Violent Crime Is Now a National Epidemic—Who Should We Blame?

Commentary

Tens of millions of Americans are pessimistic about the state of the country. Not just Republicans, but Democrats, too. Besides the worrying state of the economy, many U.S. citizens are understandably concerned by the rise in violent crime, a coast-to-coast phenomenon that appears to be worsening.

A Gallup report, published earlier this year, outlined the many ways in which violent crime “has edged up” in recent times. As the author of the report noted, “for the first time since 2016, a majority (53%) say they personally worry ’a great deal’ about crime, while another 27% worry a ‘fair amount.’”

To be clear, according to the FBI, violent crime includes four offenses: murder and nonnegligent manslaughter, forcible rape, robbery, and aggravated assault.

More recently, a midyear survey of large law enforcement agencies found that violent crime spiked by 4.2 percent between January and June. Robberies rose by a staggering 12 percent. Meanwhile, aggravated assaults increased by 3 percent. Throughout the United States, crime rates are still considerably higher than they were pre-pandemic.

In fact, violent, criminal behavior is now an epidemic of epic proportions. In California, a state synonymous with criminal activity, violence reigns supreme. State Attorney General Rob Bonta stated that “property and violent crimes continue to have devastating consequences for communities across the state.” Moreover, a troubling new report published by researchers at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine shows that physical and sexual violence is rampant in the Golden State. In the past year, 4 percent of Californians have experienced intimate partner violence. Rather alarmingly, in the same period, 18 percent, or roughly 1 in 6 Californians, have either been physically or sexually assaulted.

This begs the question: Who is to blame? Republicans? Hardly.

Take a look at a study by analytics firm NeighborhoodScout on the 10 most dangerous U.S. cities. Not one of them has a Republican mayor. This is not to lay the United States’ epidemic of violent crime squarely at the feet of every Democrat. Not at all. However, if we were to have an honest discussion about crime, we must admit that one political party takes criminal activity a little more seriously than the other.

In Monroe, Louisiana, the country’s most dangerous city, you have a 1 in 34 chance of being a victim of crime. In Michigan, home to not one but two of the country’s most dangerous cities, the alarming rise in violent crimes has left many residents living in a state of fear. As journalist Ted Roelofs recently noted, between January and July this year, “Grand Rapids recorded 3,363 crimes, including 761 assaults and 15 homicides—all above averages for the previous three years.”

In Oakland County, “there were 26 homicides in the first six months of 2022, double the tally for the same period last year,” wrote Roelofs. Pontiac, the county seat of Oakland County, has witnessed 10 homicides this year. “Four of the county victims were children aged 4, 6, 7 and 16.”

This year, Detroit, the largest city in Michigan, has been plagued by a number of mass shootings. Although depressing, none of this should come as a surprise to anyone familiar with the state of Michigan. It is, after all, governed by Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat who, not that long ago, said she supported the “spirit” of attempts to defund the police. Whitmer’s support seems to have paid off—not for the average residents, of course, but for the anti-police minorities.

This year, more than 200 officers have quit Detroit’s police department. In fact, across the country, an increasing number of police officers are heading for the exit doors. In New York City, according to the New York Post, more than “1,500 NYPD officers have either resigned or retired so far this year—on pace to be the biggest exodus of officers since the statistics have been available.” At the same time, violent crime in the city continues to surge. The Big Apple is in the midst of a Big Rot.

When the country needs them more than ever, U.S. police departments are struggling to recruit and retain officers. Why? We all know why. Because police officers have been demonized by left-leaning politicians and left-leaning news outlets for far too long. This explains why suicide rates for officers are high.

Rather perversely, as police officers find themselves being vilified, criminals find themselves being supported, assisted, and enabled. In California, lest we forget, shoplifting is practically encouraged. Go ahead, grab an iPhone, would-be criminals are told, nothing will happen to you. By all means, come back tomorrow and grab another one if you have the time.

Unlike the criminals in California and other parts of the country, innocent, law-abiding Americans are paying the heaviest of prices. The United States, supposedly the most powerful country in the world, is being destroyed by criminals, from the petty to the downright dangerous. Although we hear very little about defunding the police in 2022, the damage has already been done. You simply can’t expect to vilify the boys (and girls) in blue for the best part of two years and expect things to return to normal. It’s not possible. Now, Americans on both sides of the political aisle are paying the heaviest of prices.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.