Report Reveals Alarming 31 Percent Homicide Increase Among Blacks
NEW YORK (1010 WINS/AP) -- The NYPD released a new report this week detailing that 536 homicides were committed in 2010. Among the alarming statistics found in the study was a 31 percent homicide rate increase among blacks.
Forty-two percent of the killings occurred in Brooklyn with East New York tallying the most murders. On Wednesday, 1010 WINS' Carol D'Auria spoke with members of the community who weighed in on why their neighborhood had the dubious distinction of topping the list.
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1010 WINS' Carol D'Auria speaks with East New York residents about the alarming statistics
Michael Evans said he wasn't surprised by the numbers because of the lack of opportunities for young people.
"They really don't have anything for them to do -- you know like recreation, a job," Evans said.
The overall statistics showed the majority of those killed were black men ages 16-37. Hispanics comprised 24 percent of the killings. Six percent were white and three percent Asian.
Sylvester Chandler told D'Auria that bad parental care and discipline was a big part of the problem as well.
"From your mother and father in the house -- if they're not raised correctly, how could they raise a child correctly," he asked.
After Brooklyn, the Bronx was the next deadliest borough with 24 percent of the city's murders.
Another man on Sutter Avenue also weighed in saying he believed police were not focusing on tackling the important issues in the community.
"You're running around giving out tickets, checking people's cars and all that instead of patrolling the streets and being what you're supposed to be -- where the crime is at," he said.
The police department figures also revealed that the number of children killed in the city almost doubled from the previous year. Thirty-three people aged 15 and younger were killed in 2010.
Of those suspected in killings, only one in ten were women. The majority of the suspects were men with a rap sheet.
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