Crime waves in U.S. towns, criminal 'leaders' in DC: Are they related?

[vickitulsa]

Yesterday I was rattling off the longer-than-usual list of major news stories that seem to keep breaking lately, and I mentioned "dual crime waves" in Phoenix that I'd just heard about. This referred to two separate serial crime situations occurring simultaneously in that city which are proving very difficult for police to solve.

Then this morning as I was checking the various TV networks which still call themselves "news" channels to get the latest reports on the Israel/Lebanon military escalation situation, and while tuned in I'm hearing about other "crime sprees" and increased levels of crime generally within the U.S. -- notably in Washington D.C. at this point.

What suddenly occurred to me was a question I hadn't thought to ask before, the one in the title of this OP, namely: Could there be a connection between the criminally corrupt behavior of those in our White House, and in Congress as well as the media, for that matter, and an increase in criminal behavior among the population in our country?

For about five years now, we in America have had to witness, on a scale I've never seen before, abominable, corrupt, and outright illegal "examples" of behavior within our government being set for us all. Indeed, this appalling trend toward more brazen corruption than ever before among those we're supposed to consider our "leaders" has been shoved in our faces and down our throats while we can do little but watch and feel increasingly sickened, frustrated, and angry as it goes largely unchecked. Even the Supreme Court, a body where we should expect the highest of legal standards to be upheld, now appears to be ruled by politics and cronyism, not law.

That things have come to this offers us the makings of a national nightmare, as we here at DU are certainly aware. But now I'm wondering if the situation isn't worse even than I'd thought -- wondering if the criminal tendencies and actions of our "leaders" are being copied, consciously or not, by citizens in this country, resulting in increased crime levels across the nation?

I haven't thought this premise through very thoroughly yet, but it struck me as potentially so significant and, in a sense, intriguing, that I wanted to bounce the idea off my fellow DUers to see what you think. My higher education was in psychology, including social psychology, so perhaps I tend to view things differently from most people. Therefore I wanted to hear what the rest of you think about my hypothesis and see what feedback from you who have various worldviews and mindsets might reveal.

So would anyone care to enlighten me and broaden my perspective with your insights and opinions on this issue?

[zanne]

1. I think societal problems mirror the politics of the times...

I do believe that our culture is being influenced by the meanness at the top. After all, if torture is considered moral and legal by our government (and our government makes the laws), and if war heroes can be "Swiftboated" by people who will see no recrimination, isn't it alright to bring the meanness and violence up a notch? (I also think the rise in police brutality mirrors the current political culture). What a good question, by the way. I don't think we'll be able to avoid answering it for very long.

[Virginia Dare]

2. Yes, I believe they are related....

in particular, it is related to the widening gap between rich and poor.

There is a concerted effort among those that are in power to be a divisive force, not only here in the U.S., but world wide. It is the classic "divide and conquer" rule, and "they" are masters at it.

This country, indeed the whole world, is coming apart at the seems, and that is exactly what they want.

[Robbien]

3. I see corruption and violence as two seperate issues

One being the underlying cause of the other.

Yes the corruption is spreading. The corruption at the Federal level is being reflected in companies/corporations at State and local levels. Less regulation and enforcement is causing more and more people to ignore the rules. This rule breaking results in more money flowing to an elite few while more people are left scrambling for the crumbs.

The violence on the streets is due to the increased poverty and the cut in funding for local security forces. Tax cuts on a Federal level have hurt State and local security forces. Also Homeland Security has changed the focus of law enforcement away from national issues in their pursuit of international "terrorists".

Street gangs and the mobs are gaining more control over the streets and those streets are no longer just in the inner cities.

So I would say corruption at the top causes increased corruption and poverty which therefore increases violence.

[bluerum]

6. The RW fundy nut jobs rail about permissive society.

Well - this conservative RW administration has a permissive attitude towards corruption, violence, graft, greed and good old fashioned dishonesty and lying.

Can there be a connection between this permissive attitude and crime? That's a big DUH!

I see corruption and violence as two separate issues - One being the underlying cause of the other.

Well then they are related aren't they? They may be two aspects of the same issue, one causative and the other a result - but they are most certainly intimately related.

Remove the corruption and you go a long long way to removing the violence.

[vickitulsa]

8. "Remove the corruption and you go a long long way

to removing the violence."

Exactly!!

And it's even possible (for me at least) to see corruption AS violence, in a way, since what the criminal behavior of those in power often does is wreak havoc and destruction on the lives of others. The example of the Enron crimes comes immediately to mind. Those greedy bastards running the company -- with the quiet complicity and permission of this administration, by the way -- literally destroyed lives by their actions. The employees of Enron who never expected to be robbed and screwed and left without recourse by their bosses ... so many of them ended up suffering every bit as much as if they were attacked, violated physically.

And sadly, seeing Ken Lay convicted, imprisoned, OR dead provides them with no relief from their situations in life now.

Which makes me think that seeing GWB and his cronies-in-crime punished to the max for their crimes would do little to ease the suffering of all of us they have harmed so much, at home and abroad. But it would be heartening beyond imagining to see some true justice served to them and to see someone put an END to their five-year (and longer) "crime spree"!

Reminds me of some brilliantly worded expressions I've read here on DU, such as "Take a bite out of crime: Arrest George W. Bush!"

I have to wonder if he ever hears any the cries for his head and the demands that he be sent to the Hague. I know he's well insulated, but surely some small bits of the expressions of outrage and loathing being voiced by so many do reach his eyes or ears on occasion. Even from within his bubble, he can't possibly, I would think, remain utterly unaware of the hatred he inspires due to his own conduct and arrogance.

My wish is that he knows at least enough to be feeling just a little bit of the bloody FEAR he keeps instilling in others! Even just a tiny little tremor of sweaty panic disturbing his thoughts as he slips through that "twilight zone" just before sleep would give me a lot of satisfaction.

But much more is needed if we're going to turn things around ... MUCH more.

[vickitulsa]

7. Very good points, Robbien!

And I'm sorry I didn't reply to Virginia Dare's excellent observations directly -- you can read that response below.

I feel you're quite right, though, Robbien, about the correlation between corruption and violence. Ditto regarding the significance of poverty in the mix. I live in poverty now -- never thought I would, but when I became disabled at about age 50, I was suddenly thrown into a desperate situation where I must survive on a very meager SSDI check monthly. I'm so far below the "official" poverty line now that I can't even see the line when I look up!

In this environment, I see the despair, frustration, and anger of others who live in poverty, and I have come to understand what drives many to crime. I recognized such factors before, but it's a lot different when you really LIVE in such a world....

Thanks much for your insights!

[Sammy Pepys]

4. Washington D.C. is still light years safer than it was in the past...

...even with the recent spike, which usually occurs in the summertime. Unfortunately, it seems like D.C. has an unusual amount of crime committed by juveniles/minors, and summer is when they're all at home being bored.

The other interesting thing I've read is that a lot of the areas where crime has ticked up are in the "money areas" like Georgetown and recently gentrified neighborhoods...areas where people who are not accustomed to handling themselves in urban settings are more likely to be hanging out. Their guard isn't up as much as it should be, and they make easy targets.

[vickitulsa]

9. Yes, that's how I understood it, too.

In fact, I think this was stated in the report I listened to this morning ... something about the current crime wave being worse than anything experienced there since the 1980's, is how I believe he put it. But this reporter indicated that things are now reaching the epidemic proportions of crime in the past, when Americans and visitors found D.C. so dangerous that they feared going to see the sights there!

I've also wondered if NYC is experiencing a similar rise in crime right now. I understand the terrible situation there in the past, when people from other countries especially were afraid to visit and to walk the streets of the City, had been successfully "cleaned up," so that NYC was now considered a safer city to visit than many other large metropolitan areas in the nation.

I think it's time I go do some research to see if I can find any reports that actually tie rising crime rates to the actions of this administration. I'll check back in here in a bit, but THANK YOU, everyone, for your input -- I appreciate it!

[Sammy Pepys]

11. Hmmm....

I've not heard anything to the effect of it being as bad as things were in the '80s. I think we'd have a ways to go to get back to those numbers....until March or April, D.C. was actually on pace for the lowest overall crime stats in a long time.

As far as the White House goes, I'm not sure there's much they can do about it or anything to blame them for. D.C. has gottenly markedly better in terms of governance, but it's still a bit of a suckfest. And the fact of the matter is that the rapid development in D.C. is starting to mix folks who are not as streetwise as they should be. Everyone seems to figure that once a Starbucks goes up on a block, you don't have to be careful anymore.

[Virginia Dare]

12. Good point.

Courtland Malloy had a good Editorial in the Post, I believe it was yesterday that made that exact point. Just because you've torn down some ugly buildings and put up some nice ones doesn't mean the streets in those areas are any safer.

The armed robberies have always occurred, it just seems that lately they've become more violent, and the perps are as much interested in doing bodily harm as they are stealing. What is the cause? My theory is the increasing gap between rich and poor.

[vickitulsa]

5. "There is a concerted effort among those that are in power

to be a divisive force, not only here in the U.S., but world wide. It is the classic "divide and conquer" rule, and "they" are masters at it."

My best friend believes this completely. And I'm fairly well convinced of it myself.

It's hard to walk that very thin line between logical concern and conspiracy theorizing that gets carried away, I'm sad to say. And those who really ARE conspiring to coelesce their power by reducing the "masses" to a condition resembling serfdom or even slavery might get away with it simply because a lot of us don't want to be seen as "tinfoil hat" wackos!

I can even imagine a near-future in which the increased crime levels among populations of countries gives governments wider leeway to implement police powers, imprisoning more and more of us, the little guys, all in the name of "security" and "restoring order." That is scary indeed!

Yet the predicament we find ourselves in is obvious: How can we react to our reasoned, logical concern about these developments without letting the whole "be afraid, be very afraid" propaganda tactic of the powerful ones get out of hand? It all seems to feed on itself, the fear, the constant drumbeat of nervous FEAR.

Let the crime rise among the populace until the masses are so afraid they'll turn to their governments for "protection," and it seems we might all be lost.

And expecting those same masses to reach a state of "enlightenment" about these issues to the point that we could save ourselves from our own governments before it's too late -- that might be way too much to expect, do you think?

[Robbien]

10. The masses wouldn't be reaching that state of enlightenment

enmass. Many are aware it is happening, but they are not united in that enlightenment. It is that devisive policy of the elite in action here. People unite under labor unions and in universities and in churches, all of which the elite control now.

Where we go from here is not good. Just keep watching most of Latin America and you can see our future.