Baton Rouge. La. were the 12 cities with record-high homicides. ; Austin (Texas); and Albuquerque (N.M.) are the twelve cities that have recorded high homicides.
