The political question of the day is whether Trump can win politically by hammering on a nonexistent crisis of order in America's cities. You would think not, but I'm not 100% confident 2/
— Paul Krugman (@paulkrugman) September 2, 2020
From the New York Times news section:
A Violent August in N.Y.C.: Shootings Double, and Murder Is Up by 50%
The city recorded 242 shootings in August, up from 91 last year, continuing a summer spike in gun violence that has become an issue in the presidential race.
By Mihir Zaveri
Sept. 2, 2020… Since May, the city has recorded 791 shootings, a more than 140 percent increase over the same period in 2019. The 180 murders seen between May and August is a more than 51 percent increase compared to 2019.
In August alone, there were 242 shootings in the city, compared with 91 last year, and the number of murders rose from 36 to 53.
Accuracy is down this year, for reasons I speculate about in my new Taki’s column “Just Knock It Off.”
The reduction in subway travel has probably led to more shootings as New Yorkers are stuck in their own neighborhoods where they, not surprisingly, get on each other’s nerves:
The pandemic has also played a role, the chief said. Feuds have festered in communities where rival gangs cannot escape each other’s presence, fueling a cycle of violence, he said.
“So we are seeing larger and larger crowds standing outside their buildings, hundreds, if not more, together and disputes occur,” he said. “And that’s when someone pulls out a gun and starts shooting and that one shooting may begin another five or six, because of the revenge that takes place after that.”
