Murder Map of Philadelphia
posted by Dave Hoffman
This interactive display is sobering, especially if you have a sense of the demographic geography of Philadelphia’s neighborhoods.
True, the city has of late received pretty good press. But it is obvious to even casual observers that the streets – especially sparsely populated ones – feel considerably less safe than they did just a few years ago. Even in the City’s better-off neighborhoods, complaints of vice crime are rampant. (See my civic association’s newsletter’s here. Cry “wolf” much?) The question I wonder about is why Philadelphia, unlike other major metro areas, has been unable to effectively constrain nonsanctioned violence (especially, violence by gun). The City already has extremely draconian gun control laws – are they part of the problem?
November 14, 2006 at 4:42 pm
Posted in: Current Events
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Responses (9)
David S. Cohen - November 14, 2006 at 8:50 pm
I’m curious how you get to labeling the city’s gun control laws as draconian. That’s the complete opposite impression I’ve had (and I’ve followed this issue closely as a city resident now for several years, although not as a legal scholar of gun laws).
First, the city can’t regulate guns because its home rule charter doesn’t allow it. So, it’s subject to state gun laws.
Second, in that vein, Pennsylvania gun laws are pretty lax, owing in large part to the state being a very big hunting state. After all, the opening of hunting season is a school holiday in most places outside of Philadelphia. In fact, the state’s gun laws are so lax that Mayor Bloomberg from New York appeared at a rally in Harrisburg in favor of a modest proposal of restricting gun purchases to one per 28 day period (roughly 13 per year – some restriction!) because of his concern that many of the guns used in New York crimes come from Pennsylvania where the laws are so favorable to gun purchasers. That very modest proposal, of course, failed in the pro-gun state legislature.
Sarah S. - November 15, 2006 at 12:23 am
Treat the disease, not the symptoms! We need economic development in the most impoverished areas (and not just knocked down buildings a la NTI), more public transit system arms (not just a N-S, E-W subway system), and a more equitable public education funding stream (education as a fundamental right?). My father and brothers shoot at deer every Monday after Thanksgiving and I grew up in Philadelphia and its CLOSE suburbs. There is a way to reconcile the extremes.
AntonK - November 15, 2006 at 10:54 am
Who do you suppose is most effected by gun control laws?
Once you answer that question, you’ll know why such laws do not lower the number crimes committed with guns, and tend to raise the occurrence of other violent crime.
Joe R. - November 18, 2006 at 5:16 pm
It’s all about money! And that money involves drugs. All the education in the world does not temper greed. Giving away economic development won’t solve the problem either as history has shown.
Either take away the drugs or make’em legal and most of the murders go away. And if you think legalizing drugs is not an option then think again. One of the worst drugs in nicotine. No one is killing for cigarettes!
As far as gun control. The more gun laws our politicians make, the easier it is to get guns illegally. Our Founding Fathers had it right the first time on gun control. It worked back then, it worked in the so called wild west (except for a handful of famous gunslingers), and it would work today. (I would guess that all gun laws are illegal since the Constitution was never amended).
It’s beyond me that we do everythng the hard way as a society.
Frank - March 14, 2007 at 11:32 am
Another great question is why do the people who purchase guns in Pennsylvania (likely upstate)go to New York to commit their crimes instead of staying upstate? Perhaps they are afraid of getting shot by a gun toting Pennsylvanian. Moreover, studies show that prisoners in the U.S. are more afraid of gun carrying citizens than they are of the police.
Richard C. Mongler - July 24, 2007 at 4:25 pm
By my math, 83% of the dead are black so why should I care? They kill each other. Thats their job.
Hussan - August 2, 2007 at 9:12 pm
Yea a high percentage of black people are the murder victims. So what? Aren’t black people human beings? What makes u think that your child brother, or sister will be next? Richard your attitude is the reason why a large number of Americans are neglected. That attitude is the reason we have a third world america.
Hussan - August 2, 2007 at 9:15 pm
Yeah a high percentage of black people are the murder victims. So what? Aren’t black people human beings? What makes u think that your child, brother, or sister won’t be next? Richard your attitude is the reason why a large number of Americans are neglected. That attitude is the reason we have a third world america.
Karloff - March 14, 2010 at 7:56 am
Life is tough – and as a general rule, it is even tougher if you are uneducated or just plain stupid. Stupid people do dumb things like; making themselves a target by being unaware of their immediate environment, not using common sense, joining gangs, having lousy friends, trying to steal what is not theirs, and failing to take all protective measures needed to ensure the safety and well-being of themselves and their families. The list is practically unending. Death by murder at the hands of some nut job, or death at the hands of someone exercising their right to self defense is usually a result of stupidity. Of course, there is always that random factor of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. But then, life is pretty much a crap game to begin with. Survival in this world pretty much boils down to self-education, vigilance and the age-old concept of CYA – you can never depend on the police or someone else to do it for you!
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