By Rusty Brooks
The city saw a 166% increase in shooting incidents in August, however an even more startling statistic according to the NY Post: Nearly twice as many people have died to gun violence in Gotham this year than last, striking new figures from the NYPD show.
The Post reported based on NYPD figures: A total of 209 people were shot and killed in the five boroughs as of Wednesday — compared to 109 over the same period in 2019.
Overall, 1,362 people have been shot in 1,106 incidents as of late last week, more than double the 674 victims in 575 shootings last year, the data shows.
CBS reported murders were up 47% last month, with 53 this year versus 36 in August 2019.
It was also recently reported that because of the BLM movement, many inner-city residents do not want to be seen as “sell outs” and are not assisting police as witnesses to violent crimes.
The NY Post reported that the “lack of cooperation” has resulted in a poor 24 percent arrest rate in the borough’s 252 shootings, with collars in only 60 of the incidents, a spokeswoman explained.
One of the new police reform rules the uber-leftist City Council passed is a a mandate that prosecutors disclose all grand-jury witness testimony to the defense if there is an indictment. Previously, only a defendant’s testimony was disclosed. Another provision requires prosecutors to turn over names of all witnesses and persons interviewed relevant to a charge — along with the witnesses’ criminal histories. It also requires DAs to hand over all of a defendant’s statements to informants and undercover cops. This effectively unmasks snitches, the Post reported.
This makes witnesses; in fear of retribution; reluctant to come forward. The famous saying “snitches get stiches” has essentially become the unofficial law. With BLM anti-police sentiment running thru the pulse of the city, many people don’t want to be seen as “against the cause”. These complex sociological issues are all contributing to this low amount of arrests of violent suspects and making the city a much more dangerous environment.
