As fear grips post-Katrina New Orleans, the obvious next step for local politicians is toward crime prevention.
This city’s reputation for violence spans decades, most notably when it earned the title “murder capital of the world,” after 1994 when nearly 100 individuals were murdered per 100,000. But after falling to acceptable levels for nearly a decade, 2006 saw a murder rate spike to between 81 and 87 per 100,000, depending on who you trust more, the Federal Emergency Management Agency or Mayor Ray Nagin.
No doubt these numbers reflect a painful, correctable reality of New Orleans. And it’s reasonable for residents to be angry with elected officials and the alleged protectors and servers of our fair city. But in retrospect, things aren’t very different from previous years, and the new fear may root in false belief that the city used to be safe.
The Crescent City had a typical year in 2004 with 250 murders, 56 for every 100,000. The problem? This typical year in New Orleans was eight times New York City’s murder rate the same year. So consider how safe you’d feel at a Bronx subway station at night. Comparatively, your own porch in Central City probably was several times more dangerous than that station for nearly a decade.
Locals quickly blame police and public officials for the alleged crime increase, but it’s likely Katrina’s destruction of crime-ridden neighborhoods forced criminals to spill into areas that hadn’t experienced it so badly before.
The old crime in new neighborhoods sparked residents to recognize a problem raging beneath their noses, but behind their backs, for years. So the resulting outcry and city-wide pressure on city hall is as displaced as former lower Ninth Ward residents, arriving years off schedule.
It’s true the post-Katrina murder rate increased by nearly 50 percent. But before you board windows and move to a safer neighborhood in Harlem, several factors make these numbers misleading.
Police Chief Warren Riley said there’s a huge increase in domestic murder, which he blames on struggles imposed on locals by Katrina. It’s an unpleasant idea, but a portion of the new “murder spree” isn’t due to home invasion or street crime; rather, it’s family and friends on one another, which is neither Nagin nor the police’s fault. Also, the vast majority of crime derives from drug conflict, as opposed to random acts or robbery, which is difficult to stop.
And contrary to belief, change is happening. Many chanting “Where’s Nagin?” don’t realize he contracted outside advisers and the National Guard, while organizing meetings between the police, district attorney and criminal justice system, to enable more prosecutions through communication, because criminals are habitually released due to lack of evidence. He also continuously petitions for money to hire more police and build a new crime lab, crucial for prosecutions.
Last year there were 162 murders, the lowest number in 60 years. If more people returned, we’d be celebrating. So before criticizing city hall, remember that it asks for community help, and it’s our job to protect our neighborhoods too.
