(Newser)
– When Andre Avery drives his commercial truck through Detroit, he keeps the gun close. Avery, 57, grew up in Motor City and is aware that homicides and shootings are on the rise, even though before the pandemic they were falling in Detroit and elsewhere. Her weapon is legal and she wears it to protect her. “I’m extremely alert,” said Avery, who now lives near Belleville. “I’m not in a crowd. If something sounds a little suspicious, I’m out of there.” In Detroit, Chicago, New York, Philadelphia, and even in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and Milwaukee, 2020 has been deadly not only because of the pandemic, but because armed violence is intensifying. Authorities and some experts say no one is clear. they trimmed the reason for the rise, AP reports. Instead, they point to the social and economic turmoil caused by the coronavirus, public sentiment toward police after the death of George Floyd at the hands of police in Minneapolis, and the historic lack of jobs and resources in more poor. as contributing factors. It’s happening in cities big and small, run by Democrats and Republicans.
Two years ago, Detroit had 261 homicides, the lowest in decades, and about 750 non-fatal shots in the city, with more than 672,000. But with only a few days left until 2020, homicides have already surpassed 300, while non-fatal shootings are up more than 50%, with more than 1,124 in mid-December. “I think the pandemic, COVID, has had a significant emotional impact on people across the country,” Detroit Police Chief James Craig said. “Individuals don’t process how they handle disputes. Whether it’s nationals, arguments, drug disputes, there’s this speed in using a firearm that is carried illegally.” About 7,000 weapons had been confiscated by mid-December in Detroit, with more than 5,500 arrests for illegal weapons. Last year there were 2,797 similar arrests. “I haven’t seen a rebound like this. But when it happens in other cities (some smaller ones), what do we have in common?” Craig said, “That’s when you start thinking about COVID.”
(Read more stories of armed violence.)