With Violent Crime Still Plaguing Americans, Democrats Can’t Stop Talking About Defunding Police

Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) Recently Suggested Defunding Some Law Enforcement Organizations

SEN. CHRIS MURPHY (D-CT): “I think we're going to have to have a conversation about that in the United States Senate. Do we want to continue to supply funding to law enforcement in counties that refuse to implement state and federal gun laws? …”
CNN’s DANA BASH: “So, you want to withhold money for law enforcement?”
MURPHY: “I think we have to have a conversation about whether we can continue to fund law enforcement in states where they are refusing to implement these gun laws.” (CNN’s “State of the Union,” 11/27/2022)

Meanwhile, ‘During The Last Three Years, Homicides Nationwide Have Reached Their Highest Levels In Decades’

“During the last three years, homicides nationwide have reached their highest levels in decades. The deadly spike coincided with the onset of the coronavirus pandemic: The rate of killings rose nearly 30 percent in 2020 and remained high through the following year, according to a Washington Post database created to track the toll. Even now, as the bloodshed has slowed, the homicide rate outpaces pre-pandemic levels…. [P]eople [were] killed on city streets and inside their homes, deaths that seldom attract national attention and cases that rarely involve high-profile prosecutions. In many, an arrest has yet to be made.” (“These Are Nine Stories From America’s Homicide Crisis,” The Washington Post, 11/27/2022)

“The slayings have left a trail of grieving families, neighborhoods in mourning and an untold number of people dealing with the trauma of sudden, brutal loss. And the toll is not equally borne. Gun crime disproportionately impacts people of color, especially Black men. Victim data collected from each city profiled here show Black people made up more than 80 percent of the total homicide victims in 2020 and 2021. And while data show gun deaths have surged around the country, a number of cities lead the way.” (“These Are Nine Stories From America’s Homicide Crisis,” The Washington Post, 11/27/2022)

The Recent Thanksgiving Weekend Featured Violent Crimes Committed In Cities Across The Country

Louisville, Kentucky

“Police said a Louisville woman got a knock at her door, and when she opened it to see who it was, a man forced his way in and sexually assaulted her. According to an arrest report, it happened early Monday morning at an apartment complex … in Louisville's Pleasure Ridge Park neighborhood.” (“Woman Sexually Assaulted After Police Say Man Broke Into Her Pleasure Ridge Park Apartment,” WDRB, 11/29/2022)

“Police say a man was shot to death Thursday night in Louisville's Russell neighborhood…. When officers arrived, they found a man who had been shot several times. Police say he was rushed to UofL Hospital in critical condition, where he later pronounced dead.” (“Man Shot To Death In Louisville's Russell Neighborhood On Thanksgiving Day,” WDRB, 11/24/2022)

“A teenage girl was taken to the hospital after being shot while walking alone in the Algonquin neighborhood on Saturday night, according to Louisville Metro Police.” (“Teenage Girl Shot While Walking Alone In Algonquin Neighborhood, LMPD Says,” WDRB, 11/26/2022)

Atlanta, Georgia

“Atlanta Police detectives stayed busy on Thanksgiving across the city as officers responded to at least three separate shootings before 5 p.m. in which one turned into a homicide…. Today's shootings make 22 shootings that Atlanta Police have reported their officers have responded to since November 1. Of those, eight have turned into a homicide.” (“Atlanta Police Work At Least 3 Thanksgiving Shootings -- One Being A Homicide,” 11 Alive, 11/24/2022)

“Police are searching for two suspects accused of robbing three convenience stores in south Atlanta and DeKalb County by smashing gaming machines with a sledgehammer before driving away. Atlanta police shared photos of the suspects taken from security camera footage captured during a robbery Saturday ... A man seen wearing a yellow beanie and yellow hoodie under a denim jacket smashed the gaming machines in the southwest Atlanta store, police said. After using a small sledgehammer to break into the machines, the man demanded money from the store clerk, according to police…. Investigators believe the two suspects are responsible for similar robberies that took place within a short timeframe.” (“Cops: Suspects Robbed 3 Metro Atlanta Convenience Stores With Sledgehammer,” The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 11/28/2022)

“The person killed in a shooting Saturday night near a popular Atlanta shopping destination was 12 years old, and the five people who were injured were all minors, officials said Sunday. Mayor Andre Dickens on Sunday confirmed the ages of the victims, and police suggested that a few juveniles who were among them during the violence will be arrested in connection with the fatality…. The victims and suspects were part of a group of teenagers ejected from Atlantic Station on Saturday before gunfire erupted just outside the shopping center about 8 p.m., police said. ‘Everybody involved was a teenager, and we recovered three handguns from the scene yesterday,’ the [police] chief said.” (“Victim In Atlanta Shooting Was 12 Years Old, Mayor Says,” NBC News, 11/27/2022)

“An 18-year-old was killed and three others, including a 15-year-old, were injured Friday in a shooting after they attempted to break into a DeKalb County home, police said…. During the attempted home invasion, police said there was an exchange of gunfire with a man who lives at the home with four other family members.” (“Teen Killed, 3 Others Injured In DeKalb Attempted Home Invasion, Cops Say,” The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 11/26/2022)

Las Vegas And Reno, Nevada

“It was on Thanksgiving Day that bullets went flying outside a Jack-in-the-Box drive-thru on Las Vegas Boulevard and Craig when two men started to fight, and the other pulled a gun and fired. Las Vegas Metropolitan Department Police said one man died while two others were also shot but survived…. The deadly shooting was just one of seven homicide investigations from Thanksgiving through Sunday. Police said they investigated two from the list days apart on Hassell Avenue.” (“Crime Spikes Thanksgiving Weekend In Las Vegas,” KSNV, 11/29/2022)

“The location where police said a man murdered his neighbor in a dispute over a parking spot is across the street from the home where investigators suspect a man killed a 22-year-old woman before his father helped him move the body. The murders happened across the street from each other on Tipper Avenue — a row of about four dozen homes — near Hacienda Avenue and Nellis Boulevard in the southeast Las Valley valley, documents the 8 News Now Investigators reviewed Tuesday said.” (“Las Vegas Neighborhood Site Of 2 Murders Across Street From Each Other,” KLAS, 11/29/2022)

“Washoe County sheriff's deputies have arrested a 44-year-old suspect in a pair of arson fires in the Reno area this summer, including one that destroyed a home off the Mount Rose Highway. Matthew Kimmens was being held Sunday at the Washoe County Jail on a dozen criminal counts…. Kimmens is accused of starting two separate fires Aug. 14 on Joy Lake Road. One home was destroyed. Three neighboring homes suffered significant property damage, authorities said. The sheriff's office says the fires were ‘willfully and maliciously set.’ In addition to numerous counts of arson and destruction of property, Kimmens faces two domestic battery charges.” (“Suspect Accused Of Arson, Battery In Reno, NV,” The Associated Press, 11/29/2022)

Columbus, Ohio

“Chanel Jack is one of many victims to car theft at the hands of teens. Over the summer, Whitehall Police Department officers reported several juveniles in a stolen blue Hyundai ramming into police cruisers while trying to escape. Police said the driver of the car was 16 and three passengers were aged 15, 13 and 12…. The same worry is coming from Jack, a youth outreach volunteer who said she too was the victim of a young car thief. Jack built a following by empowering youth to be kind and supportive to one another…. Over the summer, she was invited to speak at a youth summit for teens who want to be influencers…. While she was inside trying to instill good, three teens were outside stealing her brand new Nissan. It was stolen in a matter of three minutes. She isn’t the only one. The Franklin County Sheriff's Office said there are 42% more crime reports that involve a juvenile than at this time last year. In Jack's case, the Sheriff's office said that they are seeing crimes committed in groups, with 2-3 teens involved.” (“Columbus Youth Influencer Falls Victim To Teen Car Thieves,” Spectrum News 1, 10/26/2022)

“A man is recovering after someone shot into his car in southwest Columbus early Friday morning. The shooting happened along Himbrick Court just after 12:30 a.m. Police investigators said the man was sitting in his car when another car pulled up and someone started shooting at him. The victim was shot three times and at least two other cars were struck by bullets, police said.” (“Man Shot 3 Times While Sitting In His Car In Southwest Columbus,” WSYX, 11/25/2022)

“Columbus police were investigating two more homicides Wednesday, including a body found in a pond along a walking trail on the city's West Side and a man found shot inside a home.” (“West Side Trail Closed After Body Found In Pond; Man Found Shot In South Linden Home,” The Columbus Dispatch, 11/23/2022)

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

“Four students were injured in an apparent drive-by shooting shortly after their Philadelphia high school let out early for the day late Wednesday morning, a city schools spokesperson said. City police said a 15-year-old girl was shot in the shoulder and thigh, a 15-year-old girl was shot in the shoulder, a 16-year-old boy suffered a graze wound to the face and a gunshot wound to the hand, and a 16-year-old boy was shot in the leg. All four were getting hospital treatment and were in stable condition…. The shooting took place about a block from Overbrook High School in West Philadelphia, where school let out early because of parent-teacher conferences, the district’s deputy chief of communications, Monique Braxton, said in a phone interview. Braxton said the district’s Office of School Safety told her the students were at a corner store when the shooting occurred…. ‘This is outrageous, that young people would be shot shortly after being dismissed from their high school,’ Braxton said.” (“4 Philly Teens Shot In Drive-By As High School Lets Out Early For Conferences,” The Associated Press, 11/23/2022)

“Bensalem police charged a 16-year-old township resident with homicide after the teen allegedly told an acquaintance on an Instagram video chat that he killed someone, showed the bloody scene, and asked for help in cleaning it up and disposing of the body. Shortly after 4 p.m. Friday, police received a 911 call from a woman who said her daughter had received an Instagram video call from an acquaintance … who said he had just killed someone, police said Saturday. The caller then flipped the video image, showing the legs and feet of someone covered in blood, police said…. Inside the trailer, police said, officers found a 13-year-old girl dead on the bathroom floor with an apparent gunshot wound to the chest …” (“Bensalem Teen Charged In Homicide After Showing Body On Instagram Video Call, Police Say,” The Philadelphia Inquirer, 11/26/2022)

New York City

“A New York man faces up to five years in prison after pleading guilty to federal charges that he conspired to commit hate crimes in three attacks on Jewish people, in a case that drew attention to the rising number of bias-motivated attacks in that state…. In 2020, hate crimes in the United States rose to the highest level since 2001, according to federal data, and attacks on Jewish people in New York spiked last year and in the first few months of 2022.” (“New York Man Pleads Guilty To Hate Crimes Against Jewish People,” The Washington Post, 11/28/2022)

“The sex attacker busted for raping two women at the same Bronx hotel threatened to kill one with a knife and the other with a hammer before stealing money using an app on their smartphones, according to new court papers…. In 2015, he was arrested and charged with rape and acting in a manner injurious to a child after he allegedly raped a 15-year-old girl, police said.” (“Bronx Rapist Threatened Women With Hammer, Knife As He Demanded Money: Court Papers,” New York Daily News, 11/28/2022)

“Commuters recently boarding trains into Manhattan from Nassau and Westchester said they were uneasy navigating Pennsylvania Station, some of which has been under construction; unnerved by the apparent proliferation of homeless encampments and open drug usage in Midtown; and now looked over their shoulder on the subway for people who appear to be mentally disturbed…. ‘I wouldn’t go into the city even if they paid me,’ a retired dental hygienist said as she mailed a letter in Oyster Bay. A 41-year-old lawyer from Rockville Centre said she sometimes wondered if she would make it home at night alive. A financial adviser from North Salem in Westchester County said it felt like the worst days of the 1980s and 1990s had returned … ‘I have kids who live in Manhattan, and I am every day scared,’ Lisa Greco, an empty nester … said as she waited at a nail salon in Pleasantville, in Westchester.” (“Meet the Voters Who Fueled New York’s Seismic Tilt Toward the G.O.P.,” The New York Times, 11/27/2022)

Washington, DC

“A teenage boy was fatally shot over the weekend in the Anacostia neighborhood of Southeast D.C., according to the Metropolitan Police Department…. The deadly shooting adds to the already grim toll that gun violence has taken on children in the District this year. As of Monday, 18 kids have died by homicide in D.C. this year, per a statistic provided by MPD…. A recent report by WUSA9 found that at least 128 children have been the victims of gun violence in D.C. this year.” (“A 16-Year-Old Boy Was Fatally Shot Over The Weekend In Southeast D.C.,” DCist, 11/28/2022)

“A Metrobus was traveling along the M6 route in D.C. around 1 p.m. Saturday when a regular drive took a turn for the worst: gunfire struck the bus in a bout of road rage involving a nearby driver. Metro Transit Police responded to the area, near Southern Avenue and Pennsylvania Avenue Southeast, where they say a driver in a private car fired at the bus, shooting the back and front. Five people were onboard, including the operator. Thankfully, no injuries have been reported.” (“Metrobus Shot, Police Search For Car Involved In Saturday DC Road Rage,” WUSA9, 11/27/2022)

“Around dinnertime on Thanksgiving Day, two young girls were charged with robbery after what police called a forceful and violent encounter in Southwest, D.C. The 12 and 13-year-old girls were found and arrested after the incident, which occurred in the 300 block of I Street just after 8 p.m., about a five-minute walk from Waterfront Metro station. A total of three suspects approached a victim and forced them to hand over property, according to DC Police. All three then left the scene, and responding police found two of the young girls.” (“12, 13-Year-Old Girls Arrested For Violent Thanksgiving Robbery In SW DC, WUSA9, 11/27/2022)