(Emily Zanotti) Major cities are seeing a dramatic uptick in gun violence, according to reports, with spikes in shootings taking place in New York and Chicago, as well as in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and Portland, Oregon — two places where anti-racism and anti-police brutality protests are ongoing, months after the death of George Floyd in the custody of Minneapolis police.
by Emily Zanotti, August 2nd, 2020
The New York Post reports that there have been 777 shootings in New York City in 2020, one more than the 776 that took place in the same area over the course of 2019.
“There have been more shootings so far this year in New York City than in all of 2019,” the outlet notes. “A 24-year-old man who walked bleeding into Lincoln Hospital in The Bronx on Saturday night has pushed the city’s total number of shootings this year to 777 — topping the 776 recorded in all of last year, NYPD data compiled by The Post reveals.”
In all, there have been 942 individuals either hurt or killed in the violence.
The news comes just as New York City’s mayor, Bill de Blasio, struggles with his promise to cut funding to the New York Police Department by around $1 billion, likely leaving the city’s cops shorthanded for the last five months of the year.
The Chicago Sun-Times reports a dramatic uptick in violence in that city as well, with July one of the bloodiest months in recent memory. In 2020, there have been 430 total homicide cases.
“Murders more than doubled last month in Chicago compared to the same month last year, according to new data released by Chicago police,” the Sun-Times noted Sunday. “Shootings also increased compared [to] July 2019.”
“The 105 murders reported in July are a nearly 139% increase from the 44 reported in July 2019, according to police data released Saturday. The 406 shooting incidents last month were a 75% increase from the 232 reported in the same month-to-month comparison,” the outlet continued.
CBS Minnesota reports that Minneapolis gun violence is up 72% over last year according to Shotspotter, an artificial intelligence program that helps law enforcement identify gun discharges across the city.
“During the week of July 14, there were 146 shot spotter activations. During the week of July 21, there were 152 activations,” said Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said in a statement last week. “Year-to-date this has been a higher shooting victim total than the last five years, with 288 victims. The next closest is 2016 with 178.”
Minneapolis, like New York City, is looking to “defund” their police force, dramatically cutting back on what law enforcement officers are allowed to address, and are even, according to city council negotiations from last week, considering abolishing the Minneapolis police department as a creation of the city’s charter.
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In Portland, Oregon, the current center of anti-racism protests, many of which have devolved into riots over the past eight weeks, as demonstrators faced off against federal agents sent into the city to protect a federal courthouse, violence is way up over 2019, per KGW Portland.
“Portland is setting some unfortunate gun violence records so far this summer, causing fear, injury, and death,” that outlet noted. “From July 1-13 last year, police responded to 11 shooting incidents. During the same time period this year, there have been 42 shootings, nearly four times as many.”
Last week, the White House announced Operation Legend, which they say is designed to help local law enforcement agencies by providing them with access to federal anti-violence tools and federal agencies that specialize in halting gun and gang violence. Operation Legend is, so far, at work in just Chicago, but the program is expected to go national shortly.
About The Author
Emily Zanotti is a fifteen-year veteran of communications and journalism, having moved from the political world, where she did crisis and digital communications for several prominent campaigns, to the news world, where she has worked for some of the nation’s largest and most prestigious outlets.
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