Murder on the Rise in Brooklyn
- Wall Street Journal
- Jason Henry, killed in January
The Main Drivers
In the 71st precinct, which covers part of Crown Heights and Flatbush, there were two murders at this point in 2012; this year, there have been six. “Two were the result of disputes, one was gang-related, one occurred during a robbery and the motives for two others are unknown,” the Journal reported. Coney Island has also contributed to the rise; there have been five murders in the 60th precinct so far this year (compared to two last year), three of them in public housing, leading local politicians to call for an increased presence of community affairs officers there. (Still, homicides in Coney Island are way down from historic highs: in all of 1990, there were 21 murders there.)
The Secondary Drivers
Murders in the rest of the borough are either the same as last year or just slightly up or down, according to our review of police data. Murders are up by one compared to last year in Bensonhurst (two vs. one), Marine Park (six vs. five), Borough Park/Midwood/Kensington (one vs. zero) and Sunset Park/Windsor Terrace (two vs. one). So, it’s not exactly cause for alarm, but still.
Follow Henry Stewart on Twitter @henrycstewart