Phillyist: Philly Murder Rate Shatters Image of Brotherly Love

johannabartley

Fri, 01 Aug 2008 12:16:08 -0500

It's a good thing the police has started taking action. These numbers concerning the murder rate are way too high. I wonder what is the main reason of these crimes? Is it passion? Greed? Hate? ____ Johanna Bartley, Narconon Vista Bay volunteers. We are looking for others as well.

Joe Ross

Fri, 17 Aug 2007 09:27:54 -0500

Some major gun arrests might help us out a bit. According to a recent Daily News article 85% of homicides involve firearms. So over 50 people have been arrested and over 100 guns have been seized. It's a start, and a good one. But I hope things like this start to become as consistent as the deaths that plague the city.

guest

Tue, 14 Aug 2007 20:51:24 -0500

Philly does not need a curfew or gun control. They need teach young kids that drugs and violence is wrong. The ending of crime will come when all the younger generations learn that what is happening is wrong. Education is the only way to save the city. Also, we have to legalize drugs to allow so that kids will rather get a real job making legit money. Otherwise when kids grow up in a community with illegal drugs than they can make so much more money selling drugs and its not hard. If the drugs were legal than it would not be a profitable business and no one would be interested in doing them besides the people that already have done them that are addicted. If you educate kids that these drugs are not good and they kill you. Then chances are they will not do them. But if you continue to have a very powerful illegal drug market it will result in what we have today. The reason being is because of the amount of money in the business. It sad to say it but this country revolves around money and if young kids can get easy money quick they will take it.

guest

Thu, 09 Aug 2007 00:27:03 -0500

Hey, You just need to pray and pray some more! Oh, yeah election is coming pray for a new mayor who cares....God Bless You all in Philly! NY Lovesssssssssssssss Philly! It will get better.....Peace!

justin

Mon, 06 Aug 2007 12:23:14 -0500

While I feel the rising murder rate is horrible, what can we do about it? Are we willing to sacrifice personal liberty for security? Some have looked to NY for answers. While they have reduced the murder rate, problems with police force, video suveilance, and 2nd amendment issues present themselves. The fix is simple, give the police the power they need, outlaw guns, and put video cameras on every corner. However, this would never happen, both the left and the right would object. Just look at the hooplah over Nutter's stop and frisk initiative. This barely nudges civil liberties, and could work (after all, as Joe says "there is nothing safe or legitimate for a teenage boy to be doing when roaming his neighborhood at so late an hour") but hasn't ridden a wave of support like it should. In the end I don't think people really care that much about each other. No one realizes the finality of death or thinks about anything outside of their personal sphere. With the exception of a massive cultural change, there isn't much anyone will be able to do about the crime rate. Lawsuits will tie up laws in court for years, guns will still be readily available to thugs, police will be powerless to truly make a difference, and witnesses won't trust anyone.

guest

Fri, 03 Aug 2007 22:28:41 -0500

Great article and yes all opinions and perspectives should be welcomed. Thanks for having an open mind.

AS

Fri, 03 Aug 2007 17:46:06 -0500

There have been over 240 murders so far this year, and the rising rate shows no signs of slowing down." While the murder rate for 2007 is higher than that for 2006 for the year thus far, the year-internal statistics are somewhat different,and they show that the murder rate *is* showing signs of slowing down. At the blog malcolmxpark.org , I've been looking at the data for 2007. For 2007 thus far, we've had a 4.9% increase over 2006, but if you look at 2007 from April through July and compare it to 2006 for the same period, we've actually seen a *decrease* in the murder rate of %5.9! That doesn't excuse the fact that the murder rate is so high in the city (though it's not at a historical high), but it does suggest that the media are not looking too closely at the trend *within* the year, and there may in fact be something going on behind the scenes to turn the situation around.

guest

Fri, 03 Aug 2007 16:29:46 -0500

Regarding the proposed solutions: 1) Gun Control: Indeed, a no-brainer. That said, I don't think that gun control is the only reason homicides are lower in NYC. A lot of it has to do with ... 2) More cops on the street, and more accountability for those cops. I think everyone knows about NYPDs anti-crime tactics, both good and bad, at this point. Many of them worked wonders with a city previously thought to border on the ungovernable. Of particular use? When there's a spike in crime in a neighborhood, the NYPD floods it with cops. Look at the area bounded by Arch, Chestnut, 50th and 55th. 8 murders in an eight month period. That's ridiculous. That area should be utterly saturated with cops. The Police Commissioner should live there. I wonder about the numbers on police spending per capita (and per acre) in NYC vs Philly. 3) Curfews: Already have them for kids (http://www.ppdonline.org/ops/ops_programs.php). If it was thoroughly enforced, you'd knock all of three homicides off the list (maybe). And you're not going to get anywhere trying to push it on adults. Bad idea. 4) "It does seem that predominantly affluent white communities do a good job of ignoring issues like these until they creep into Old City, Merion Township or Manyunk [sic] – which is rare." Well, Merion township isn't a part of the City of Philadelphia, so I fail to see how taking a swipe at the 'burbs helps anything out. As for the folks of Manayunk and Old City "ignoring" this issue, I suspect if you actually talked to the denizens of these neighborhood, the murder rate would be something that just might come up. And I bet they might say that some of the money for the new citywide wireless program should go into putting more police on the streets. I don't see that playing the race card is going to shame the Mayor's office, City Council and the Philadelphia Police Department into any further action. It's really a matter of class more than race, anyway. Rich neighborhoods get cops. Poor neighborhoods don't. Not to mention that the squeaky wheel gets the grease. Do you think that if there's a murder in Manayunk, the cops would have any trouble getting witnesses to talk?

Joe Ross

Fri, 03 Aug 2007 16:23:15 -0500

Just wanted to say thank you so much for the insight. I like a reader who doesn't hesitate to criticize but keeps it constructive. On that note, I have to agree that you did, indeed, catch me misusing the term 'belies' and you may consider me corrected. Thanks. Hopefully you'll be the first of many to offer their suggestions and critiques. I know it's an important issue and we're in a desperate sort of stalemate on how to handle it. Who's A Rat is definitely despicable, especially considering the fact that they're making money off of it. Once again, thanks for the input - dialogue like this is the whole reason we do this. Keep up the commenting!

guest

Fri, 03 Aug 2007 15:33:58 -0500

I think the fear of retaliation is OBVIOUSLY the main force behind the 'Stop Snitching' campaign that continues to ravage the city. I don't understand how "reluctance to speak up belies the dangerous brand of street justice." Do you mean the reluctance to speak up contradicts a vigalante force that would go after criminals? (If so, I never heard about that group.) The rest of the section suggests you think that the reluctance to speak up directly affirms a general fear of retaliation from criminals. Belies?? (An aside: if you want to see something truly despicable, check this out.) Otherwise, nice job summing up the well into which Philadelphia has fallen. I totally disagree, however, about a curfew system. If killers aren't following laws that outlaw murder, why would they abide by a curfew? I know, I know... Police would have an easier time because they could just pick up everyone they saw walking around after curfew. Nevertheless, I think that (1) the criminals would find a way to do their killing before curfew, (2) the criminals would find a way to effectively break curfew, and (3) the curfew would have far too great an impact on non-criminals. I know we are in a crisis state, but I can walk around whenever I want to, and am not about to give up that right. Gun control, though, is totally it. Pennsy-tucky legislators are making it impossible for the city to deal with this. Finally, I'd be curious to see what has happened when people have "snitched." If they are all getting killed... I had actually written a few more sentences, but the whole thing makes my head spin. It's unbelievably depressing, and I have no idea how things can turn around.