Significant crime rise across major cities is not letting up (port communities)

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(April 3, 2021) The US saw significant crime rise across major cities - and it's not letting up
https://www.cnn.com/2021/04/03/us/us-cri...index.html

EXCERPT: Experts point to a "perfect storm" of factors -- economic collapse, social anxiety because of a pandemic, de-policing in major cities after protests that called for abolition of police departments, shifts in police resources from neighborhoods to downtown areas because of those protests, and the release of criminal defendants pretrial or before sentences were completed to reduce risk of Covid-19 spread in jails -- all may have contributed to the spike in homicides.

Covid-19 seemed to exacerbate everything -- officers sometimes had to quarantine because of exposure or cases in their ranks, reducing the number of officers available for patrol, investigations or protest coverage. It was difficult-to-impossible to keep physical distance during protests.

Through the first three months of 2021, a number of major cities have indicated they are still experiencing high rates of violent crime, according to Laura Cooper, executive director of the Major Cities Chiefs Association. "Some cities are set to outpace last year's numbers," she said.

In Chicago, homicides are up 33% in the first three months of the year compared to 2020, while shootings are up nearly 40% for the same period year-over-year. In New York City, the NYPD data shows murders jumped by nearly 14% through March 28, the latest numbers the department has made public, while shootings were up nearly 50%.

In Los Angeles, homicides have increased nearly 36% from 67 to 91 through March 30, LAPD Officer Rosario Cervantes told CNN. Those three cities -- the nation's largest -- all saw significant increases last year over 2019.
The homicide uptick in the three cities comes as Chicago, Houston, and Memphis saw some of the largest surges in homicides last year, with an increase of 100 or more killings compared to 2019.... (MORE - details)
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(April 13, 2021) Oakland Has Suffered 41 Homicides in the First 100 Days of 2021, a 215% Increase, the City Council Response: Proposals to Further Defund the Police.
https://www.opoa.org/oakland-has-suffere...the-police

EXCERPT: “No sooner had President Biden’s American Rescue Bill restored previous Oakland Police budget cuts, the Council begins debating defunding the police again. The police department’s staffing [711 sworn] is at the lowest its been in five years, and violent crime is surging. Rather than acknowledging the bloodshed on our streets, this Council seeks to defund the police despite a staggering increase in violent crime. This is insane,” said Oakland Police Officers' Association President Barry Donelan.
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(April 12, 2021) Surge of homicides could cast 'defund the police' debate in new light
https://wset.com/news/nation-world/surge...-new-light

EXCERPT: Amid continued concerns about policing tactics and violent crime, tensions are rising in some communities over efforts to slash police spending, the potential dangers of defunding law enforcement, and the appetite of the public and politicians for public safety reform. After Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott announced last week he would establish a task force to develop a five-year budget reduction plan for the city’s police department, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan lashed out, calling the move “crazy” and “reckless.”

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(Feb 24, 2021) Minneapolis still strives to abolish its police department
https://www.startribune.com/petition-cam...600022846/

EXCERPTS: Well-funded police reform advocates on Saturday kicked off what promises to be a high-profile campaign to let Minneapolis voters decide the fate of the city's Police Department. [...] The campaign illustrates the high stakes of Minneapolis' fall election, when voters will have a chance to reshape City Hall for the first time since the death of George Floyd at the hands of police. In addition to a possible referendum on the Police Department, the mayor's office and City Council seats will also be up for grabs.

The debate over the future of the Police Department is playing out during a dramatic spike in violent crime across Minneapolis and as city leaders prepare for the trials of the four police officers involved in the May 25 death of George Floyd.

Nearly three-quarters of registered city voters supported redirecting some police funding to social services in a Star Tribune/MPR/KARE 11 poll this August. Only 40% supported reducing the size of the police force, however. "The 2021 municipal election will be pretty profound," said Corenia Smith, campaign manager for Yes 4 Minneapolis. "I think that we're making history here in Minneapolis. And having this on the ballot — it's going to be huge."

[...] "We have a policing system that doesn't work for us and we need alternatives," said Rachel Bean, who was among the first signers Saturday at a frigid outdoor event in south Minneapolis. "I'm a social worker and I feel like we have lots of tools that we could try to create more community safety."

[...] The Yes 4 Minneapolis petition would remove Police Department language from the city charter and create a public health-focused Department of Public Safety, "including licensed peace officers if necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of the department."

[...] Bill Rodriguez, a co-founder of the group Operation Safety Now, which opposes reducing Minneapolis police funding, criticized the petition for lacking detail. "It's awful bad policy, because they don't have any kind of a specific plan," Rodriguez said. "Just like the council, they're winging it."

He believes there is not significant support in the city for defunding or dismantling the department. "This is not what the people are asking for," Rodriguez said... (MORE - details)

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Residents Sue the City For Reduced Police Presence
https://time.com/5902962/minneapolis-res...-presence/

EXCERPTS: A group of eight Minneapolis residents now await a judge’s ruling after filing a lawsuit against the city for allegedly scaling back the police presence in their neighborhood in the months after the police killing of George Floyd and the unrest that followed. Residents believe that, after the city council announced that they were disbanding the Minneapolis police department (MPD) in June, too many officers have been taken off the streets. They are arguing the reduction has contributed to an increase in violence and crime.

Minneapolis, like many other cities across the country, has struggled with violence this year. [...] In the lawsuit, the residents cite the city’s high crime rates and say that it is the responsibility of city officials to keep people safe.

[...] Minneapolis residents note a disparity between many activists calling for defunding and those living in neighborhoods where police presence is often needed.

“We hear gunshots every night. People’s houses being riddled with bullets,” Don Samuels [...] The north side of the city has been plagued by what Samuels describes as “open drug dealing” and daily shootings. “We are 100% behind reforming [the police department],” he continues, “but there is this kind of fantasy component that the police are not necessary and that is a life and death factor… We live this and so we invest here. This is not just an idea.” (MORE - details)
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(April 16, 2021) A look at the 'defund' and 'abolish' police movements
https://komonews.com/news/nation-world/a...-movements

EXCERPT: It’s been about nine months since nine members of the Minneapolis City Council first vowed to dismantle the police department to install an undefined entity to handle emergencies. But now the city faces a lawsuit at the hands of some community members, including African-Americans, who are trying to force officials to add more officers to the force.

Don Samuels is one of the residents suing the city on the basis of a per-capita mandate in the city’s founding charter. He’s a community organizer and civil rights activist who's live in North Minneapolis for more than twenty years... (MORE - details)- - - - - -

(April 18, 2021) Crime spiking where police are being defunded
https://sharylattkisson.com/2021/04/watc...g-america/

EXCERPT: . . . more veteran officers are retiring early or taking extended leave, and leaving a dangerous void, in Minneapolis, the number of officers on patrol plummeted. For Don Samuels, that's left him in an ironic position.

Scott: Why the lawsuit?

Don Samuels: We're just preventing this irresponsible city council from being absolutely disastrous in its decision-making.

Samuels and his neighbors are now suing the city to add more police. Based on a per-capita mandate in the city's charter, Minneapolis must have around 750 officers. Because so many have quit or out on long-term leave, some struggling with PTSD, the department is currently about 100 officers below that number, says James Dickey, the attorney for the group of eight residents suing.

James Dickey: There really shouldn't be a fight like this. It shouldn't be that the city is being forced against its will, almost it seems like, to put a certain number of officers on the streets of Minneapolis to protect its citizens. It shouldn't be a struggle. It should just be something that is good public policy, that when citizens are crying out for protection, that the city provides it. (MORE - details)