I was reading the L.A. Times website and was startled to see a blog chronicling the murders in the city. The paper is recording all deaths caused by other human beings. The times gives a description of the murder and the victim. Watching this list grow weekly suddenly brought home just how many people are murdered over the course of a year. I read this with great interest given the problems Youngstown is currently facing.
Included in the L.A. Times blog is a map created by one of their readers. This was extremely interesting given how concentrated homicides seem to be in south L.A. and how the crime is reaching out to other areas of the city. Especially interesting from my Mahoning Valley perspective was this paragraph:
The map revealed both expected and unexpected patterns of homicide, Quick said. "You look at what's going on in South Los Angeles, and it's heartbreaking," he said. "But then you start to see it's not contained. There are these little tentacles that go out ... it brings home that this is not just a problem in one area." At the same time, Quick noted that some neighborhoods that people used to call dangerous, such as MacArthur Park, now have few homicides.
It is not unusual to hear Mahoning Valley residents talk about which side of Youngstown is worse than others. I decided to follow Michael Quick's example and create my own map of Youngstown homicides to see if patterns emerged. I plotted the murders as well as the names and ages of the victims. Clicking on the markers displays information about the crime. The map for 2006 can be seen here and for 2007 here. The 2006 map lists only 22 of the 32 murders committed. The 2007 map is missing information on one murder. I am still searching for information on these crimes and will update the maps as I find it. The "my maps" button in the links column will remain up so people can continue to view the maps.
Here are some observations based on the maps. Murders in the city appear to be spread primarily among the south side, north side and east side neighborhoods. The west side appears to have fewer murders. Murder victims for 2006 average 28.8 years of age with the youngest just a year old and the oldest 52.
In reviewing the data to create the maps I was struck with just how casual the brutality of the crimes seemed. To read about an abused one year old or a clerk at Autozone shot during a robbery seemed unreal. I wondered what any of these persons could have done to warrant such treatment and realized the answer was nothing. These and other murders were simply senseless.
The national murder rate in the United States is 5 persons per 100,000. In Youngstown it's about 43. The drastic steps taken so far by Mayor Jay Williams don't appear to be working. There are already 9 murders in the city in 2007. The accomplishments of the mayor's zero tolerance policy pale beside the continuing killings.
As I look over the maps I'm beginning to see why people are calling Ron Verb and Dan Rivers and speculating about the benefit of bringing the National Guard to the city to enforce law and order. Flooding the city with a surge of troops may reduce crime to a low enough level to force the criminals out and allow local authorities time to gain control over the area. If President Bush thinks it is a good idea for Baghdad then perhaps Youngstown could benefit as well.
In all seriousness, while I reviewed this data I realized that murder in this country is too prevalent. I know you know that but let me put it in perspective for you. The war in Iraq has cost us the lives of about 3,100 servicemen and women over the last four years. In 2005 16,692 people were murdered. It's long past time the country saw this crime as the problem it is and dealt with it accordingly. We need a paradigm shift that concentrates on preventing crime. We need to discover and address the problems that lead to crime.
- If criminals are killing each other and innocents over drug profits then the time has come to have a serious discussion about legalization.
- If we expect criminals to come out of prison rehabilitated but don't offer training and then send them back to the same circumstances that led them to crime why are we surprised when they commit more violent crimes?
- Why do we allow children to drop out of high school and then shake our heads in astonishment when they clog the courts and jails with drug convictions?
What do you think?
The 2007 map now includes all homicide victims recorded as of March 18th.
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4 comments:
I think TFTRB research is noble and truthful regarding this post. It should be reassuring to know that the courts, YPD, and YSU CJ department are aware of the information that you have outline. I do feel that your argument is little short-sided and over simplifies a complex problem..but there is still truth in your statements. Just saying that there's more to it than x,y,z regarding solutions and none are quick returns. However, one point I must very strongly disagree with is the National Guard option that some people in the radio talk shows and elsewhere have suggested. It is an absurd reccomendation and is nothing more than, in my opinion, an emotional response to a frustrating situation. The ramifications of of using military force is something you don't even want to think about - profiling, execution of maneuver, permanent negative perceptions, regional economic impact, constitutionality issues, etc. I could go on but won't because I don't think the idea warrants further discussion. Also, Zero Tolerance is a very effective tool in combating crime when combined with a PERMANENT increase in a patrol officers which the city is unable to do at present due to skeletal city budget. What is of particular interest is State Rep. Bocerri proposal to Gov. Strickland which requests Homeland Security money being allocated to hire 100 additional officer for each of the 15 most "distressed" in the state of Ohio. This would increase our patrol force 5 fold. Regardless, Zero Tolerance is not a permanent policing strategy. It is a periodic tool which, by the way, has taken over 50 individuals with serious felony warrants off the streets - this in only a 30 day period. It's about saturation and consistency. That is the "physical" approach to attacking crime. Another element is the economic and urban development aspect (ex. Youngstown 2010) and a third is a shift in attitude and awareness within the communities and beyond (ex. what we do). That's my 2 cents.
Good to hear from you and I'm glad you found the maps useful. As depressing as they were to assemble I hope they help in some way with the crime problem in the Valley and in the city.
I understand your resistance to the idea of the National Guard and I think you are correct in your assumption that if such a drastic step were taken it would hurt the city for years to come. Something must be done, though, and I think the discussion must include every conceivable option.
I applaud the mayor's use of zero tolerance and congratulate the city police department and the Ohio Stat Patrol for the accomplishments they have had thus far but the murder rate within the city has already surpassed last year's for the same time frame. I think the highest hurdle city leaders and residents face is the prevalence of violence within the community. There are segments of the population who see gunplay as an acceptable means to solve their problems.
For an example of this I point to the article in the Vindicator from Saturday that details women firing shots at another group of women over a boyfriend and some slashed tires. It's a short article but it shows how something seemlingly insignificant escalates to point where shots are fired in a residential neighborhood without regard to the other families or their children who live nearby. Does anyone truly believe those neighbors won't move away now at the earliest opportunity?
Youngstown is the heart of the Mahoning Valley. What happens there affects us all. If lawlessness prevails in the largest metroploitan area in the Valley then all communities will suffer. I sincerely hope Representative Boccieri can get his legislation passed. Another 100 police officers in the 15 largest metropolitan areas will help Ohio and just may save Youngstown.
http://www.vindy.com/content/local_regional/318237050612855.php
Wow, good job with the maps. I haven't lived there since 94 and assumed that most of the murders were younger people. I'm a 1993 grad of Wilson H.S and it's weird to see most of the people on the maps are around my age. I used to be friends with Jason McInnis. Crazy place I miss but glad I'm gone. Good job on the site and info, keep it up.
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