The Red State Murder Problem

[Nevilledog]

https://www.thirdway.org/report/the-red-state-murder-problem


Every news outlet from FOX to CNN to The New York Times to local newspapers has a story with attention-grabbing headlines like “US cities hit all-time murder records.” Fox News and Republicans have jumped on this and framed it as a “Democrat” problem. They blame it on Democrat’s “soft-on-crime” approach and have even referred to a New York District Attorney’s approach as “hug-a-thug.” Many news stories outside of Fox have also purported that police reform is responsible for this rise in murder and have pointed to cities like New York and Los Angeles.

There is a measure of truth to these stories. The US saw an alarming 30% increase in murder in 2020. While 2021 data is not yet complete, murder was on the rise again this past year. Some “blue” cities, like Chicago, Baltimore, and Philadelphia, have seen real and persistent increases in homicides. These cities—along with others like Los Angeles, New York, and Minneapolis—are also in places with wall-to-wall media coverage and national media interest.

But there is a large piece of the homicide story that is missing and calls into question the veracity of the right-wing obsession over homicides in Democratic cities: murder rates are far higher in Trump-voting red states than Biden-voting blue states. And sometimes, murder rates are highest in cities with Republican mayors.

For example, Jacksonville, a city with a Republican mayor, had 128 more murders in 2020 than San Francisco, a city with a Democrat mayor, despite their comparable populations. In fact, the homicide rate in Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s San Francisco was half that of House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy’s Bakersfield, a city with a Republican mayor that overwhelmingly voted for Trump. Yet there is barely a whisper, let alone an outcry, over the stunning levels of murders in these and other places.

*snip*

[SheltieLover]

1. Kicking for visibility

[ck4829]

2. K&R

[mopinko]

3. whatever could be the connection, i wonder?

[underpants]

4. Good info. Everything they promote is nonsense

and projection

[CrispyQ]

5. Great article!

This is the first time I've read any comparisons. Interesting the difference between republican mayors & democratic mayors.

snip...

For example, Jacksonville, a city with a Republican mayor, had 128 more murders in 2020 than San Francisco, a city with a Democrat mayor, despite their comparable populations. In fact, the homicide rate in Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s San Francisco was half that of House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy’s Bakersfield, a city with a Republican mayor that overwhelmingly voted for Trump. Yet there is barely a whisper, let alone an outcry, over the stunning levels of murders in these and other places.

Those charts need to go viral!

[albacore]

6. Red states murder rates are higher than blue state murder rates...

...along with porn consumption, teen pregnancy, illiteracy, etc, etc.

"According to 2019 FBI data, seven out of ten states with the highest per-capita rates of violent crime voted Republican in the 2020 election. In contrast, seven out of ten states with the lowest rates voted Democrat. However, the District of Columbia had the highest rate despite voting blue."

https://repustar.com/fact-briefs/do-red-states-rank-higher-in-violent-crime-rates-than-blue-states

[OMGWTF]

12. Covid deaths are also much higher in red states

It's like the trash is taking itself out.

[phylny]

7. Sigh.

“For example, Jacksonville, a city with a Republican mayor, had 128 more murders in 2020 than San Francisco, a city with a Democrat mayor….”

D E M O C R A T I C mayor.

[jaxexpat]

16. Absolutely! Also, it used to be proper to say, "Democrat as mayor".

In either case, it's disheartening to see how the meanness and perversity has so casually set into the lexicon.

[LogicFirst]

21. THANK YOU.

[CrispyQ]

22. One of my right wing cousins complained to me that our side thinks their side is stupid.

I said, "In our defense, you vote against your own best interests, & you continue to use a noun as an adjective." He gave me a confused look, so I explained, "When you say Democrat Party instead of Democratic Party, I know you think you're rankling us, but really, you just sound ignorant."

[modrepub]

8. Two Contributors

First, the inability of some folks to process statistics. Which is more dangerous, a room with 10 folks where 3 will be killed or a room with 100 people where 17 will be killed. The first is 30% and the second is 17%. I bet there'd be a lot of folks who'd say they'd take their chances in the first room (because only 3 people died versus 17).

Second, most rural areas lack anything that resembles a press organization in it. Most cities still have some semblance of news reporting organizations, maybe even more than one. Kind of like a tree falling in the forest problem (does it make a noise?).

The old adage, if it bleeds it leads probably also doesn't help.

[NoMoreRepugs]

18. Third contributor is often more lax gun laws.

[SunSeeker]

9. K & R & Bookmarked!

[IronLionZion]

10. The red state answer will be more guns

so since they have murders, they need more guns, and then they'll have even more murders and need even more guns. Rinse and repeat the cycle.

The fellow arrested for murdering homeless people in DC and NYC didn't have mental illness since he is black, but we should still support his right to bear arms.

[marieo1]

11. Bizarre behavior

I blame it all on DJT and all Reps that, by their bizarre behavior and encouragement of these people, gave permission these people to do the things against our society that they have been doing. DJT and his followers in congress and on our streets should be sent to Russia or locked up permanently!!! They are a detriment to our society!!

[KS Toronado]

13. Typical MSM, always bash Democrats

They want Rs back in charge for more tax breaks and loopholes.

[mountain grammy]

14. K & R

[Traildogbob]

15. Gotta agree with repugs here

We ARE way to soft on crime. Look at what elected thugs and ex presidents never answer for. I think it’s time “Democrat” hammers come down hard on white color crimes that hit millions at one time. The number of deaths by guns and their owners is sickening and we need to act. But the number of dead from trump, Bush, Cheney, Nixon policies or lack there of, far outnumber gun deaths, and that is also blood on their hands. We need to go hard after second amendment abuse, and scream back at GQP, we “Democrat” libs are bringing the hammer down on crime. Then lock up trump et al, and scream tough on crime. Suck it you treasonous GQP lie spewing gaping mouths.
The dead from GQP BS on convid shit is still killing a thousand a week as we decide, oh we are done with covid. And while we are at it, lock up CEO’s spewing cancer through our population, then making billions to try a save victims or give em a few months longer, to continue taking their cash until the last breath.

[Victor_c3]

17. Statistics tend to have a liberal bias

I believe that’s a Steven Colbert quote…

[Hieronymus Phact]

19. It's a big story...

because republicans MAKE it a big story.
Democrats still think that someone else will do that job for them.

[k0rs]

20. Not just cities

I live in an exceptionally red county in rural Colorado. Trump yard signs were (and some still are) everywhere. Some of these rural mountain counties are huge. This county is almost twice the size of Rhode Island state. The sheriff has been pleading with the board of county commissioners for more deputies to cover the entire area. As it stands there are no night time officers on duty. If you need a sheriff after dark, one has to be called out from his home. We have only 4 or 5 deputy sheriffs. The number varies because the wages are so low that they can't keep them on staff. The county sheriff says he needs 15~17 deputies to provide even the minimum coverage. The excuse is always the same: "We ain't got no money." If "law and order" Repugs can't provide funding for law enforcement you can imagine the state of our road maintenance? Who exactly is it again that's de-funding law enforcement?

[Aristus]

23. They've got the guns, the bad tempers, the poor socialization skills, and the chronic, seething

resentments.

No surprise Red State America has so many murders.