Tag: Violent Crime

Barry Latzer joins Brian Anderson to discuss crime and punishment in the United States, today’s debates over criminal justice, and his new book, The Roots of Violent Crime in America.

Find the transcript of this conversation and more at City Journal.

Media Narrative Flips in Boulder Shooting

 

The mass shooting at a Boulder, CO, grocery store left 10 dead Sunday. As the gunman was taken into custody, bluechecks flooded Twitter with their hot takes. The cops didn’t kill the murderer because he was a white male promoting white supremacy, obvs. On Monday, the shooter was identified as Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa and the narrative flipped in an instant. Back in 2015, I created the following chart and it still holds true:

Rafael Mangual interviewed NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea to discuss how recent legislative and policy shifts in New York present new challenges for police in America’s biggest city.

Audio for this episode is excerpted and edited from a Manhattan Institute eventcast, “The New Challenge of Policing New York.” Find out more and register for future events by visiting our website, and subscribe to MI’s YouTube channel to view previous discussions.

Rafael Mangual joins Seth Barron to discuss the surge in gun violence in New York City and other American cities, the impact of newly enacted criminal-justice reforms on policing, and the connection between “low-level” enforcement and major-crime prevention.

City Journal contributing editors Coleman Hughes and Rafael Mangual discuss the protests and riots across the United States—including attacks on police officers—and the dispiriting state of American racial politics. The unrest began last week, in the aftermath of George Floyd’s death in police custody in Minneapolis.

The disorder should not be surprising, Mangual notes, because “police have been the targets of a poisonous, decades-long campaign to paint law enforcement as a violent cog in the machine of a racially oppressive criminal-justice system.” Hughes wonders whether fixing the perception that police are unfair to black Americans is even achievable.

Juneteenth: Emancipation Day

 

On June 19, 1865, Union Army Major General Gordon Granger read General Orders, Number 3, to the people of Galveston, Texas. It was two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation, but at last the words of freedom came to African-American slaves in Texas. This day became known as Juneteenth, and eventually became first an unofficial holiday and then a holiday recognized by some states.

General Granger wrote, in part:

The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of personal rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and hired labor. The freedmen are advised to remain quietly at their present homes and work for wages. They are informed that they will not be allowed to collect at military posts and that they will not be supported in idleness either there or elsewhere.

Aaron Renn and Rafael Mangual join City Journal editor Brian Anderson to discuss Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s legacy, the Windy City’s ongoing homicide epidemic, and its severely underfunded public pensions.

Chicago’s energetic leader shocked the political world this week when he announced that he would not seek a third term as mayor. Emanuel leaves behind a mixed record: he enjoyed some successes, but he largely failed to grapple with the city’s two biggest problems: finances and violent crime.

Member Post

 

Alabama special election turnout points to a serious problem in the midterms and 2020 if President Trump does not lead his administration in focused action and messaging towards African Americans. He must peel off enough traditionally Democratic votes to help keep and expand his legislative majorities. Fortunately, President Donald Trump has had his heart and […]

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Death & Statistics in 2015

 

shutterstock_93961822Two sets of numbers regarding violent crime have me pondering this morning.

The first set is reassuring and comes via the Washington Post’s Radley Balko. Despite all the efforts to portray the contrary — from scaremongering about terrorism, police abuse, gangs, spree-killers, etc. — 2015 will very likely be the second least violent year in the United States since it began keeping records over a century ago. Moreover, that trend was matched by stats regarding police death rates via firearms, which are also at near-record lows this year (only 2013 was better). Both of these are consistent with long-term trends.

There were some exceptions — St. Louis, Detriot, and Baltimore in particular and, to a much lesser extent, New York City — but it is wonderful news to see further confirmation that the War on Crime continues to be an enormous success while the War on Cops turned out to be a total bust. This is important and polling shows that people believe that things are actually getting worse.