The dark days are here

America's violent crime wave is no mystery

Crime scene.
(Image credit: Illustrated | iStock/Prathaan, iStock/arbaz bagwan)

Al Sharpton is a gifted public speaker, but his best addresses are eulogies. The recent funeral of Davell Gardner was no exception. Gardner was murdered last month at a barbecue in a public park in Brooklyn at the age of 1. "If nothing shakes this community, to see this young baby in a casket that doesn't even need pallbearers," Sharpton said, trailing off in search of something ineffable. "His father could've walked him down by himself. This is a disgrace."

This infant was one of 54 people murdered in New York in July, during which shootings increased some 177 percent in comparison with the same month in 2019. Murders there were up 50 percent for the month, continuing a recent and undeniable trend. A similar pattern is being observed in 20 major cities throughout the country. In Chicago there have been 432 homicides in 2020, already an increase of 125 over the total for 2019. On May 31, 18 people were murdered in 24 hours in the Windy City, making it the single most violent day in Chicago in 60 years. All of this is taking place even as the rates of other crimes have sharply declined.

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Matthew Walther

Matthew Walther is a national correspondent at The Week. His work has also appeared in First Things, The Spectator of London, The Catholic Herald, National Review, and other publications. He is currently writing a biography of the Rev. Montague Summers. He is also a Robert Novak Journalism Fellow.