A Washington Times report this week argues that D.C.’s declining murder rate is not an indication of the city’s drop in violent crime and shootings.
The story also highlights a divide in D.C. between neighborhoods that are saturated with shootings and crime, and the ones that aren’t.
When the murder rate and shooting statistics from Chicago and Washington, D.C. are compared, it would seem on the surface that D.C. is more fortunate than Chicago. However, other statistics and some real life events tell a different story. It is the story of a divided city, official Washington, the “City of Marble and Glass,” and the District of Columbia, “Dodge City” where the bullets still fly and the violence never ends…
From 2006-2010 4,003 people were treated for intentional, violently inflicted injuries. Of those injured 1,438 were from gunshots, over 1,300 from stabbings and more than 1,200 from various other assault categories.Fortunately, only 200 died from those assaults, but that does not mean that only 200 lives were affected. This raises the question why there is so much focus on just the murder rate. The lives of all 3,803 who survived after being assaulted were changed forever, not just the lives of the 200 who died. Even when the physical wounds of an assault heal, the victims, their families and their neighborhoods remain wounded with fear. There is also a significant financial drain on law enforcement, the courts and the prison system. A study conducted by the Vera Institute shows that each shooting costs fifty thousand to five million dollars.
Read the full story here.
