O'Mayor's Homicide Number
In yesterday's taped debate -- the one you won't see until Monday night at 7 -- the O'Mayor slipped when he said city police had lowered Baltimore's homicide count to below 200 a year. Everyone knows that was a slip, that he meant below 300. Didn't matter to the Ehrlich camp, which sent out a scathing e-mail an hour later dumping on O'Mayor for the slip.
"O'Malley said violent crime is down in Baltimore, but didn't mention Baltimore is the deadliest big city in the nation (FBI Crime Stats) with a murder rate six times higher than New York City. O'Malley deliberately misled the citizens of Maryland by saying murders in Baltimore were under 200, but here are the facts: 261 killings in 2000, 256 killings in 2001, 253 killings in 2002, 271 killings in 2003, 278 killings in 2004, 269 killings in 2005."
O'Mayor is fair game on this count. He pledged to bring homicides down to 175, probably an unrealistic goal.
But whenever someone -- particularly Republicans who have shown little interest in city affairs until this election year -- want to pound the guy for missing that goal, I like to remind them about the pre-O'Malley years, the 1990s, the Schmoke years. There were more homicides -- above 300 -- and more shootings, and a city leadership that seemed resigned to it. Greater population loss, higher addictions numbers, more school failure . . . Where was all this concern when Baltimore seemed headed for the cliff? Give me a break.
Comments
Thank you Dan. It is about time someone said this.
Posted by: James | October 15, 2006 1:38 PM
Dan, I am sure there are some very concerned Republicans in the city... why don't you spend a little time and write an article about them and give them some publicity so they can get elected to the city council/mayor and have the opportunity to do a better job?
Posted by: JDW | October 15, 2006 4:41 PM
Republicans aren't concerned about city matters? Give me a break. I'm a Republican who grew up and lived in Baltimore City for 23 years. Republicans run for, but don't get elected to office, in Baltimore City. Democrats have had unfettered control of an absolute political dynasty in Baltimore City for decades upon decades. The crime, the drug addiction, the school failures, and all of the other ills that now plague the city started and thrived under the watchful eye of Baltimore City Democrats. So please, spare me the "Republicans don't care" rhetoric. But by all means city residents, keep voting them back into office! Maybe after another 20 or 30 years of failure, the message will set in...
Posted by: Eric | October 16, 2006 9:37 AM
Under 175 unrealistic?
NYC has ten times the population of Baltimore. At the height of lawlessness under Dinkins, the murder rate reached 2100. Under Giuliani in a matter of two or three years the murder rate was between 600 and 700. There's no reason that Baltimore should be seeing a murder rate of over 70.
Posted by: soccerdad | October 16, 2006 10:50 AM
I have a revolutionary idea here. If, just if the Baltimore Sun had not enabled the Democrats to destroy the city, perhaps Republicans would have had an oppurtunity to help Baltimore. Never mind, the Sun only cares about protecting the monopoly.
Posted by: Marc | October 16, 2006 3:11 PM