Homicides in Michigan rose a dramatic 31 percent in 2020, above the national average, amid Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s (D) coronavirus lockdowns that forced residents out of work and children out of schools.
The numbers posted both statewide and in Detroit are above national averages.
“Nationally, homicides were up nearly 30 percent compared to 2019, and up 31 percent in Michigan, marking the largest annual increase in over 3 decades,” WXYZ reported.
According to the FBI, 44 percent of the murders occurred in Detroit, which also saw a 10.25 percent increase in violent crimes in 2020, the Detroit News said.
“The rise in violent crime is real and it’s troubling,” Detroit Police Chief James White told WXYZ. White recently took over for James Craig, who is using his police record as a launching pad to run for governor.
“There’s an uptick in violent crime around the country as well as the City of Detroit. There’s a number of factors that contribute to that uptick.”
“I think anytime the homicide rate goes up 30%, that’s an alarming statistic,” retired FBI Supervisory Special Agent Andy Bartnowak told the news station.
According to the Detroit News, Detroit “had a rate of 2,248.4 violent crimes per 100,000 residents, behind only Memphis, Tennessee, as the highest rate in the country among cities with more than 100,000 residents.”
In 2020, 14,370 violent crimes were reported in Detroit, a 10.25 percent increase over the 13,034 violent crimes filed in 2019. Nationally, violence crime increased 5.6 percent.
Detroit was previously the most violent city in the country, and despite its substantial increase, fell to second only because Memphis crime rose more.
Whitmer responded to the coronavirus pandemic by ordering restaurants and other businesses closed, barring construction contractors from working, and banning in-person learning for students.
Tudor Dixon, a former steel foundry sales executive and television news host, is running against Craig in a Republican primary to take on Democrat Whitmer in 2022 and slammed the incumbent governor for her actions.
“Crime affects families, residents, and businesses in devastating ways, and I hope the new police chief will devise solutions to reduce crime and restore order quickly. This failed leadership isn’t just in Detroit, but also in Lansing. Gretchen Whitmer’s policies of closing businesses creating sky-high unemployment and keeping kids out of the classroom undoubtedly contributed to these staggering statistics,” Dixon said in a news release Monday, via email.
“Let’s be clear: No one with a record of such failure should be allowed to govern our great state,” she said.
“My business experience has taught me jobs reduce crime because they offer purpose, responsibility, and hope. Parenting has taught me good schools keep children engaged, off the streets, and on a path to success. It is going to take a multi-pronged strategy to reduce crime, including better schools, job growth, and a strong workforce. Gretchen Whitmer is not up to providing those solutions or she would have done it by now. The time of waiting for politicians and bureaucrats to fix the problems is over. We need new leadership. We can no longer afford their years of failure,” Dixon added.
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Cooper Moran is a reporter for The Star News Network. Follow Cooper on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Police Tape” by Tony Webster. CC BY-SA 4.0.
