A Spike in Murders Could be Related to Education

A May 6, 2008 Wall Street Journal article called, "Murder Spike Poses Quandary" by Gary Fields talks about how criminologists are offering a number of explanations for April's increase in the murder rate in some cities. For example in Washington, in April there were 18 murders during a 13-day spurt of violence, 20 percent deadlier than a year ago in April of 2007.

Several cities around the country, including Chicago and Philadelphia had similar murder waves during the same period, which is leading criminologists to worry whether this signifies the beginning of a trend. The people who study crime say that there are no easy explanations for this rise, other than the usual usual reasons -- the economy, poverty, gangs and crews, and the ease of getting firearms.

According to the article the overall murder rate has dropped for years, but it has been inching up in the black community in recent years. African-Americans make up only 13 percent of the nation's population, but more are killed in the U.S. than any other racial group, accounting for 49 percent of all murder victims, according to Federal Bureau of Investigation statistics.

Here's the interesting fact. One county medical examiner who has analyzed all the available data on his murder victims thinks that education -- or the lack of it -- is a vital component. O'dell Owens, the Hamilton County medical examiner in Cincinnati, studied the death certificates of his victims and found that over a five-year period, 60 percent of them had quit school.

In my work for charity organizations like Children of the City in Sunset Park, in Brooklyn New York, we already know these facts. You can read more about these kinds of statistics on my website http://www.roccobasile.org/. This group is changing the lives of more children, improving their quality of life by breaking the cyclical effects of poverty and giving them hope for their future.

In this community alone there is a 48 percent high school drop out rate. With 30 thousand children, that means 15,000 are dropping out. One in three families are under the poverty level. A culture of drugs and gang, 1000 deaths annually. Kids are into violent acts like selling drugs. The community was in need of hope and Children of the City is helping.
Check outthe educational video here.

The organization believes that the only way to fix the problems is through educating the kids, their families, and helping them learn. For more than two and a half decades, the organization has been working to make a difference. Its Create Success program is countering the near 50 percent drop out rate, instigating positive change. Almost half of the kids enrolled in the education program believe that it helped deter them from getting involved in drugs.