This is just one more story aligning the social mood in our nation's capital and the potential for physical danger when this mood turns even more sour and more people fall victim to the slowing economy.
--Scott Howard
Exactly right. And as you suggest it's not just Washington D.C. There’s been a rash of such stories from around the globe. Here’s some more from within the last week:
July 13, 2006
Crime Wave in Brazil
SAO PAULO, Brazil - Gangs torched buses and attacked banks and police stations across South America's biggest city Thursday, deepening crime fears as a wave of rampant violence entered its third day.
At least six people have been killed in nearly 100 attacks on police and civilian targets since Tuesday night in what authorities believe is retaliation for a possible transfer of gang leaders to Brazil's first federal penitentiary.
Associated Press
July 13, 2006
Police Tie Jump in Crime to Juveniles
Police in cities across the USA are linking the recent jump in the nation's violent-crime rate to an increasing number of juveniles involved in armed robberies, assaults and other incidents.
In Minneapolis, Milwaukee, Washington, Boston and elsewhere, police are reporting spikes in juvenile crime as a surge in violence involving gangs and weapons has raised crime rates from historical lows early this decade. The rising concern about juveniles comes a month after the FBI said the nation's rate for violent crimes — murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault — rose in 2005, the first time in five years.
USA Today
July 12, 2006
Cities Grapple With Crime by Kids
Evan Savoie, 15, was sentenced Monday to more than 26 years in prison for stabbing a playmate to death, one of the most brutal murders ever committed by a juvenile in Washington. Officials in several cities are tying poverty and financial uncertainty to rising crime among juveniles.
His juvenile court record included citations for 19 offenses, dating back three years. Last Thursday, police pulled up beside him with a warrant to arrest him again: He allegedly had violated the terms of his probation from a robbery citation last month by cutting off a leg bracelet that allowed Hennepin County authorities to monitor his whereabouts.
After a chase on foot through a crowded city park, "Killer," one of several aliases the youth uses, was back in handcuffs. "I am a maniac!" he screamed, declaring his affiliation with a local gang. "I am a maniac!"
The fugitive, whose name was not released by police because he is a juvenile, was among eight frequent-offender youths pursued last week by a team of officers from the Minneapolis Police Department, the county Probation Department and the U.S. Marshals Service.
The team was formed last month as part of a crackdown on violent young offenders who represent an increasing problem at a time when crime rates are ticking upward.
USA Today
July 11, 2006
Wave Of Crime Rivals Heat In Phoenix
9 Murders, 7 Rapes And Over 40 Shootings Have Residents On Edge
This summer, along with its usual heat wave, a crime wave is spreading through the Phoenix area. Nine murders, seven rapes and over 40 shootings in all has put residents on edge as police investigate the possibility of a third serial criminal on the loose.
Police believe 13 shootings since May, including two during the weekend that wounded two people, are connected, possibly making it the third series of shooting attacks in the city over the past year.
CBS/Associated Press
July 10, 2006
South Africa: Crime Wave
Criminals are terrorising Gauteng residents as they step up attacks -- stealing cars, emptying homes and robbing supermarkets.
Although police refuse to release crime statistics more recent than from a year ago, Safety and Security Minister Charles Nqakula admitted last week that crime, "particularly in Gauteng", has increased.
Sunday Times (Johannesburg)
The amazing breadth of the phenomenon is a clue to the strength of downturn in social mood. The uptick among juveniles may be another as the The Elliott Wave Theorist’s original report on “Pop Culture and the Stock Market” noted, “The young are quickest to adopt new fashions.”
|
