Considering Violent Crime An Epidemic

Today in Hartford, where there have been 25 homicides this year, John Dankosky on his daily WNPR program Where We Live, offered food for thought discussing violence as resulting from a contagion:

Violent crime in America has been dropping for years, reaching a point in 2012 that was roughly half of what it was in 1993. But that may be changing. The New York Times reported last week that violent crime was rising sharply in cities like Milwaukee and St. Louis. In Hartford, homicides jumped to 25 so far this year, up from 19 in 2014.

Read more at: http://wnpr.org/post/violence-contagious

Whenever cities experience violent crime increasing above the number of the previous year’s homicides, city administration, other authorities and the public there is often a tendency to see greater police presence as a solution. The commentary on Where we Live on which professional academics offer another element to consider in seeking solutions demands our attention. One of the comments went something like this:

When we see an outbreak of a contagious disease—think Ebola—all kinds of measures are put in place to contain it. Community hospitals in major cities are inundated with victims of shootings and other violence threatening the life of citizens, and yet there is no healthcare measures implemented.

On the TED Radio Hour, Gary Slutkin, an epidemiologist, an innovator in violence reduction and the founder/executive director of Cure Violence, addresses the question about increases in violence in cities:

“What if it could be treated like a communicable disease?” at:

http://www.npr.org/2015/02/06/379185265/why-should-we-treat-violence-like-a-contagious-disease

This is not the place to attempt a total summary of the commentary on these presentations. But in the light of national discussion on gun control and growing concern in our major cities, this important topic seems to call us to pay attention when seeking community responses.

Citizenry who call for greater police presence as a measure to prevent gun violence are looking for a way to assure safety for themselves and their children. Those who live in communities where gun violence is almost non-existent cannot imagine what it is to live in neighborhoods that can only be compared to a war zone. Community activists in our area have commented on the effect on children who walk through their neighborhood to school past crime scene tape, and even see residue of blood on the sidewalk, terming that effect as “Yellow Tape Syndrome.”

And it’s only natural for people in a war zone to seek militaristic solutions like law enforcement. Even in communities where law enforcement places a strong emphasis on community policing, city administrations, especially in an election year, want to be seen as addressing violence in their city. People see more police presence, no matter how that impacts the municipal budget, as a measure that will immediately reduce the number of homicides and thus make them feel safe and more confident about where they allow their children to play.

The recognition of the nature of violence as a kind of epidemic presents people with an added element to consider. If the commentary about violence as an epidemic is considered, the question arises: What is the part that we all play in bringing this element to the gun control debate? While consideration of this question can only lead to a long-term process toward a solution, it’s one that demands attention.