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In case this isn't a rhetorical question, the homicide rate in DC is such that it beats out all 50 states by a considerable amount[0]. (The most murderous state

In case this isn't a rhetorical question, the homicide rate in DC is such that it beats out all 50 states by a considerable amount[0]. (The most murderous state, Louisiana, is roughly half as murderous as DC.) There were over 5000 auto thefts reported last year[1] in an area that has about 350k registered cars. Statistically speaking, more than one in a hundred cars were stolen in one year! Similarly, there were roughly 26k cases of property crime reported for an overall rate of property crime victimization of 3-4% of the population. If I lived in DC, my day-to-day life would be affected a whole lot more by this level of disorder than a political event that took place on one day in one building. Of course, you're free to value things differently, but it's an indictment of how much antisocial behavior some Americans are willing to tolerate that people are shocked by the statement that "crime in DC is bad". [0]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._states_by_intentional_homicide_rate https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._states_by_intenti... [1]: https://mpdc.dc.gov/dailycrime https://mpdc.dc.gov/dailycrime

bagels 1y ago
Okay, now do cities. DC is not a state.
- pixl97 1y ago
  They don't want to do that because they'd have to admit that Marksville LA has about twice the violent crime rate.
  - gottorf 1y ago
    I have no problem admitting that other cities have higher violent crime rates, though I have no particular knowledge of Marksville, LA. I'm not sure why you would suggest that. I would approve of stronger efforts of curbing violent crime in those places, as well. I feel terribly for the innocents who live in those cities, as much as do for those in DC.
- gottorf 1y ago
  Sure. At a rate of 26.6 homicides per 100k as of the conclusion of 2024, it would belong in the top 10 most murderous cities in the US, and would appear to fall in the top 100 in the world. I'm not sure what point you're trying to make. There are a handful of other American cities with worse crime, so we should give DC a pass? Constitutionally it belongs to the federal government, which devolved some level of home rule to the local government starting about 50 years ago. The evidence seems clear that local authorities aren't doing the job well.
  - johnbellone 1y ago
    When you don't give the local authorities the money and autonomy to do so it should not be a surprise that they cannot effectively do their duty. When you take a look at the trend of the data over time it doesn't tell a story of crime that isn't being managed. It may not be as quick or as thorough, but it has been downward trending.
    - gottorf 1y ago
      > When you don't give the local authorities the money and autonomy to do so DC spent over $26k per resident, well above the overall US federal budget of roughly $20k per person. And the DC budget doesn't even have to account for a globe-spanning military! What autonomy is it lacking that it can't put repeat violent offenders behind bars? > When you take a look at the trend of the data over time it doesn't tell a story of crime that isn't being managed. It may not be as quick or as thorough, but it has been downward trending. Outside of six whole years, the homicide rate in DC hasn't been under 20/100k in 50 years. "Downward trending" from 80 in 1990 to 20s now is great in isolation, but terrible when you realize that places like Paris and London are in the low single digits.
      - johnbellone 1y ago
        Perhaps it is worth going to actually read some of the limitations (representation, budget, taxation) of what the government of DC is actually capable of doing versus doing a simple straight line math exercise. Crime is a problem, but taken within context it isn't anywhere near as bad as Baltimore or Philadelphia. You keep citing the homicide rate but do not consider the geography and constraints of the capital region, i.e., some of the crime and violent offenders are from non-residents. You can't simply compare it to a city like London or Paris for many reasons.
- woodpanel 1y ago
  Sure thing. Here is the list of the top-20 murder-rated cities in the US: St. Louis, MO – Mayor Cara Spencer (DNC), DNC rule 76 years. Baltimore, MD – Mayor Brandon Scott (DNC), DNC rule 56 years. New Orleans, LA – Mayor LaToya Cantrell (DNC), DNC rule 153 years. Detroit, MI – Mayor Mike Duggan (ex DNC), DNC rule 63 years Cleveland, OH – Mayor Justin Bibb (DNC), DNC rule 35 years Las Vegas, NV – Mayor Carolyn Goodman (Husband of ex-DNC mayor), DNC rule 82 years Kansas City, MO – Mayor Quinton Lucas (DNC), DNC rule 34 years Memphis, TN – Mayor Paul Young (DNC), DNC rule 53 years. Newark, NJ – Mayor Ras Baraka (DNC), DNC rule 72 years. Chicago, IL – Mayor Brandon Johnson (DNC), DNC rule 94 years. Cincinnati, OH – Mayor Aftab Pureval (DNC), DNC rule 41 years Philadelphia, PA – Mayor Cherelle Parker (DNC), DNC rule 74 years Milwaukee, WI – Mayor Cavalier Johnson (DNC), DNC rule 65 years Tulsa, OK – Mayor Monroe Nichols (DNC), only outlier in this list with significant non-DNC mayors Pittsburgh, PA – Mayor Ed Gainey (DNC), DNC rule 91 years Indianapolis, IN – Mayor Joe Hogsett (DNC), DNC rule 9 years. Louisville, KY – Mayor Craig Greenberg (DNC), DNC rule 56 years Oakland, CA – Mayor Sheng Thao (DNC), DNC rule 48 years Washington, D.C. – Mayor Muriel Bowser (DNC), DNC rule 64 years Atlanta, GA – Mayor Andre Dickens (DNC), DNC rule 164 years
  - righthand 1y ago
    The DNC doesn’t “rule” over cities. Mayors are not DNC representatives or federally aligned. This is a disingenuous report with no sources and should be held with Extreme skepticism.
    - 55555 1y ago
      Obviously you’re right but my god that is a very troubling coincidence…
      - righthand 1y ago
        You honestly believe murder rate is higher in cities because the mayor is a Democrat? Or are cities with Democrat mayors much larger and diverse than Republic mayor cities? Do you think the people in Democrat cities vote in a Democrat mayor because they want more murder? You can read a million different things from a list of items with similar attributes. Especially one compiled without sources or any context of the regions of the US.

bagels 1y ago

Okay, now do cities. DC is not a state.

pixl97 1y ago
They don't want to do that because they'd have to admit that Marksville LA has about twice the violent crime rate.
- gottorf 1y ago
  I have no problem admitting that other cities have higher violent crime rates, though I have no particular knowledge of Marksville, LA. I'm not sure why you would suggest that. I would approve of stronger efforts of curbing violent crime in those places, as well. I feel terribly for the innocents who live in those cities, as much as do for those in DC.
gottorf 1y ago
Sure. At a rate of 26.6 homicides per 100k as of the conclusion of 2024, it would belong in the top 10 most murderous cities in the US, and would appear to fall in the top 100 in the world. I'm not sure what point you're trying to make. There are a handful of other American cities with worse crime, so we should give DC a pass? Constitutionally it belongs to the federal government, which devolved some level of home rule to the local government starting about 50 years ago. The evidence seems clear that local authorities aren't doing the job well.
- johnbellone 1y ago
  When you don't give the local authorities the money and autonomy to do so it should not be a surprise that they cannot effectively do their duty. When you take a look at the trend of the data over time it doesn't tell a story of crime that isn't being managed. It may not be as quick or as thorough, but it has been downward trending.
  - gottorf 1y ago
    > When you don't give the local authorities the money and autonomy to do so DC spent over $26k per resident, well above the overall US federal budget of roughly $20k per person. And the DC budget doesn't even have to account for a globe-spanning military! What autonomy is it lacking that it can't put repeat violent offenders behind bars? > When you take a look at the trend of the data over time it doesn't tell a story of crime that isn't being managed. It may not be as quick or as thorough, but it has been downward trending. Outside of six whole years, the homicide rate in DC hasn't been under 20/100k in 50 years. "Downward trending" from 80 in 1990 to 20s now is great in isolation, but terrible when you realize that places like Paris and London are in the low single digits.
    - johnbellone 1y ago
      Perhaps it is worth going to actually read some of the limitations (representation, budget, taxation) of what the government of DC is actually capable of doing versus doing a simple straight line math exercise. Crime is a problem, but taken within context it isn't anywhere near as bad as Baltimore or Philadelphia. You keep citing the homicide rate but do not consider the geography and constraints of the capital region, i.e., some of the crime and violent offenders are from non-residents. You can't simply compare it to a city like London or Paris for many reasons.
woodpanel 1y ago
Sure thing. Here is the list of the top-20 murder-rated cities in the US: St. Louis, MO – Mayor Cara Spencer (DNC), DNC rule 76 years. Baltimore, MD – Mayor Brandon Scott (DNC), DNC rule 56 years. New Orleans, LA – Mayor LaToya Cantrell (DNC), DNC rule 153 years. Detroit, MI – Mayor Mike Duggan (ex DNC), DNC rule 63 years Cleveland, OH – Mayor Justin Bibb (DNC), DNC rule 35 years Las Vegas, NV – Mayor Carolyn Goodman (Husband of ex-DNC mayor), DNC rule 82 years Kansas City, MO – Mayor Quinton Lucas (DNC), DNC rule 34 years Memphis, TN – Mayor Paul Young (DNC), DNC rule 53 years. Newark, NJ – Mayor Ras Baraka (DNC), DNC rule 72 years. Chicago, IL – Mayor Brandon Johnson (DNC), DNC rule 94 years. Cincinnati, OH – Mayor Aftab Pureval (DNC), DNC rule 41 years Philadelphia, PA – Mayor Cherelle Parker (DNC), DNC rule 74 years Milwaukee, WI – Mayor Cavalier Johnson (DNC), DNC rule 65 years Tulsa, OK – Mayor Monroe Nichols (DNC), only outlier in this list with significant non-DNC mayors Pittsburgh, PA – Mayor Ed Gainey (DNC), DNC rule 91 years Indianapolis, IN – Mayor Joe Hogsett (DNC), DNC rule 9 years. Louisville, KY – Mayor Craig Greenberg (DNC), DNC rule 56 years Oakland, CA – Mayor Sheng Thao (DNC), DNC rule 48 years Washington, D.C. – Mayor Muriel Bowser (DNC), DNC rule 64 years Atlanta, GA – Mayor Andre Dickens (DNC), DNC rule 164 years
- righthand 1y ago
  The DNC doesn’t “rule” over cities. Mayors are not DNC representatives or federally aligned. This is a disingenuous report with no sources and should be held with Extreme skepticism.
  - 55555 1y ago
    Obviously you’re right but my god that is a very troubling coincidence…
    - righthand 1y ago
      You honestly believe murder rate is higher in cities because the mayor is a Democrat? Or are cities with Democrat mayors much larger and diverse than Republic mayor cities? Do you think the people in Democrat cities vote in a Democrat mayor because they want more murder? You can read a million different things from a list of items with similar attributes. Especially one compiled without sources or any context of the regions of the US.