Baltimore records 300 murders this year so
far
By Rick Moran
11/15/15
With 46 days left in 2015, Baltimore passed a grim
milestone; they recorded the 300th murder this year.
City leaders can't explain the huge spike in killings,
but perhaps not coincidentally, the rise in murders began shortly after the
Freddie Gray riots in April.
Baltimore's 2015 homicide rate currently sits at 47 per
100,000 people, second only to the rate in St. Louis, which has also seen a
steep spike in gun violence this year. Total shootings in Baltimore are up
nearly 80 percent over the comparable period last year, while other types of
crime, including robbery and burglary, have also increased.
Efforts to combat the street crime come as the
Department of Justice continues an investigation into allegations of brutality
and other issues within the Baltimore Police Department. Meanwhile,
the city is bracing for the first of six trials for the police officers charged
in Gray's arrest and death; it is scheduled to begin Nov. 30.
Officials have struggled to identify the cause of the
spike in homicides. Earlier in the year, police and federal law enforcement
officials speculated that the looting of drugs from pharmacies during the April
27 rioting may have played a role by disrupting
street markets. But with the violence continuing, police Commissioner Kevin Davis said it now appears there is a
widespread perception by criminals that the time is ripe to settle scores.
Questions have also been raised about whether a slowdown
by police contributed to the spike, because arrests plummeted in the weeks
after the six officers were charged in the Gray case. But police are quick to
note that gun seizures have increased.
Davis said that while the rate of killings has quickened,
old patterns of violence remain to blame.
"There is no randomness associated with these
murders," Davis said of the majority of this year's killings.
"They're gang-related, they're retaliatory in nature, and they center
around drug disputes. And unfortunately, where there are drugs, there's money;
and where there is money, there are guns."
Baltimore State's Attorney Marilyn J. Mosby, through aides, has declined
interview requests about the deadly year, citing a judge's gag order in the
Gray case. In September, she discounted a connection between the unrest and the
spike in gun violence, saying it was a cyclical uptick caused by years of
"failed policies."
In a prepared statement last week, Mosby said she was
taking a "holistic approach to address the systemic issues that present
obstacles in the effective prosecution of crime," in hopes of encouraging
more witnesses to come forward and "take a stand against violence."
Have gangs become bolder in taking revenge or fighting
for turf? If so, why? Chicago saw a similar spike in the murder rate
3 years ago, attributed to a new drug cartel trying to muscle in on the
business. But there is no such situation in Baltimore, a city that's 1/13 the
size of New York City but experiences more murders.
It is tempting to draw the conclusion that police in
Baltimore are refusing to do their job because of the second guessing by
prosecutor Moseby and others. But that would be unfair to the hundreds of
dedicated policemen who go out into this shooting gallery every day to try and
protect the citizens.
Perhaps a permissive atmosphere has been created by
city leaders who have made it clear that they believe the Baltimore PD is a
sinkhole of corruption and brutality. Whatever the reason,
citizens are suffering and both the police and politicians appear to be at a
loss regarding what to do about it.
With 46 days left in 2015, Baltimore passed a grim
milestone; they recorded the 300th murder this year.
City leaders can't explain the huge spike in killings,
but perhaps not coincidentally, the rise in murders began shortly after the
Freddie Gray riots in April.
Baltimore's 2015 homicide rate currently sits at 47 per
100,000 people, second only to the rate in St. Louis, which has also seen a
steep spike in gun violence this year. Total shootings in Baltimore are up
nearly 80 percent over the comparable period last year, while other types of
crime, including robbery and burglary, have also increased.
Efforts to combat the street crime come as the
Department of Justice continues an investigation into allegations of brutality
and other issues within the Baltimore Police Department. Meanwhile,
the city is bracing for the first of six trials for the police officers charged
in Gray's arrest and death; it is scheduled to begin Nov. 30.
Officials have struggled to identify the cause of the
spike in homicides. Earlier in the year, police and federal law enforcement
officials speculated that the looting of drugs from pharmacies during the April
27 rioting may have played a role by disrupting
street markets. But with the violence continuing, police Commissioner Kevin Davis said it now appears there is a
widespread perception by criminals that the time is ripe to settle scores.
Questions have also been raised about whether a slowdown
by police contributed to the spike, because arrests plummeted in the weeks
after the six officers were charged in the Gray case. But police are quick to
note that gun seizures have increased.
Davis said that while the rate of killings has
quickened, old patterns of violence remain to blame.
"There is no randomness associated with these
murders," Davis said of the majority of this year's killings.
"They're gang-related, they're retaliatory in nature, and they center
around drug disputes. And unfortunately, where there are drugs, there's money;
and where there is money, there are guns."
Baltimore State's Attorney Marilyn J. Mosby, through aides, has declined
interview requests about the deadly year, citing a judge's gag order in the
Gray case. In September, she discounted a connection between the unrest and the
spike in gun violence, saying it was a cyclical uptick caused by years of
"failed policies."
In a prepared statement last week, Mosby said she was
taking a "holistic approach to address the systemic issues that present
obstacles in the effective prosecution of crime," in hopes of encouraging
more witnesses to come forward and "take a stand against violence."
Have gangs become bolder in taking revenge or fighting
for turf? If so, why? Chicago saw a similar spike in the murder rate
3 years ago, attributed to a new drug cartel trying to muscle in on the
business. But there is no such situation in Baltimore, a city that's 1/13 the
size of New York City but experiences more murders.
It is tempting to draw the conclusion that police in
Baltimore are refusing to do their job because of the second guessing by
prosecutor Moseby and others. But that would be unfair to the hundreds of
dedicated policemen who go out into this shooting gallery every day to try and
protect the citizens.
Perhaps a permissive atmosphere has been created by
city leaders who have made it clear that they believe the Baltimore PD is a
sinkhole of corruption and brutality. Whatever the reason,
citizens are suffering and both the police and politicians appear to be at a
loss regarding what to do about it
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