A Look at D.C.’s Unsolved Murders Exposes a Dark Side Of Our Nation’s Capital Laura Dimon's avatar image By Laura Dimon January 13, 2014 22 COMMENTS | 1797 VIEWS | 67 SHARES 8 In 2013, there were 104 homicides in Washington, D.C. Of those murders, 53 cases went unsolved. And of those 53 unsolved cases, 51 involved black victims.
Black residents account for roughly 50% of Washington, D.C.'s, population, but almost 100% of the city's unsolved murder victims (pictured below).
What might be the most shocking part of this is just how unshocking it actually is. "Unfortunately, it's very typical," said Richard Bennett, a professor of criminology at American University.
Image Credit: Metropolitan Police Department and homicidewatch.org
There are many layers behind why this is the case.
Ninety-two of the 104 homicides — or 88% — took place in predominantly African American districts: the 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th. The homicides are usually "assaults gone awry," Bennett said.
The clearance rate, meaning the percentage of solved cases, for 2013 was 81.8%. A clearance can happen in two ways: Either an arrest is made, or there is an exception (for example, when it's clear who is responsible for a homicide or suicide, but he or she is dead). Bennett said that for an urban area, D.C.'s clearance rate is "pretty good."
One of the reasons why so many homicides go unsolved, however, is because they are gang-related (or crew-related, smaller gang subgroups divided by housing unit), Bennett said. In such cases, those involved may not cooperate with the police, and even threaten each other to not talk to the police.
Image credit: New York Times
Gwendolyn Crump, a communications officer for the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department, wrote in an email, "One must also consider that there are numerous variables that effect whether or not a case will close. These include available evidence, availability and cooperation of witnesses, and whether or not the perpetrator and the victim had a relationship. The detectives work diligently to close each and every case regardless of a victim’s race, gender, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, or any other characteristic."
"For the past several years," she wrote, "the District has maintained historically low homicide rates. The 2013 year-end closure rate of MPD's homicide division was 80% which is significantly higher than the national average of 51% for cities of comparable size. The fact is the Department expends great resources to prevent homicides and to arrest the perpetrators of those that do occur."
Still, it cannot be dismissed that black residents make up half of the city's population, but far over half of the city's residents living in poverty. The chart below illustrates just how stark the gap is.
Image Credit: City-Data
Michael Hardaway, who worked as a political operative in the capital for many years, said, "D.C. is a tale of two cities. Extreme poverty, wanton violence and lack of opportunity are a reality for many children and families who live there. That is unforgivable."
In just a few weeks, President Barack Obama will deliver his State of the Union address and focus on income inequality and lack of economic mobility. He'll give his speech from a fancy podium in an elegant room packed mostly with suit-clad white men. Meanwhile, there's a chance that just two miles away in southwest D.C., or three miles away in Skyland, shots will be fired and someone will be killed.
As the debate on income inequality heats up in 2014, politicians should not ignore the city under their very noses.
Is buying stolen goods the crime or is it the person that is stealing the criminal? The mayor is addressing crime after it is committed. As far as drug activity, not a crime, it's a social issue. Why are there so many drug addicts in Schenectady-because of neighborhood convienent stores?
This mayor fails at deductive logic. But that is a common trait among all politicians. Using government force for the sake of saying you are doing something.
The mayor is allegedly a trained investigator, that's what gets me. He really should know better, there is no reason for him not to know whose job it is to handle criminal activity, and how they should do it. But no, he has to go showing off, acting like a one-man super hero crimestopper character from a comic book. Who is doing his job while he's out playing action hero?
The mayor is allegedly a trained investigator, that's what gets me. He really should know better, there is no reason for him not to know whose job it is to handle criminal activity, and how they should do it. But no, he has to go showing off, acting like a one-man super hero crimestopper character from a comic book. Who is doing his job while he's out playing action hero?
he is a super hero - he will be using arrest data gathered for the NYC DA'a by the NYC PD - "arrest data" is a potential NYDCJS database project - the cop on the street will not see your convections but all your contact with any PD in the state
the key wording here is arrest data - not conviction data - in NYS you are not innocent until proven guilty - you are guilty if you have ever had contact with a police officer
ad the last world wide open government conference held in smalbany NY the Mayor's jaw dropped to the floor when he found he could get this info if he shared his with NYC
the Mayor is also working with the State on a Property Inspection Database - code enforcement stuff
Wasn't he going to crack down on the illegal bars in the City too?
How about the pit bull issue in the City? What did he do then?
This is simply another political 'idea' which will never come to fruition. Guess he ran out of material for his speech...all his other bad ideas have been tried and failed thus far!
Stratton and Cuomo love each other because each had an important dad who amounted to something on his own. Cuomo hates Schenectady, and I think he hates McCheese as well.
Milk, cigarettes, lottery and ... Proliferation of small stores in Electric City fuels allegations of illegal activity By Paul Nelson Published 11:44 pm, Sunday, January 19, 2014
Shop owner Eusebio Morel remembers the good old days when his grocery store was among three on Albany Street between Brandywine and Veeder avenues.
By his estimate, that number has increased fivefold.
And Morel claims some of those businesses have an unfair competitive edge because of their alleged involvement in illegal activity.
Morel, who owns Fabio Grocery on Albany Street, blames the city for creating the problem.
"Why they allow so many grocery stores in a poor neighborhood like this?" he asked recently, adding "It's making a lot of stress for the people like me struggling to work hard legally to support my family."
City Building Inspector Eric Shilling acknowledged the proliferation of the corner stores, saying they "seem to defy the law of supply and demand."
"As fast as they dissolve themselves, they seem to pop up," Shilling noted.
Relief for law-abiding shop owners may be on the way following Mayor Gary McCarthy's state-of-the-city speech last week in which he vowed that his administration would drive rogue merchants out of business.
The crackdown is similar to a crackdown McCarthy launched last year against problem bars and nightclubs that resulted in several of them closing.
The mayor didn't release any names, but he said some of the stores they plan to target peddle drugs, fence stolen property and sell prohibited merchandise like loose cigarettes, commonly known on the street as "loosies."
He said he also suspects that some shop owners aren't paying sales or income tax or are concealing income through what he described as "creative accounting."
Police Chief Brian Kilcullen said the department plans to target the "worst of the worst" offenders.
"It's a handful of locations that we're dedicating resources to," Kilcullen said. "We tend not to have problems at locations that have responsible business owners, but if you're not responsible we'll address the deficiencies or force you to comply or force you to close."
Chief Kilcullen and McCarthy said the city is in the process of partnering enforcement efforts with state agencies, including the Department of Taxation and Finance, Liquor Authority and Department of Labor.
A man who identified himself as the owner of the State Street convenience Deli & Grocery said he wasn't aware of the upcoming crackdown but noted he was all for the effort.
"We don't want to ruin the businesses and neighborhood," said Raj, who declined to give his last name.
Morel said police and city officials recently paid him a visit and told him, much to his surprise and chagrin, that he needed to get a certificate of use license. The license cost him $200.
He said he also suspects that some shop owners aren't paying sales or income tax or are concealing income through what he described as "creative accounting."
Police Chief Brian Kilcullen said the department plans to target the "worst of the worst" offenders.
"It's a handful of locations that we're dedicating resources to," Kilcullen said. "We tend not to have problems at locations that have responsible business owners, but if you're not responsible we'll address the deficiencies or force you to comply or force you to close." [/b ]Chief Kilcullen and McCarthy said the city is in the process of partnering enforcement efforts with state agencies,[b] including the Department of Taxation and Finance, Liquor Authority and Department of Labor.
What a joke, this while the IRS is at City Hall going through their books.
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