The Charlotte Observer published an article today about the growing amount of crime in Charlotte over the past two years. I'm not posting the entire article, but it is worth the read.
We all know crime in Charlotte has taken a turn for the worse in the past two years-- but did you know that Charlotte-Mecklenburg's homicide rate is nearly twice the average of large urban areas nationwide, according to FBI crime statistics? It is. Charlotte-Mecklenburg had about 11 slayings per 100,000 population the past two years, while metropolitan areas averaged 6 per 100,000 last year.
Homicide victims in 2006 ranged in age from a 19-month-old toddler to a 70-year-old woman. The African American community was hit especially hard. 71% of this year's homicide victims were black- even though African Americans only make up 29% of Mecklenburg County's population.
Crime nationwide has decreased since the peaks of the late 1980's and early 1990's when crack reigned. That trend held true in Charlotte-Mecklenburg, where violent slayings veered downward even as the population boomed. In 2004, Charlotte celebrated the lowest homicide rate in a decade, with only 60 slayings. However, just one year after the celebrated low, we experienced a dramatic leap with 85 slayings in 2005. We've seen 83 murders thus far in 2006.
