City murder rate jumps 7 percent since last year

On the morning of Sunday, July 23, seven people were shot and two were stabbed in the span of four hours in Philadelphia, including a 22-year old man who was shot in the face.

This spate of violence is only a small part of the city's gradual increase in crime, but it helps illustrate Philadelphia's newest grim statistic: the city's homicide rate has increased by 7% from this point last year.

As of Monday, July 24, Philadelphia registered 220 homicides, compared to 205 at the same point last year.

While cities such as Los Angeles and New York City have each reported double-digit reductions in murder rates, the increase in violence in Philadelphia has become the status quo. Between 2004 and 2005, Philadelphia experienced an increase of 12% in its numbers of homicides.

The cause behind this increase in crime is hotly debated, but the demographics behind Philadelphia's violence provide a glimpse into the problem.

The three most likely areas for a homicide to occur are the northern, western, and lower northeastern parts of the city, areas of Philadelphia that are afflicted by concentrated poverty.

According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, 80 percent of the homicide victims have been African-American and 89 percent have been male.

Handguns were the weapon of choice 82 percent of the time, and young adults, ages 18-24, make up the most numerous age group that are victims of gun violence.

"For Philadelphia, there's a large portion of its community living under extreme isolation," said Dr. Lawrence Sherman, director of Penn's Jerry Lee Center of Criminology. "Greater alienation of young black men in poverty areas are accounting for most of the increase in homicide."

Although the statistics may be telling of the typical victim of violent crime, they are not exclusive to young black males.

Examples abound of members of the community that become the unlikely victims of gun violence, such as Neshia Wright, a 27-year old mother of two who was struck by a stray bullet in the chest and died half an hour later.

Wright's case shows that gun violence has escalated into community-wide problems with numerous different causes and no obvious solution.

One of the explanations for the increase in crime is the economic depression that has hit inner-city neighborhoods since manufacturing jobs have left the city and a low-wage service economy has replaced it.

"The inner-city rests on three strategies for acquiring capital: low-wage jobs, welfare payments, and the irregular underground economy," said Dr. Elijah Anderson, a sociology professor and the author of the book Code of the Street. "Since the inner city has transitioned away from manufacturing, then residents must cope by using another strategy."

Others problems are social in nature, such as unemployed heads of households and an elevated high school drop out rate.

The availability of guns and the easy access to the drug trade also have become factors in the steady rise of crime in the city.

"A young person can get his hands on a gun before he can get a textbook," said Dorothy Johnson-Speight, founder and executive director of Philadelphia anti-violence group Mothers in Charge. "And we live in a culture that says that it's OK to have a gun; it's a message that's promoting a culture of violence."

In order to combat the violence, Pennsylvania governor Rendell pledge 170 state police officers to patrol Philadelphia highways, freeing up Philadelphia cops to hit the streets.

However, many inner-city residents do not trust the efforts of the Philadelphia Police Department, according to Anderson.

"When cops don't always come to emergency calls or when people see a criminal back on the street two weeks later, it undermines faith in the law or its agents," said Anderson. "There is a limited amount of faith in civil law, so street justice fills the void and street credibility becomes ever more important."

Despite the myriad number of causes, the number of solutions aren't as clear-cut.

"The best solution [for violence deterrence] is police searching people carrying concealed weapons in public," said Sherman. "It discourages people from carrying guns, giving them less opportunity to shoot, and homicide goes down."

Regardless of the solution, Johnson-Speight provides some insight into the shared commitment of Philadelphia and its residents.

"Whether it's working with a young person at risk with educational counciling, anyone can make a difference," she said. "The key is that everybody needs to do something."

Comments (10)

Israel has lots of guns too. There are parts of the world where there is much more hunger and grinding poverty. We have to stop making excuses for so-called street values. There is something wrong to the core about a society where people will spend thousands for a set of shiny rims for a car but refuse to take care of their own children. rip, alum phila.

One of the major causes of increased violence in the inner-city neighborhoods is because we have a generation of young black men who are basically raising themselves. Their "parents" are often effectively gone due to drugs/alcohol/incarceration or are simply physically absent. Poverty is not the primary cause and it is an insult to those hard-working low-income families to imply that they are destined to be criminals. There is worse poverty in many areas of the world and yet they do not have this culture of violence. Society has decided that it is all right for single women to have children that they cannot care for. And that men can father children and then abandon them. The grandparents of these children used to be a saving factor because they would step up and take the children in. But this older generation is dying off and now there is no safety net for these abused/neglected children. These kids are growing up damaged. I work with foster children and I see it daily. They are in survival mode and lack empathy for others. This can make them dangerous and violent. I predict that this problem will worsen with time as more of these children become teenagers/adults. A child who does not have a stable, loving adult figure in his life will not do well. He is angry. The black community needs to deal with this social problem within its families. Prominent black leaders, especially males, need to speak up and encourage change. Until then, we need to protect ourselves by getting the guns off the streets, increasing police presence, and stop releasing the same criminals back into the neighborhoods. And the neighborhoods need to step up and cooperate with the police -- get rid of that "don't snitch" mentality. Your neighborhoods and children are dying. This is a crisis and it is time to act. Janeece

Mayor Street is supposed to address the city on TV tonight (Thurs. July 27) at 7pm regarding the crime problem. Facts: 1)Mayor Street was noted by Time Magazine to be one of the 3 worst big-city mayors in the country. 2)While in office, the murder rate in Philly is at a 7 yr. high and climbing. 3)This is the actual Mayor Street quotation when he addressed NAACP convention: "The brothers and sisters are running the city. Oh, yes. The brothers and sisters are running this city. Running it! Don't you let nobody fool you, we are in charge of the City of Brotherly Love. We are in charge! We are in charge!" Should be interesting to hear what he has to say. Citizen

You guys got it all wrong. This is maureen rush's fault! duh

.......and the quote by Street is SOOOOO......scary. What possible reason would the Olympic Committee even consider letting the Olympics come here? BLACK LEADERS DO SHIT

Janeece's post was eloquent and very accurate. It is amazing that the following posts simply blow past these haunting observations about deep human problems to engage in political diatribes of a typically Philadelphian nature- namely, the blame gets personal and quite nasty. The real problem of a generation of youths abandoned by the community and their parents, and who lack empathy and respect for either life or property, is a gigantic social problem. There is a place for political and law enforcement action in all of this, but it is the smaller part. Until this basic human problem is actually addressed (and who says there is going to be an easy or quick solution?) very little progress will be made. I think Dr. DuBois made exactly these same observations over a hundred years ago in a study commissioned by Penn. Things seem to have actually gotten worse since then. David

I have to agree that Janeece hit the nail on the head. African American adults, black adults, whatever you wish to be called this decade need to step up and stop your nonsense. Take care of your children means not just buying them toys when they are toddlers and sneakers when they are teens. Teach them right from wrong. Teach them manners. Teach them to respect other people. Most importantly, stick around after your children are born for crying out loud. But I have a haunting question. I wonder if anyone reading this forum can answer it. How on the face of this God's earth can these children be taught these things if the adults don't know these things? John Freeman

Mr. Freeman asks "How can these children be taught these things if the adults don't know these things?" That is precisely what frightens me and makes me believe that the violence will only worsen. I see beautiful black babies and young children who I know are doomed (and I realize that is a strong word) because they were born into a situation where they will not receive the love and care that they deserve. And the cycle will continue with their children. Unfortunately, the only way I can see of breaking the cycle is to remove the children at an early enough age --- before they are permanently damaged -- and provide each child with a stable, loving adult. If I could wave a magic wand, that would be my wish. There are times I go home from work and cry because I can't fix this terrible problem. Janeece

Out of pure frustration, and acting to quickly, I made the earlier comment about Mayor Street and his quote. Of course Janeece and Mr. Freeman are right. Its a shame that politicians play as small a part as they do. And law enforcement can only do so much. I do believe that the earlier quote by Mayor Street only fuels the fire. I am also aware that the people with the problem will most likely never read or agree with the thoughts of those who are concerned about the future of African American babies and how they impact society as a whole. I APOLOGIZE

I have a feeling that the legal systems in other countries are much more realistic and permanently terminate parental rights at a much earlier stage. At the famous childrens' hospital in Florence, Italy unwanted infants could be placed in a basket on a turnstyle with no questions asked. Once that turnstyle turned there was no turning back-they were given new names and raised by the Church (a beautiful frescoe of a beaming cherub makes the point). That would be considered barbaric in the present age where everyone has a zillion civil rights, but it no doubt saved a lot of lives. David

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