The rising homicide rate will feed into a national narrative of rising crime that has included recent outbreaks of police shootings and carjackings.
Crime, however, is a very local issue, as the CCJ data makes clear. Some cities saw murder rates rise in 2021, such as:
- St. Petersburg, Florida — 108% increase.
- Austin, Texas — 86% increase.
- Los Angeles and Philadelphia — 13% increase each.
- Baltimore — 1% increase.
Other cities saw their murder rates fall, such as:
- Seattle — 25% decrease.
- Omaha — 24% decrease.
- Phoenix — 6% decrease.
- Nashville — 5% decrease.
Despite the recent rise, homicide rates are still far below their levels in the 1980s and early 1990s.
Congresswoman’s car struck by gunfire. Anecdotally, there is evidence of violence reaching every type of American — including elected officials.
She was not in the car and noted no one was harmed, but that “any act of gun violence shakes your soul.” She added: “That’s why our movement is working to invest in our communities, eradicate the root causes of gun violence, and keep everyone safe.”
Focusing on violence and police reform. Many US cities are in a very different place politically than they were two years ago, after the killing of George Floyd by police in Minnesota led to calls for police reform at the national level. An effort to enact nationwide policing reform, named for Floyd, stalled in Congress.
Today, there is much more focus on crime rates and gun violence.
A top Justice Department official, Lisa Monaco, told CNN’s Evan Perez and Tierney Sneed the Biden administration will still move to address both safety and policing.
