Tag Archive for crime

“More Immigrants = LESS Crime”

August 22, 2018 Comments Off on “More Immigrants = LESS Crime”

The murder of Iowa student Mollie Tibbetts by a Mexican undocumented man has brought another tirade against violent, crime-happy immigrants. Pres. Trump insists that immigrants–and he seldom limits his disdain only to those who are undocumented–must be kept out of our country because of all the dangerous crime they commit.

But the research data shows the opposite may actually be true.

Below is part of a report written after gathering data for 20 years. You can read the entire report at Fact check: Immigration doesn’t bring crime into U.S., data say.

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For the last decade, we have been studying how immigration to an area impacts crime.

Across our studies, one finding remains clear: Cities and neighborhoods with greater concentrations of immigrants have lower rates of crime and violence, all else being equal.

Our research also points to the importance of city context for understanding the immigration-crime relationship. In one study, for example, we found that cities with historically high immigration levels are especially likely to enjoy reduced crime rates as a result of their immigrant populations….

Our analysis of the literature reveals that immigration has a weak crime-suppressing effect. In other words, more immigration equals less crime….

The upshot? We find no evidence to indicate that immigration leads to more crime and it may, in fact, suppress it.

 

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A Good Activity for Tonight

August 7, 2018 6 comments

Want something to do tonight?  Be part of the annual National Night Out.  The idea behind it is to get people out of their homes to mingle, to get to know each other.  It’s intended to help build neighborhood solidarity and friendship and get people involved in crime-prevention activities.  The result is to put the bad guys on notice that we’re fed up with their crimes and are organized and unified enough to take back our neighborhoods.

There are National Night Out events which you can participate in.  Otherwise, grab some lawn chairs and sodas, invite neighbors to join you, and talk about the kids, pets–preferably not about politics or religion–and how you, as a group, can make your neighborhood a safer place.

See you there!

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Doing the Time for the Crime

June 25, 2018 2 comments

You did the crime, now do the time!  We’ve all heard this.  St. Paul probably heard it , too, ‘way back in Biblical days, when he was jailed for his faith, although most people today are “in” for unholy acts.  We call prisons “Correctional” and “Vocational” institutions.  We want people to learn their lesson, get out, and “sin no more.” Meanwhile, they’re hardened by a solitary, harsh life, made worse by friends and family who forget about them.

But basic humanity calls us to remember all members of our community, to support and embrace even people who have made terrible mistakes and have tried to turn their lives around.  You can help these people re-enter society as productive, law-abiding people simply by writing them, giving them a positive stake in the world they’ll be rejoining.  I can tell you where to find names.

A little afraid?  After research and years of writing prisoners, I’ve developed some simple guidelines to make writing a prisoner safe and comfortable for you.  Let me know and I’ll send you that information.

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Join Millions of your Closest Friends Tonight

August 1, 2017 Comments Off on Join Millions of your Closest Friends Tonight

Want something to do tonight?  Be part of the annual National Night Out.  The idea behind it is to get people out of their homes to mingle, to get to know each other.  It’s intended to help build neighborhood solidarity and friendship and get people involved in crime-prevention activities.  The result is to put the bad guys on notice that we’re fed up with their crimes and are organized and unified enough to take back our neighborhoods.

There are National Night Out events which you can participate in.  Otherwise, grab some lawn chairs and sodas, invite neighbors to join you, and talk about the kids, pets–preferably not about politics or religion–and how you, as a group, can make your neighborhood a safer place.

See you there!

 

 

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20 Children a Day Sent to Hospital

May 30, 2017 Comments Off on 20 Children a Day Sent to Hospital

What is the cause of 20 kids a day being sent to the hospital?  Injuries related to guns, according to a new study.  People try to use safety locks and put the guns out  of reach of children, but kids are smarter and more aware than we give them credit for and know exactly where the guns are kept.

Until the middle of 2016 gun ownership was declining–from 51% in Jan. 1978 to 36% in June 216.  Today it’s up to 44%, I’d guess because of all the turmoil, violence, and uncertainty we’re currently facing.

No, it’s not the guns themselves that injure our kids because, after all, they’re inanimate objects. But more of them around increases the likelihood of more hurt children because there are more opportunities for them to gain access to these forbidden “toys.”  And more situations in which they’re innocent victims of drive-by shootings, as well as shootings related to vengeance, race, and domestic disputes.

I don’t know what the answer is.  There are pros and cons to stricter gun regulations.  Parents love their kids but are sometimes unthinking people, therefore not always totally careful locking and hiding firearms. Eliminating crime, domestic violence, gangs, and terrorism isn’t something we’ll be able to do soon.  As  I say, I don’t know what the answer is.  But I do  know that more has to  be done bring that twenty a day down to zero.

 

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Cheap Idea: Help Victims–But Not All

April 28, 2017 Comments Off on Cheap Idea: Help Victims–But Not All

A new office is being created to help crime victims–but only the victims of immigrants.  It’s called Victims of Immigration Crime Engagement, or Voice.  This is a smart move on the Administration’s part because it’s far less costly than helping all victims of crime.  In fact, it will help the smallest group of victims.  That’s because, according to the CATO Institute, citing many studies, “With few exceptions, immigrants are less crime prone than natives or have no effect on crime rates.”

I’m not sure how this office will work.  I assume it would provide extra law enforcement to go after the immigrant perpetrators, then deport them.  I guess this will give victims some sort of “closure.”  Although it does help ICE, the agency it’s housed at–it should lead to discovery of more “Illegals” and their families so they can be deported.  Their hotline might be helpful to victims, although it doesn’t seem to me any different from calling the police.  It will provide jobs for 48 people (21 community-relations officers and 27 victim-assistance specialists).

They haven’t figured out a budget for it yet, but I’m confident that it will be cheap enough for all the good it will do.

 

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Goodbye First Amendment

February 28, 2017 2 comments

Can someone please explain to me–WHY?

Isn’t it bad enough that, for a long while, we’ve been seeing hate crimes against people because they are or are perceived as Muslim?  That they’re being killed, attacked, and their places of worship desiccate?

NOW it’s Jewish people.  In the first two months of this year–two months!– there have been 90 hate crimes in 30 states against Jews, their centers, their schools, and their cemeteries.  30 is over half our total number of states.  What does that say about us as Americans?

According to Pew Research, “There are about 4.2 million American adults who say they are Jewish by religion, representing 1.8% of the U.S. adult population. But there are roughly 5.3 million Jews (2.2% of the adult population) if the total also includes ‘Jews of no religion,’” plus  2.4 million adults who claim a “Jewish background” (raised Jewish but have converted to another religion or no longer “feel” Jewish).  Plus another 1.2 million who weren’t raised Jewish but feel they are, in some way, Jewish.

Over 13 million.  That’s a lot of fellow Americans.  That’s a lot of fellow human beings.  Why do we  allow it to happen?  Why do we turn a blind eye toward our countrymen whose only “crime” is being associated with a religion?  When something is as widely accepted and practiced as this is not stopped, it may not be a law but it has the force of law.

Goodbye, First Amendment.

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Grannies Fight Back

December 27, 2016 Comments Off on Grannies Fight Back

You’re an older lady who, sometime in your life, has suffered domestic violence or elder abuse.  What do you do?

A group of these women in Charleston WV joined the police department to help fight violence.  Their weapon: hugs.

The “Grandma Unit” is still new, their matching “G-Unit” tee shirts still crisp.  But they’re making plans and devising strategies to go out into their community and use hugs and love to fight crime and violence.

Watch the short video.

I’m wondering, if these women can do it, why not all of us?

 

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Muslims, 9/11, and 2015

November 15, 2016 Comments Off on Muslims, 9/11, and 2015

I thought maybe we were learning to respect each other more and starting to replace fear of the unfamiliar with understanding.  Then I saw that, according to the FBI, last year the number of hate crimes against Muslims was the highest it’s been since 9/11.

And that was pretty much BEFORE the negativity of the recent campaigns and the unrest that is following,  I dread the 2016 statistics, almost as much as I’m heartsick about all the innocent lives touched by unjust anti-Muslim sentiment.

 

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Join 38 Million of your Closest Friends Tonight

August 2, 2016 Comments Off on Join 38 Million of your Closest Friends Tonight

Want something to do tonight?  Be part of the 32nd annual National Night Out.  The idea behind it is to get people out of their homes to mingle, to get to know each other.  It’s intended to help build neighborhood solidarity and friendship and get people involved in crime-prevention activities.  The result is to put the bad guys on notice that we’re fed up with their crimes and are organized and unified enough to take back our neighborhoods.

There are National Night Out events which you can participate in.  Otherwise, grab some lawn chairs and sodas, invite neighbors to join you, and talk about the kids, pets–preferably not about politics or religion–and how you, as a group, can make your neighborhood a safer place.

See you there!

 

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