TRANSFORMING JUSTICE | Reasons for increased crime vary, so solutions should too
Violent crime is up in cities across the nation, including Chicago, Philadelphia, Washington D.C. and now Portland — a city not usually on the high-crime map.
Mothers are losing their sons. Children are losing their fathers. Communities are scared. The victims of shootings and homicides are disproportionately Black and brown. City officials are pointing fingers.
The increased deaths are tragic and distressing. Here and around the country, the rise in crime rates is causing people to react. And some are pushing the idea that police funding reforms and other progressive policies are affecting rates of crime and violence.
Let’s not jump to conclusions about the links between violent crimes and police funding. While homicides have gone up, the increase is not caused by changes in police funding.
In fact, shootings have gone up both in cities where funding for police has increased or decreased. Tragically, violence has also increased whether cities are run by Republicans or Democrats . No one with a real understanding of what causes crime would believe that such a simplistic answer could be the only cause of this surge in shootings, but the simplistic answers often stick.
There are a number of theories about what causes and prevents all kinds of crime. Each theory has some degree of evidence to back it up, but under deeper scrutiny, none holds up as a sole cause. Poverty. Lead poisoning. Abortion rates. A large percentage of men between the ages of 16 and 35 in the population. More prison. Drug use and addiction. More services and investments. Policing. Kindergarten reading levels. The list goes on.
The truth is we don’t really know what causes crime in general, not to mention specific categories of crime. Property crime and violent crime aren’t usually driven by the same things. A shooting can be related to gang involvement or domestic violence or a drug deal gone bad. Some trends in crime are local, and some are national.
In fact, there are many potential drivers of crime. Since the causes of crime vary, the solutions need to vary, too.
"While homicides have gone up, the increase is not caused by changes in police funding." One theory that is less discussed but important to consider in the context of the economic impact of the pandemic: the income gap.
Sections of Portland are lined with people not just sleeping on the sidewalks over heating grates, or in doorways, but who have set up semi-permanent homes outside. For those of us who have traveled to countries with blatant income gaps, the scene is familiar, but it’s quite new to Portland, at least for those of us who have lived here for 50+ years as I have.
Interestingly, some of the studies on crime and inequity have found that inequity leads to more violent crime but not to more property crime.
There is certainly not enough evidence to say the income gap is the central driver of violent crime upticks here and across the country. Still, this potential driver of increased violent crimes should be thrown into the mix as we consider what next steps can address the immediate crisis while at the same time looking for long-term solutions.
Crime has many drivers, and therefore many solutions. As advocates of true public safety, it is our job to develop and fund solutions that are in line with our values.
How are we thinking about the families and communities impacted by gun violence and what they need in the short and long term? What are the multiple factors making shootings increase? What can be addressed now, and how do we keep those numbers down over the long term?
Ultimately, as we identify solutions, how do we center the values Oregonians care about most, like racial equity, accountability and healing after trauma?
We all want safe, strong and thriving people and communities. And to get there, we need to pursue solutions that address the immediate crisis and set up our communities for long-term stability and safety.
The simplistic narrative that reducing funding for police is causing gun violence is misleading and won’t lead us to the solutions we all want. As a city and state, we need to invest in the solutions that work and are aligned with our shared values that all Oregonians should be safe and have the opportunity to thrive.
Shannon Wight is deputy director at Partnership for Safety & Justice , a nonprofit advocating for public safety and justice reform. She has led efforts around many of the leading-edge public safety and criminal justice reforms of the past two decades.
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