Violent Crime Spikes Across the Country, Not Just in Major Cities

BY JACK CROWE

August 03, 2020

Major cities, from New York, to Chicago, to Minneapolis — where George Floyd was killed — make headlines on a near-daily basis, no longer because social scientists and activists are worried about the speed of gentrification taking place there, but because they are wracked by a level of gun violence not seen in thirty years. But the alarming trend, taken by many as a sign that the middle class and rich will flee to work remotely from somewhere cheaper and safer, is also affecting smaller, less wealthy cities.

Thanks to a comprehensive analysis in the Wall Street Journal, we now knowthat reported homicides are up 24 percent across the country's 50 largest cities. Thirty-six of those cities, representing every region in the U.S., saw reported homicides rise by double digits.

Cities such as Phoenix, Ariz. (31.58 percent), Columbus, Ohio (19.35 percent), and Jacksonville Fla. (14.47 percent), are now grappling with the effects of large, existential forces — such as anti-police sentiment and the closure of mediating civic institutions like churches and community centers — that were set in motion far away from their city-limits.

Even as the rates of violent crime soared across the country, property crime fell. The divergence is extremely unusual, experts say, and the reason for it is not encouraging. The reason more people aren't being robbed on the street, and their homes aren't being broke into, is because they're at home all the time. There aren't victims on the street to mug and burglars don't want to come in through the window while everyone's home. But if the police maintain their defensive posture as people began to leave their homes in greater numbers, we may see property crime begin to track more closely with its violent counterpart.

Homicide rates in the nation's largest cities, it should be said, remain lower than they were in 1990. The rate of violent crime dropped 54 percent in U.S. cities from 1993 to 2018, instilling in many Americans a sense that the country was moving inexorably toward a safer future.

It once seemed impossible that we could slide, slowly but surely, back toward the America of the 1970s, but a combination of closed court systems, economic distress, and naked opportunism, borne of the realization that the police suddenly seem more timid, may be enough to send us back.

"It's a perfect storm out there. Not only are the courts not fully open, but don't fail to notice that there is a historic pandemic and economic crisis right now," New York Mayor Bill de Blasio told the Journal.

Birx Warns 'Extraordinarily Widespread' Pandemic Has Entered 'New Phase' in U.S.

Dr. Deborah Birx, the Trump administration's coronavirus response coordinator warned Sunday that the coronavirus epidemic has entered a "new phase" in the U.S., saying that the pathogen is present in many more areas across the country than it was during the spring months.

"What we are seeing today is different from March and April — it is extraordinarily widespread," Birx said during an interview on CNN. "It's into the rural as equal urban areas. And to everybody who lives in a rural area, you are not immune or protected from this virus."

During the early weeks of the outbreak in the U.S., the virus was largely concentrated in several major cities including Seattle and New York City, the country's virus epicenter for months. Since late June however, several southern and western states have seen their coronavirus case numbers spike, including California, Florida, Texas, Arizona and Georgia. Governors in several states have reimposed business closures and social distancing measures again after initially allowing sectors of their economies to reopen. (CNN)

Microsoft in Talks with Trump, ByteDance to Buy TikTok

Microsoft confirmed on Sunday that it is still in talks with Chinese technology company ByteDance to potentially purchase its short-form video app TikTok, days after President Trump said he opposed the idea of a Microsoft acquisition and that he would ban the app in the U.S.

"[Microsoft] is committed to acquiring TikTok subject to a complete security review and providing proper economic benefits to the United States, including the United States Treasury," Microsoft said in a blog post Sunday.

"During this process, Microsoft looks forward to continuing dialogue with the United States Government, including with the President," the company added.

Microsoft hopes to wrap up talks to purchase TikTok in the U.S., Canada, Australia and New Zealand by September 15 and might open the deal to other American investors, the statement said.

The president agreed to give ByteDance 45 days to negotiate a deal with Microsoft, Reuters reported. (Reuters, Microsoft)

Congress to Hold Hearing on 'Antifa' Violence

The Senate Subcommittee on the Constitution will hold a congressional hearing Tuesday on violence and criminal acts tied to Antifa.

The committee, chaired by Senator Ted Cruz (R., Texas), will hold a hearing titled "The Right of the People Peaceably to Assemble: Protecting Speech by Stopping Anarchist Violence."

"Americans have a constitutional right to gather, protest, and otherwise have their voices heard, but they must do so peacefully," Cruz said in a statement. "Antifa is fundamentally against free-speech and is using peaceful protests as a cover and an excuse to engage in violence and other criminal actions."

German Officials Urge Citizens to Delay Protests amid COVID Resurgence

After thousands of people took to the streets of Berlin to protest mask mandates and other measures to slow the spread of coronavirus, German politicians are warning of a potential second wave of the virus.

Markus Söder, the premier of the regional state of Bavaria and a potential candidate to succeed Chancellor Angela Merkel, warned on Twitter that "we have to expect that corona will come back again with full force. I am very worried about the rising case numbers in Germany. Total alertness is needed, and that's why now is not the time for easing restrictions or naive carelessness."

The protest, called "The end of the pandemic — day of freedom" was attended by some 17,000 people on Saturday, Politico reported. Some participants told media outlets the virus was "the biggest conspiracy theory."

Health Minister Jens Spahn cautioned on Twitter, "Yes, demonstrations should be possible in Corona times. But not like this. Distancing, hygiene rules and facemasks are meant to protect us all." (Politico)

NASA Astronauts aboard SpaceX Capsule Land Safely in Gulf of Mexico

Two NASA astronauts aboard the SpaceX capsule completed a successful journey back from the International Space Station on Sunday, landing safely in the Gulf of Mexico to complete a historic two-month mission.

The mission by NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley aboard SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft marked the first time astronauts used the Gulf as a landing site as well as the first time a private company, billionaire Elon Musk's SpaceX, launched astronauts into orbit.

"Today we really made history. We are entering a new era of human spaceflight," NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstein said after the successful splashdown.

SpaceX President and Chief Operating Officer Gwynne Shotwell expressed hope that the "extraordinary mission" will be the start of a new era of frequent space travel, including eventually to Mars.