Is DC a safe city?
Much discussion to that effect in the wake of the shooting of liberal blogger Brian Beutler. I think Ezra sums up the feeling that most of us yuppie types have in this post:
On the other hand, things are getting better. In 1991, DC’s homicide rate was 81 per 100,000 residents — the highest in the country. In 2006, it was 29.1 per 100,000 residents, the lowest rate since the 80s. But it sure doesn’t feel safe. Some days, you finish keeping watch on your hospitalized friend and decide to get a drink. Sitting at the bar, you see police lights reflected in the glass. The ice cream shop across the street was just hit by armed robbers. Of course it was. Happened a few years ago, too. You laugh with your friends about it being the unluckiest ice cream shop in town (“What? Did the candy story have too complicated a lock?”), and then start talking about the new frozen yogurt place that opened up in Dupont. About time we had one of those, you say. Crime has become a conversational bridge, like talk of the weather or traffic.
In other words: The city’s way safer than it used to be; portions of the city once considered off-limits (like, say, where I live in Southeast) are open to all; it’s still a dangerous, dangerous place you need to be careful in. But the question we need to ask ourselves is: why isn’t it safer?
Is it a question of ineffective policing strategies? Should DC put more cops on the streets and have them walk regular beats? Is it a question of a revolving door prison system that seems more concerned with protecting the rights of juvenile offenders than the rights of their victims? Is it a question of density? There are plenty of areas in DC that, though densely populated by suburban standards, are virtual ghost towns at night–poorly lit, not well trafficked, and especially prone to this kind of behavior. Is it the same way in New York City? I must admit: I’ve only been to NYC a half dozen times, but I’ve never felt terribly unsafe because there’s usually a steady amount of foot traffic (at least, there tends to be in the areas I’ve visited). Would a closed-circuit camera have caught this guy’s face and made it easier to identify him, thus lowering the odds that someone in the future would have to suffer a similar fate?
Are the root causes of crime really that much worse in DC than in other large cities? Is the poverty rate more striking here than in other cities? Is the breakdown of the two-parent household that much more pronounced? The education system has failed for decades, but how do we fix it? DC already spends more money per student than just about anywhere else in the country–if dollars aren’t the answer, what is? Is the community handcuffing the police by not cooperating (the odious “stop snitching” campaign, etc.)? Are community leaders handcuffing the DC council by pushing for lenient punishments for juveniles? Even if one, or all, of these factors are in play, how do we deal with them?
Thoughts? I feel like this is the sort of question James is better equipped to tackle than myself, being largely theoretical in nature, but it’s been bothering me all week. There’s no easy fix here–as much as I dig handguns and think that Heller was properly decided, I don’t think doling out concealed-carry permits is the solution. More police would be nice, but they won’t make any difference without a better policing strategy. The community breeding these problems should be aided, but pouring good money after bad hasn’t gotten us anything so far. So what do we do? Wait until gentrification has pushed the poorest elements into the outer suburbs? Throw every violent criminal ages 13 and up into the big house for 20 years? Wait until vigilante groups roam the street protecting law-abiding citizens from the baser portions of humanity? What. Do. We. Do?