Murder Skyrockets in America!

As you know, there are many different subjects that can occupy our attention as Christians. And we can seek information profitably. One of those topics is the subject of homicide in the leading American cities. Commonly, this homicide is called “murder” and it is something that we must face every day. What do we mean?

As we view the rising murder rate in the United States, we are shocked with the increase of deaths. Hopefully, it is shocking to you as well. Anyone who follows the daily news is aware of the fact that massive numbers of people have been murdered year after year, especially the past several years. We know that the highest rate is among blacks—but all ethnicities are responsible. Whereas this ethnic group comprises about 15 or 16 percent of the population, the rate of murder is much higher than this. Some have claimed that this has something to do with the high rate of poverty and others say that a reason is the radical lifestyle of mayhem, and still others are convinced that much of this may be attributed to such things as the form of music, the appearance, or other factors.

 

Whatever the underlying reason, we must admit that homicide is entirely out of control! Murder is accelerating at an alarming rate. And this comes from both black, white, and Hispanic. Further, with the influx of illegal aliens over the southern border, we notice that many of these people are breaking the law and come from as many as two different countries. We find this shocking!

We read that “Homicides in 22 U.S. cities continue to rise in 2021. (https://www.cnn.com/2021/11/08/us/us-homicides-rise-in-2021/index.html).” For example, we read this: “At least 12 major U.S. cities have broken annual homicide records in 2021 — and there’s still three weeks to go in the year.

Of the dozen cities that have already surpassed the grim milestones for killings, five topped records that were set or tied just last year.

“It’s terrible to every morning get up and have to go look at the numbers and then look at the news and see the stories. It’s just crazy. It’s just crazy and this needs to stop,” Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney said after his city surpassed its annual homicide record of 500, which stood since 1990. This is 31 years!

This caught my attention when I learned that Philadelphia had surpassed the 500 mark—in only one city! It may come to 600 this year! We read that “In the first three quarters of 2020, the number of homicides in the same 22 cities rose by 36% over the same time frame in 2019, according to the report.” Did you read that? It seems unbelievable but it is true. Murders continue on and on, higher and higher, each year! The same article had this to say: “According to a report by the CCJ issued in July, the number of homicides during the first half of 2021 increased by 16% compared to the same period last year. The number of homicides in 2020 compared to 2019 rose by 25%, according to an FBI preliminary report, the largest jump since the FBI started releasing annual homicide figures in the 1960s.

The spike in violent crime came as the Covid-19 pandemic swept across the country, millions of people protested racial injustice and police brutality following Floyd’s death last year, and the economy collapsed under the weight of the pandemic.” From this we learn that these 22 cities have increased in the number of murders. And this wickedness continues on and on!

We also read this shocking statement: “Aggravated assaults — assaults committed with a deadly weapon or threatened serious injury — in 17 cities with available data peaked during the summer of 2020 “at levels that surpassed those of the previous peak” before decreasing for the remainder of the year and rising again in the first half of 2021, the report says. The number of aggravated assaults in the first three quarters of 2021 was 3% higher than the same period last year, with 1,515 more aggravated assaults, the report says.” (https://www.cnn.com/2021/11/08/us/us-homicides-rise-in-2021/index.html).

We may wonder where all of these murders were committed and the following is the answer that we receive as we read the report: “The 22 cities that were studied in the report are St. Petersburg, Florida; Austin, Texas; Norfolk, Virginia; Louisville, Kentucky; Pittsburgh; Los Angeles; Raleigh, North Carolina; Nashville; Buffalo, New York; Atlanta; Washington, D.C.; Philadelphia; Detroit; Chicago; Denver; Baltimore; Memphis, Tennessee; Milwaukee; Phoenix; Seattle; Omaha, Nebraska; and Chandler, Arizona.”

We can’t assume that one of these cities is necessarily higher than others, but we do know that places such as Chicago, Philadelphia, and others are extremely high! We may wonder why these 22 cities are so high with some much higher than others. Does this depend on the ethnic background (or the “race” which is a misnomer), the location, the size of the city, or what? Why do we see such high numbers in places such as Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland, Seattle, and others? When we turn on the television, we see hundreds—even thousands—of young people (especially) stealing, “looting,” hurting, and killing.

The ones that commit these burglaries, stealing, murders, mayhem, and harming of others are totally wrong as we know. The perpetrators, of course, need to be placed into prison for a year, ten years, or life! Even the police need to be caught and found out, including reprimanding or punishing them for their misdeeds.

When I was growing up years ago, toward the north, in a tiny Pennsylvania town, I don’t know of even one murder—although I could have been mistaken, of course. This was a small town of about 12,000 population and the statistics that we have cited above are larger cities of a million or more. We had about 353 in our graduating class (and only two ethnic persons in all of that number) with people from many European countries (Italy, Germany, Poland, and others). But this didn’t seem to affect the open violence that we saw and what we see today. Whatever the reason, following Jesus our Savior and Lord must have something to do with the result that we see today.

I have no television but I do have a computer and what I see on this screen is shocking! It is astounding to see the evil on the screen, the stealing and even the murder on the screen. Does this come from the age in which we live? Is the same thing found in Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Austria, and other countries? You may know about this more than I do. I do know that God not only is grieved with the evil that we see on American streets. It surely makes Christ Jesus weep to see this blatant wickedness. Let us submit ourselves to Jesus, follow His peaceful ways, express His honesty, and yield to His righteous truth.

As Christ Jesus said, “Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God” (Matthew 5:5-9).

Let’s have a heart that seeks God and shows others His will. Run from the evil that we see and walk in the ways of the Lord. That is the only way.