Official Greater Philadelphia Area Crime Thread (Republic, Oklahoma: modern, glass, beauty)

[Muinteoir]

IDK how anyone in their right mind tolerates this thread anymore. In my opinion, many of the "customers of the month" on this thread are a bunch of keyboard warriors who don't give a sh*t about actual victims of crime. They are just here out of political motivation and trauma voyeurism. It's disgusting. I am definitely not Philadelphia's #1 upstanding citizens, but in my day job, I work with children and families who come from the communities most frequently impacted by crime. I make time out of my work hours to connect with, listen to, and talk with these people. I attend community events organized by people with whom are not in the social circles I initially inherited/acquired upon moving to Philadelphia, but in circles I've come in contact with through work. I donate what money I can (not much) to causes local to Philadelphia. I try to be an active participate in improving people's lives. I say all of this truly knowing I am not citizen of the month, or some savior. I just try to be an actively positive person in my communities. But I don't go online every day to pontificate about why some people's lives are so traumatic while having absolutely zero contact with them. Like dang. I guess I need to start using the mute button.

[MPK21]

Interesting that some need to label discussion in the Philly crime thread as not giving a sh^t about crime victims and being politically motivated when the current crime upsurge sweeping the city generally is the result of political motivation as progressive, racial, and identity politics have taken hold of Philly.

It's nice that some people use their daily lives to treat others with respect etc. without being saviors (we're supposed to do this so why brag otherwise?) and then assume that ''pontificators'' have zero contact with them (victims of crime I guess) or do the same.

Yet then pontificates themselves while dropping alleged credentials about being able to discuss crime.

Sounds more like another case of ''i don't like the discussion, so no one should or can take part it in''; something these otherwise alleged self-professed do-gooders need to grow up about. I'm an expert cuz I allegedly go to meetings, so I control the narrative as I assume anyone else that is off my script is only a ''keyboard warrior'' without any real life experience in any topic, crime or otherwise.

[Muinteoir]

You've been talking about "the Left" this entire thread. You are politicizing it, and you are politically motivated. So are you posting to make a political point, or posting because you care about the victims of crime?

How do you explain the crime and homicide spike in Oklahoma City? Is Republican David Holt to blame? How about the crime spike in Colorado Springs? Do you blame their Republican mayor and DA? Where are the droves of leftists in these cities causing the spike?

So what interest do you really have in this thread, MPK21? Do you want people to come together to solve the problem of crime, or do you want to go on political rants about leftists while crime ravages our nation, transcending political lines?

You are pontificating this whole time. You seem to know the intricacies of family dynamics in communities where crime is disproportionate. What intel do you have that the rest of us lack?

You sound like the kind of person that can't take critique, so you think those criticizing you have no place in the discussion. Your professed know-betterism is tired, and it is clear you are out of touch with bridging paths toward real solutions. You don't like "leftists." We get it. Lamenting about them will not solve crime. Crime is up in "rightist" cities as well. I never called myself an expert, but if you think that makes me an "expert," you should probably examine what your place is, and what your tone should be while discussing crime that deeply and personally impacts many people. It's not a political football game.

[Redddog]

Originally Posted by MPK21

If all you see is BS ''spewing'', then move-on, ignore, and don't respond yet continue to refer to black males as animals, even worse than the Hillary-Biden 1994 Crime Act when black males were named ''super predators'' that resulted in the mass incarceration ''crisis'' in the black community; the same ''crisis'' Joebama-Harris are committed to ending because, after all, they now blame the mass incarceration crisis on, of course, ''systemic racism'' lol.

I refer to a person who has no regard for anyone's life as an animal. Any criminal. Any act of violence against an innocent person just going about their day as an animal. I said nothing about race or ethnicity. You're the one who labelled and categorized. Such a stupid trick you try to pull.

[toobusytoday]

MOD NOTE - The purpose of this thread is to corral crime posts to stay in one thread so as not to take over the Philadelphia page here on citi-data. Starting now, 5/26/19, I'm going to ask posters to post links when they cite crime activity to bring clarity to the thread. As per city-data TOS, no racist or rude remarks are allowed. Report comments that break the TOS, do not respond to off topic remarks - report them.

Here's ^^^ the purpose of this thread. Please stay on topic.

[MarketStEl]

Originally Posted by MPK21

Violent crime is everywhere, but in ''progressive'' left Philly we've only seen ''regressive'' results in homicides considering the increase of 40% from 2019-2020 and 58% homicide rise 2019-2021 with a whopping 129% increase from 2014-2021.

It appears we're just late to the game. Here's a stat regarding Oklahoma City's murder rate in 2014, from this Oklahoma Gazette article:

In 2006, Oklahoma City’s four-year homicide average was 49.2 a year. After last year’s 75 murders, the city’s current four-year average is 73.5, a 149-percent increase.

Now, the article goes on to note that the rate was trending downward. But this was at a time when murder rates were trending downward just about everywhere else.

By contrast, they've been trending up just about everywhere since the onset of the pandemic. Now, I do see that in 2021, murders in OKC reached a five-year low (source).

But then there's that Third Way report I posted elsewhere.

Then, this isn't really strictly a problem of cities run by progressives.

[thedirtypirate]

Originally Posted by MarketStEl

By contrast, they've been trending up just about everywhere since the onset of the pandemic. Now, I do see that in 2021, murders in OKC reached a five-year low (source).

But then there's that Third Way report I posted elsewhere.

Then, this isn't really strictly a problem of cities run by progressives.

I don't think comparing to OKC means anything. Philadelphia looks poised to finish with a higher murder rate than Detroit and DC for the first time ever. Something's not right here. It's not okay to just say it's national trends.

[MarketStEl]

Originally Posted by thedirtypirate

I don't think comparing to OKC means anything. Philadelphia looks poised to finish with a higher murder rate than Detroit and DC for the first time ever. Something's not right here. It's not okay to just say it's national trends.

It means something only in the context of "this is a problem exclusive to progressive, Democrat-run cities."

Otherwise, you're right.

[JamesJay64]

Originally Posted by thedirtypirate

I don't think comparing to OKC means anything. Philadelphia looks poised to finish with a higher murder rate than Detroit and DC for the first time ever. Something's not right here. It's not okay to just say it's national trends.

National trends are a big part of it, just not the ONLY thing to consider. The US had its highest ever single-year murder spike in 2020, and over 20 cities broke their records last year. Philly was in line with that trend, just like during years of homicides being down here and elsewhere. Homicides are up 20% this year in Atlanta, 40% in New Orleans, and up in Baltimore, Dallas, Phoenix, and Denver. We certainly don't exist in a vacuum, though at the same time changes need to be made here. For example in many other cities such as NYC and Detroit, leadership constantly announces new safety and policing initiatives they are working on to reduce crime. Why is that never the case here?

One relatively good thing: our homicide total is down by a couple percent compared to this time last year. I realize that’s next to nothing in terms of a decrease, but it is an early indicator that it’s actually slowing down (as opposed to continuously increasing) and would be in line with decreases in Chicago and NYC - going back to to the point of national trends.

[Muinteoir]

Originally Posted by thedirtypirate

I don't think comparing to OKC means anything. Philadelphia looks poised to finish with a higher murder rate than Detroit and DC for the first time ever. Something's not right here. It's not okay to just say it's national trends.

I don't think anyone is suggesting it's just national trends. I certainly am not. To think that would be just as reductionist as to think it's all Larry Krasner's fault (which I think he is partly to blame, but not fully, not even close). I think it is a complex, interwoven set of dynamics. Philadelphia has had a crime problem for decades. Even in Nutter's time, it was a problem, just less-so than it is now. I think what everyone's got to realize is that solving crime will take a multi-pronged, cross-idealogical approach. Rightists, centrists, nor leftists have a monopoly on the most logical and pragmatic approach. Really, we should be working to de-politicize the topic as much as possible.

FWIW, I was convinced by a lifelong resident who had voted for Krasner the first time, to vote for Vega. She was originally a big fan of Krasner's aspirations to partake in the movement to end mass incarceration. She believed him that he would focus on violent and serious crime. But, she said it was obvious the message he was sending was that there would not be serious consequences for serious crimes. After our conversation, I voted Vega.

I don't know how much better we'd be off at this point, if at all, but it certainly couldn't have hurt. Actually, I'm really hopeful for how a new mayor + the reduced PA corporate tax could help. Hopefully, with that combination, we get more living wage jobs in the city, plus more serious efforts to patrol high crime neighborhoods, pursue violent criminals, and eventually prosecute + convict them.

Another FWIW --> I also believe one thing that could *really* benefit our city is reduced class sizes in public K-12 schools. School is one means to life opportunity upon successful graduation, but it also is means to important connections outside of home life (which can be either traumatizing or neglectful for some of our city's children). The smaller the class size, the more attention that attention-needing children can receive both academically, and socially-emotionally. The more chance a student with a hard home life will defy odds. It's a personal plug, but I truly believe it would help.