Handcuffing Our Police Is Killing More Americans Than Terrorism

According to the latest State Department accounting, out of 17,891 terrorist murders around the world in 2013, 19 were Americans.

In Baltimore, May was the first full month since the Freddie Gray riots. 38 homicides were committed; an increase of 20 from the previous four months that averaged a total of 18 murders a month.  More than all the Americans killed by terrorists in all of 2013.

And, Baltimore is not alone.  This year, after seeing two decades of decline in gun violence, many cities like New York, Chicago, Atlanta, and St. Louis, are experiencing double-digit increases in murders in just the first 5 months of the year.   In Milwaukee, homicides are up 180% over last year. 

This is what happens when you have a President and his current and past Attorney's General, Mayors like De Blasio in New York City, and activists like Al Sharpton all condemning the police over the deaths of 3 unarmed black men: Michael Brown, Eric Garner, and Freddie Gray.  The police are now in a position where they believe that no one has their backs.  Especially, their President and the Department of Justice. As a result, arrests and traffic stops are down. There is fear that a single stop could result in their own deaths, because they are now more likely to hesitate to protect themselves. A split-second hesitation that could be deadly. Any altercation with a suspect could end in their own arrests or even a charge of murder. Without the preventive policing of stopping suspicious  people, countless illegal guns are not being confiscated that ultimately end up killing someone.

Hundreds more black lives are being lost every month, and innocent black women and children are being killed in the process.  If black lives really do matter, the new policies towards (really, against) policing are not working.

The media is always talking about President Obama's legacies such as Cuba and the possibility of a nuke deal with Iran.  Well, here's one that he now owns.  Killing more people through restrictive policing than terrorists like ISIS could ever hope to accomplish since 9/11. Americans now have more to fear from this President's handcuffing of police than any terrorist group.  The facts prove it.

One last thing.  Obama is readying a number of gun control laws aimed at keeping them out of the hands of dangerous people.  Really? His policing restrictions have actually managed to allow dangerous people to keep guns and increasingly use them.  Violent offenders will always find ways to buy weapons outside the law.  Just as drug addicts can always find drugs,  Please, for the sake of all too many lives, let the cops do their jobs.

Update: The final tally of homicides in Baltimore for May is 43; meaning a 25 murder increase from the first four months of the year: http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2015/05/31/baltimore-homicides-worst-in-40-years/28284839/

References:

The New Nationwide Crime Rate: https://www.google.com/search?q=The+New+Nationwide+Crime+Wave&oq=The+New+Nationwide+Crime+Wave&aqs=chrome..69i57j69i60.96j0j7&sourceid=chrome&es_sm=122&ie=UTF-8#q=The+New+Nationwide+Crime+Wave&tbm=nws

Of the 17,891 Deaths from Terrorism Last Year, 19 Were American. Let Iraqis Fight ISIS: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/h-a-goodman/of-the-17891-deaths-from_b_5818082.html

The double murder Thursday of a young mother and her 7-year-old boy brought Baltimore's bloody monthly homicide tally to 38, a figure that dwarfs that of similar-sized cities and even exceeds the total for the same period in New York: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2015/05/30/murder-capital-baltimores-homicide-explosion-in-wake-freddie-gray-case-dwarfs/

Baltimore boy, 8, murdered [shot in the head] as city's bloody May continues: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/baltimore-boy-8-murdered-city-bloody-continues-article-1.2238941

You’re [now] 45% more likely to be murdered in de Blasio’s Manhattan: http://nypost.com/2015/05/26/youre-45-more-likely-to-be-murdered-in-de-blasios-manhattan/

Summer 2015 Starts Off With Staggering Gun Violence in Chicago, NY, Baltimore: http://americamagazine.org/content/dispatches/summer-2015-starts-staggering-gun-violence-chicago-ny-baltimore

Administration preps new gun regulations: http://thehill.com/regulation/243520-administration-preps-new-gun-regulations


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Why "Broken Windows Policing" and "Stop and Frisk" Are Successful

In the wake of the death of small-time offender Eric Garner at the hands of the police,  -- black leadership and many, mostly on the political left  -- have questioned New York City's policy of "Broken Windows Policing" that had been established by Mayor Rudy Giuliani and his Police Commissioner Bill Bratton (now the current Police Commissioner under Mayor De Blasio) in 1990.  Simply, Broken Windows Policing is a policy of zero tolerance of low level crimes in the belief that small crimes lead to bigger ones if not addressed.

As a part of this overall program, something called "Stop, Question, and Frisk" was developed, whereby suspicious people -- either on foot or in cars -- would be stopped and questioned as to why they may be loitering or driving around in high crime areas; usually at late hours of the night.  If the answers seemed suspicious, the person or persons were then frisked; sometimes yielding illegal drugs, weapons, or stolen property.

The opponents of "Broken Windows Policing" -- and, especially "Stop and Frisk" -- complain that the program primarily targets high crime areas and, as such, unfairly targets minorities; especially blacks.  They also point to the fact that in 2011, nearly 686,000 stops saw 88% of them yielded no convictions of any kind.  This is why Bill De Blasio ran against the program in his mayoral campaign. 

However, that 88% statistic ignores the fact that 12% did yield arrests and convictions.  Simply, 12% of 686,000 stops, represents 82,000 criminal actors being taken off the streets of New York.  Thus, crime was avoided and, more importantly, murders may have be prevented; especially, in high-crime, minority areas of the city.  Also think about this.  Would you prefer that we stop TSA screenings at airports just because there is such a low rate of catching any terrorists attempting to board our airplanes?

New York City has done a more than excellent job in reducing crime.  The best of any major city in the U.S.

Since 1990 -- when the program was implemented -- crime in New York City is down 79%.  Murder is down 85%; and burglary 86%; and mostly in minority neighborhoods. Times Square, which had turned into a broken down sleazy area, is again a shining star.

Those who complain about "Broken Windows Policing" are either uninformed or biased, racial activists.  New York's reduction in crime has benefited all; especially those in once high-crime, minority neighborhoods.

References:

Opinion: ‘Broken windows,’ broken policy: http://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/2014/12/29/broken-windows-broken-policy/WM8hUySUL0YerJq2S2Ay1N/story.html

Stop-and-frisk in New York City: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stop-and-frisk_in_New_York_City

Bill De Blasio Stop and Frisk - Huffington Post: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/bill-de-blasio-stop-and-frisk/

New York City Crime Statistics Since 1990: http://www.nyc.gov/html/nypd/downloads/pdf/crime_statistics/cscity.pdf

William J. Bratton and George L. Kelling: Why We Need Broken Windows Policing: http://www.city-journal.org/2015/25_1_broken-windows-policing.html

Serener streets: http://www.economist.com/node/14327168