On March 20, a stabbing involving a bartender and an off-duty police officer occurred outside the Venture Inn, a downtown watering hole that I happen to frequent. A flurry of Facebook posts appeared on my feed after the incident, most lamenting an alleged rise in crime in the Gayborhood, how things are out of control and how the neighborhood is going downhill. Although these reactions are understandable given the severity of the incident, crime is not increasing in Center City. To the contrary, violent crime has continued to decline this year, as it did last year.
The Sixth Police District, which covers the Gayborhood, saw sharp declines in violence last year: Homicides declined by 29 percent, robberies with a gun were down 46 percent and aggravated assaults where a gun was used dropped by 49 percent, compared to 2012. Less serious categories of robbery and aggravated assault that did not involve a gun also declined, by 16 percent and 9 percent, respectively.
This trend has continued in 2014. Relative to this time last year, the Sixth District has recorded 30-percent fewer robberies with a gun and 64-percent fewer aggravated assaults with a gun. Less serious categories of these offenses are unchanged this year relative to 2013, and the same goes for homicides.
I personally know both victims involved in the incident, and what they experienced was a serious violent crime that should be taken seriously. At the same time, we have to be cognizant of the fact that incidents such as these, which garner a great deal of attention, are not the norm, and are on the decline.
Evan Sorg is a doctoral student in the Department of Criminal Justice at Temple University and a former New York City police officer.