Whitey Ford
10-06-2020, 05:41 AM
Surge in gun violence disproportionately hits Buffalo's Black residents
https://i.imgur.com/5Ffz7jb.jpg
On Sept. 19, Rayshionna Johnson was killed and four others were shot near that intersection, in the second quintuple shooting of the year in Buffalo. All five victims were Black.
Gun violence in Buffalo continues to disproportionately affect people of color. So far this year, more than eight of every 10 shooting victims were Black.
Poverty in these neighborhoods is key factor, community activists say. So is access to handguns, often trafficked illegally from other states, they say. Buffalo Police Commissioner Byron Lockwood and activists both agree that more needs to be done to steer young people away from resorting to violence. Many of the shootings involve neighborhood gangs and are done in retaliation for previous shootings.
Through the end of August, 217 people have either been injured or killed in a shooting in the city, according Buffalo Police Department data. That's 82% higher than over the same period in 2019, according to a Buffalo News analysis of the data. It's also about 35% higher than the average over that eight-month period from 2015 through last year, according to The News' analysis.
For three straight months, the number of people shot each month exceeded 40 – in June, 41; then 48 in July; and 49 in August. Before 2020, the last time 40 people were shot in one month in Buffalo was July 2011, according to police data.
Through early August, the number of shooting victims in the city already eclipsed the total number of people shot last year.
"Young people, they don’t really have anywhere to go," said Leroy Love, who runs a barbershop around the corner. "So when they meet up – it’s hundreds of them, usually – they’ll pick a block or something, have a party. Or if there happens to be a party, they’ll show up there, and something seems to go wrong."
Buffalo is not alone in experiencing a rise in shootings. Nearly every major city in America has reported an increase in shootings and homicides.
In Chicago, both shootings and homicides are up 50% this year compared to 2019, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. Fatal shootings in Boston were up 34% through August, while shootings overall were up 29%, according to the Boston Herald.
Buffalo crime statistics also align with other national crime trends. In 2019, the rate of both violent and property crimes went down across the country, according to FBI statistics released Sept. 28.
The amount of poverty in a community is correlated with its levels of crime. A wide range of economic indicators show Buffalo's Black neighborhoods have not seen conditions improve for decades.
https://buffalonews.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/surge-in-gun-violence-disproportionately-hits-buffalos-black-residents/article_09749c24-025a-11eb-88aa-77c1c696d52d.html
https://i.imgur.com/5Ffz7jb.jpg
On Sept. 19, Rayshionna Johnson was killed and four others were shot near that intersection, in the second quintuple shooting of the year in Buffalo. All five victims were Black.
Gun violence in Buffalo continues to disproportionately affect people of color. So far this year, more than eight of every 10 shooting victims were Black.
Poverty in these neighborhoods is key factor, community activists say. So is access to handguns, often trafficked illegally from other states, they say. Buffalo Police Commissioner Byron Lockwood and activists both agree that more needs to be done to steer young people away from resorting to violence. Many of the shootings involve neighborhood gangs and are done in retaliation for previous shootings.
Through the end of August, 217 people have either been injured or killed in a shooting in the city, according Buffalo Police Department data. That's 82% higher than over the same period in 2019, according to a Buffalo News analysis of the data. It's also about 35% higher than the average over that eight-month period from 2015 through last year, according to The News' analysis.
For three straight months, the number of people shot each month exceeded 40 – in June, 41; then 48 in July; and 49 in August. Before 2020, the last time 40 people were shot in one month in Buffalo was July 2011, according to police data.
Through early August, the number of shooting victims in the city already eclipsed the total number of people shot last year.
"Young people, they don’t really have anywhere to go," said Leroy Love, who runs a barbershop around the corner. "So when they meet up – it’s hundreds of them, usually – they’ll pick a block or something, have a party. Or if there happens to be a party, they’ll show up there, and something seems to go wrong."
Buffalo is not alone in experiencing a rise in shootings. Nearly every major city in America has reported an increase in shootings and homicides.
In Chicago, both shootings and homicides are up 50% this year compared to 2019, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. Fatal shootings in Boston were up 34% through August, while shootings overall were up 29%, according to the Boston Herald.
Buffalo crime statistics also align with other national crime trends. In 2019, the rate of both violent and property crimes went down across the country, according to FBI statistics released Sept. 28.
The amount of poverty in a community is correlated with its levels of crime. A wide range of economic indicators show Buffalo's Black neighborhoods have not seen conditions improve for decades.
https://buffalonews.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/surge-in-gun-violence-disproportionately-hits-buffalos-black-residents/article_09749c24-025a-11eb-88aa-77c1c696d52d.html