It is no secret that crime is rising across the U.S. this summer.
Violent crime, according to both statistics and law professor Paul Cassell, is “skyrocketing” as cities are ravaged by riots, looting, and limitations placed on police.
Cassell, who teaches at S.J. Quinney College of Law at the University of Utah, has called the ripple of violence that spread nationwide following the death of George Floyd the “Minneapolis effect.”
In his recent paper, “Explaining the Recent Homicide Spikes in U.S. Cities: The ‘Minneapolis Effect’ and the Decline in Proactive Policing,” he explains the phenomenon. It mirrors the surge in violent crime after police were emasculated after the Ferguson, Missouri riots dubbed the “Ferguson effect” by Manhattan Institute senior fellow and police and crime researcher Heather Mac Donald.
“I think what Minneapolis is seeing is the same thing we’re seeing all over the country,” Cassell told Fox9 as reported by BizPac Review. “We’re seeing a reduction in proactive policing, and as a result of that homicide and shootings are skyrocketing all over the country.”
Last week, the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reported that violent crime across the city that moved to abolish its own police department “has surged to record highs.”
The city “has logged 3,674 violent crimes — defined as homicide, rape, robbery and aggravated assaults — up 17% from the previous five-year average for this period,” the paper reported.
Cities like Chicago, New York, Philadelphia, Milwaukee, and Detroit are also seeing spikes in homicide, aggravated assault, and gun crime.
By the way, what do all these cities have in common?
You guessed it–failed Democrat political leadership.
“At this rate, 2020 will easily be the deadliest year in America for gun-related homicides since at least 1999, while most other major crime categories are trending stable or slightly downward,” the abstract of Cassell’s study states.
“We are seeing a stop in proactive police — stop and frisk, vehicle stops, and things police officers have to initiate,” he says of the period following Floyd’s death in May.
He explained that we have since seen an additional 710 homicides and 2,800 more shootings across the nation, “several hundred” of which could be directly linked to the siege on police.
“My estimates are that several hundred additional victims were murdered because of a reduction in policing,” Cassell said. “There are very significant trade-offs that need to be considered here that have truly life-threatening implications if they’re not handled carefully.”
“In the wake of the antipolice protests surrounding George Floyd’s death, less policing has occurred,” he noted
“Law enforcement capabilities have been diminished by reduced funding and other setbacks (such as increased retirements due to demoralization).”
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