Number of homicides jumped in 28 major US cities in the first-half of 2020

The number of murders in US cities has spiked in the first half of 2020, a new report claims.

The investigation, undertaken by The New York Times, suggests that the murder rate was much lower for the same duration in 2019.

New York City alone has witnessed a record-breaking spike in the last 25 years.Over just one weekend, 14 people were killed in Chicago, with 106 being shot!In June, Lose Angeles witnessed a 250 per cent spike in homicides.

To paint a cumulative picture, the Times has reported that the rate of homicides is up by 21.8 per cent in 38 major American cities. However, the rate of other crimes like theft has gone down.

Post-pandemic fears?

This may reflect the reality of a post-pandemic world, with fear-ridden people succumbing to crime. Besides street crime, the whole world has witnessed a spike in domestic violence in the aftermath of the virus, which induced lockdowns around the globe. Helplines have received a lot of calls!

Another factor which may have added to the heightened rates is the race laden protests against police brutality after George Floyd was killed by a police officer in Minneapolis. The world, following the footprint of the US, broke out in protests against police brutality against people of colour.

Many in the US have called for the defunding of the police. Also, the US has reported a resurgence in the number of cases, with 50,000 new cases being reported daily over the last few days.

Statistically, homicide among people can usually be traced back to people who knew each other.

The Times suggests that this may indeed have nothing to do with the pandemic or the ongoing protests, but perhaps a consequence of the trends that have been in motion for years now.

The publication claimed that New York City reported a similar jump in the number of cases in 2015, when there was no pandemic or protests. Additionally, the rate of murders in Chicago is also down by six per cent if compared with 2017.