2005 Reports Are Bad News for Struggling City

By Kelly Shue
THE ERICKSON TRIBUNE

In the midst of sluggish economic conditions and the exodus of an estimated 1,000 residents each month, Detroit continues to struggle with an alarming crime rate and increasingly dangerous conditions.

The 2005 Reports Are In

Despite high hopes that Detroit’s crime statistics would decrease in 2005, recent reports bear bad news. According to Morgan Quitno’s annual City Crime Rankings report, Detroit is the second most dangerous city in America. Only Camden, NJ is ranked higher. Adding to the dismal picture, in December 2005, the FBI and U.S. Attorney’s Office unveiled data indicating Michigan ranks third in the nation in documented hate crimes, with the majority of the crimes centering on race.

City and police officials broke the news in late December that “Detroit is on pace to tally the same number of murders in 2005 as last year”—a five percent increase over 2003. On the same day, the Detroit Free Press reported that “despite efforts by top city and county law enforcement officials to "change the culture" of violence that has gripped the city, the number of homicides hasn't budged much in recent years.”

"Crime has been part of our community for far too long,” says Detroit Police Spokesman James Tate, “and the effects are devastating."

Looking for Answers

With state and local officials committed to fighting crime in Detroit, the question remains – why aren’t the alarming crime rates falling? The answer may lie in the fact that hundreds of Detroit police officers have been laid off and a number of precinct buildings have been closed.

However, Frank McGhee, coordinator of the Neighborhood Service Organization’s Youth Initiatives Project has another opinion. In December he told the Detroit Free Press that “Detroit's problem is the easy access to illegal weapons on the streets. It's not uncommon to be able to go to a corner store in Detroit find out where to get a gun within minutes.”