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Not Only Broken
Windows
By Kate Burch
James Q. Wilson, who died in 2012, was one of America’s most
consequential political scientists. Among a number of positive
contributions, he developed the “broken windows” theory of policing
which was used to extremely positive effect by Rudolph Giuliani during
his tenure as Mayor of New York. The theory was that, if police
diligently address minor infractions of the law, such as defacing
public buildings with graffiti and minor property damage, more serious
criminal acts will be averted. This is because such pro-active
policing reduces the feeling of lawlessness and the sense that things
are out of control in a neighborhood. Potential miscreants are on
notice that they will not get a pass, and ordinary citizens feel
empowered to keep their neighborhoods livable. Most people agree
that Giuliani’s adherence to this policy led to an astonishing decrease
in all varieties of criminal behavior in New York. It was
actually possible, again, after many years of fear, to enjoy a stroll
in the City, including crossing the Brooklyn Bridge and doing some
enjoyable people watching.
What a change since we now have leadership that accuses law enforcement
officers of criminality while excusing or even encouraging infractions
of the law! Did you find it almost incredible when the Mayor of
Baltimore asked that the rioters be given “space to
destroy?” Have you wondered how to counter the “Hands up.
Don’t shoot” crowd who continue to promote a fiction that seems at
least partly motivated to incite violence against the police?
I am now reading of an upward spiral in crime rates in a number of
cities around the country. Baltimore has had a 60% increase in
gun violence compared with one year ago. In Milwaukee, Homicides
are up 180% over last year. Shootings in St. Louis were up 39%;
robberies 43%; and homicides 25%. Atlanta, Chicago, and Los
Angeles report similar increases. One New York precinct in East
Harlem has experienced a 500% increase in shootings compared to one
year ago!
These statistics are appalling, certainly. But is it any wonder,
really, when people at the top assert, against the evidence, that there
is anti-Black bias in law enforcement; reinforce “doubts” about
acquittals of police officers involved in perpetrator injuries or
deaths; and discourage criminal penalties for many crimes?
Politicians and activists who tar “broken windows” policing as racist
or unjust fail to notice or acknowledge that the law-abiding residents
of at-risk neighborhoods are its most enthusiastic proponents.
That is because, pure and simple, it makes their lives safer and more
pleasant. It makes me sad to consider the prospect of being
unable to move about freely in a large city without fearing for my
personal safety or loss of my property.
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