A 23-year old man was killed Wednesday afternoon in a double shooting on Baltimore’s 1200 block of Greenmount Avenue topping the city’s 200th homicide. So far, 30 homicides have been reported for the month of July with the expectation of further acceleration into the latter summer months.
The Economist seems to think Baltimore “may see more than 400 murders this year”. This is based on their figures from Jan’17 through May’17 homicides extrapolated by summer seasonal trends. Nevertheless, this would indicate Baltimore is headed for a record breaking year in terms of homicide count.
Earlier this year, Baltimore’s mayor was basically begging the Federal Government for help as her city’s murder rate spiraled ‘out of control’. Per CBS Baltimore:
“I’m calling on all the assistance we can possibly get because I can’t imagine going into our summer months with our crime rate where it is today, what that’s going to look like by the end of the summer,” says Mayor Catherine Pugh. “Murder is out of control,” says Pugh. “We are looking for all the help that we can get,” she says.
Meanwhile, Baltimore’s public safety expert Rob Weinhold isn’t sure the Federal Government alone will solve Baltimore’s descent into chaos. Here’s what he had to say:
“I don’t think relying on federal resources is a new strategy at all, in fact, I think the devil is in the detail. You can talk about the FBI and that’s fine, but I’d actually like to see more emphasis on drug enforcement administration, ATF, and the Marshall service to get these folks who are wanted on warrants off the street,”
All eyes on Baltimore as per CBS: “Baltimore’s murder rate more than doubles Chicago’s, which has gained international attention for its violence”. Don’t be shocked if Trump’s next tweet on America’s inner cities targets Baltimore….
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Video emerges from Baltimore’s 200th homicide scene with anger in the streets.
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