While lighthouses can serve to guide mariners through treacherous waters, I think our whole society needs to start paying attention to the true guiding light. The wise men followed a star to the true light, Jesus Christ.
Our nation needs revival. The last 22 months have created a mental health crisis that is widespread. How much pain and suffering do we see in our family, our friends, and in our communities? The pandemic restrictions, the divisiveness of political rhetoric, and the collapse of support systems have all contributed to an unhealthy society. There are many different statistics we could review in our research to study the depths of the current crisis compared to the recent past. Today, I just want to look at some homicide statistics.
These numbers are still being updated in some locales, but these preliminary numbers will at least give us a glimpse into some of the challenges facing metropolitan areas. Many of these statistics were pulled from an article written on December 18 at Fox News. I did additional research on some of the cities and updated with numbers compiled closer to the end of the year. Thus, some of these numbers will be more accurate than others.
Record Setters:
Albuquerque, New Mexico
112 homicides as of December 27, 2021. Previous record was 93 in 2019.
Austin, Texas
89 homicides in 2021. Previous record was 59 in 1984.
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
At least 115 homicides in 2021. Previous record was 110 in 2020.
Columbus, Ohio
At least 179 homicides in 2021. Previous record was 177 in 2020.
Indianapolis, Indiana
At least 258 homicides in 2021. Previous record was 233 in 2020.
Jackson, Mississippi
At least 129 homicides in 2021. Previous record was 128 in 2020.
Louisville, Kentucky
At least 179 homicides in 2021. Previous record was 111 in 2016.
(What happened in Louisville, Kentucky? The record number of homicides jumped by 68 in just five short years. That is a huge increase from 111 to 179.)
Macon, Georgia
At least 52 homicides in 2021. Previous record was 48 in 1992.
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
At least 190 homicides in 2021. Previous record was 186 in 2020.
New Haven, Connecticut
At least 25 homicides in 2021. Previous record was 23 in 2011 according to the New Haven Register.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
At least 524 homicides in 2021. Previous record was 500 in 1990.
Portland, Oregon
At least 84 homicides in 2021. Previous record was 70 in 1987.
Rochester, New York
At least 80 homicides in 2021. Previous record was 69 in 1991.
St. Paul, Minnesota
At least 35 homicides in 2021. Previous record was 34 in 1992.
Tucson, Arizona
At least 92 homicides in 2021. Previous record was 79 in 2008.
If you notice, five of the cities listed above had records set in 2020, only to have those records broken again in 2021. It is six cities if you include Atlanta 2020 & 2021 numbers even though the actual record of homicides had been set 30 years earlier.
Atlanta, Georgia
158 homicides in 2021. Previous record was in 2020 at 145 homicides.
(This was a 30-year record. Atlanta had 241 homicides in 1990.)
Chicago, Illinois did not set a record for number of homicides in 2021. However, it was the most since 1996. That is a 25 year high. According to ABC 7 in Chicago, there were 3,561 shootings with a total of 797 homicides. The start of 2022 is not looking good for Chicago either. According to Breitbart News, there were 31 people shot during the New Year's Weekend, six of them fatally.
Other major cities that frequently make the news because of violence, but did not set homicide records in 2021 included:
Houston, Texas had 473 homicides in 2021.
Detroit, Michigan had 309 homicides in 2021.
St. Louis, Missouri had 194 homicides in 2021.
We are a society that struggles to see the value and dignity of each human life from conception through natural death. What will each of us do in 2022 to reflect the Light and the Love of Jesus Christ to others? The world needs people of faith to be true lighthouses guiding others to safety. "The people in darkness have seen a great light."
Our nation needs revival. The last 22 months have created a mental health crisis that is widespread. How much pain and suffering do we see in our family, our friends, and in our communities? The pandemic restrictions, the divisiveness of political rhetoric, and the collapse of support systems have all contributed to an unhealthy society. There are many different statistics we could review in our research to study the depths of the current crisis compared to the recent past. Today, I just want to look at some homicide statistics.
These numbers are still being updated in some locales, but these preliminary numbers will at least give us a glimpse into some of the challenges facing metropolitan areas. Many of these statistics were pulled from an article written on December 18 at Fox News. I did additional research on some of the cities and updated with numbers compiled closer to the end of the year. Thus, some of these numbers will be more accurate than others.
Record Setters:
Albuquerque, New Mexico
112 homicides as of December 27, 2021. Previous record was 93 in 2019.
Austin, Texas
89 homicides in 2021. Previous record was 59 in 1984.
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
At least 115 homicides in 2021. Previous record was 110 in 2020.
Columbus, Ohio
At least 179 homicides in 2021. Previous record was 177 in 2020.
Indianapolis, Indiana
At least 258 homicides in 2021. Previous record was 233 in 2020.
Jackson, Mississippi
At least 129 homicides in 2021. Previous record was 128 in 2020.
Louisville, Kentucky
At least 179 homicides in 2021. Previous record was 111 in 2016.
(What happened in Louisville, Kentucky? The record number of homicides jumped by 68 in just five short years. That is a huge increase from 111 to 179.)
Macon, Georgia
At least 52 homicides in 2021. Previous record was 48 in 1992.
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
At least 190 homicides in 2021. Previous record was 186 in 2020.
New Haven, Connecticut
At least 25 homicides in 2021. Previous record was 23 in 2011 according to the New Haven Register.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
At least 524 homicides in 2021. Previous record was 500 in 1990.
Portland, Oregon
At least 84 homicides in 2021. Previous record was 70 in 1987.
Rochester, New York
At least 80 homicides in 2021. Previous record was 69 in 1991.
St. Paul, Minnesota
At least 35 homicides in 2021. Previous record was 34 in 1992.
Tucson, Arizona
At least 92 homicides in 2021. Previous record was 79 in 2008.
If you notice, five of the cities listed above had records set in 2020, only to have those records broken again in 2021. It is six cities if you include Atlanta 2020 & 2021 numbers even though the actual record of homicides had been set 30 years earlier.
Atlanta, Georgia
158 homicides in 2021. Previous record was in 2020 at 145 homicides.
(This was a 30-year record. Atlanta had 241 homicides in 1990.)
Chicago, Illinois did not set a record for number of homicides in 2021. However, it was the most since 1996. That is a 25 year high. According to ABC 7 in Chicago, there were 3,561 shootings with a total of 797 homicides. The start of 2022 is not looking good for Chicago either. According to Breitbart News, there were 31 people shot during the New Year's Weekend, six of them fatally.
Other major cities that frequently make the news because of violence, but did not set homicide records in 2021 included:
Houston, Texas had 473 homicides in 2021.
Detroit, Michigan had 309 homicides in 2021.
St. Louis, Missouri had 194 homicides in 2021.
We are a society that struggles to see the value and dignity of each human life from conception through natural death. What will each of us do in 2022 to reflect the Light and the Love of Jesus Christ to others? The world needs people of faith to be true lighthouses guiding others to safety. "The people in darkness have seen a great light."
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