(Newser)
‘When Andre Avery drives his commercial truck through Detroit, he holds his pistol close. Avery, 57, grew up in Motor City and is aware that homicides and shootings are on the rise, even though they fell in Detroit and elsewhere before the pandemic. His weapon is legal and he wears it for protection. “I remain extremely alert,” said Avery, who now lives near Belleville. “I’m not in the crowd. If anything seems a little suspicious, I’m out of there.” In Detroit, Chicago, New York, Philadelphia and even smaller Grand Rapids, Michigan and Milwaukee, 2020 was deadly not only because of the pandemic, but also because gun violence is on the rise. Authorities and some experts say that no one is clear – they have reduced the reason for the increase, reports AP. They point to the social and economic change caused by the coronavirus, public sentiment toward the police after the death of George Floyd at the hands of the Minneapolis police, and a historic lack of jobs and resources in poorer communities. as contributing factors. It happens in big and small cities, led by Democrats and Republicans.
Two years ago, Detroit had 261 homicides – the fewest in decades – and about 750 non-fatal shootings in the city, with more than 672,000. But with just a few days left in 2020, homicides have already reached 300, while non-fatal shootings have risen by more than 50% to more than 1,124 by mid-December. “I think the pandemic – COVID – has had a significant emotional impact on people across the country,” said Detroit Police Chief James Craig. “Individuals do not process the way they handle litigation. Whether they are domestic, quarrels, drug-related disputes, there is this rapidity to use an illegally carried firearm.” About 7,000 guns were confiscated by mid-December in Detroit, with more than 5,500 arrests for illegal weapons. Last year there were 2,797 similar arrests. “I haven’t seen a peak like this. But when it happens in other cities – some smaller ones – what do we all have in common?” Craig said, “Then start thinking about COVID.”
(Read more stories about gun violence.)