Bad News:
The Violence Policy Center released a new report: Pennsylvania has the highest black homicide rate of any state in the union. From their press release
“The annual study, Black Homicide Victimization in the United States: An Analysis of 2006 Homicide Data, uses 2006 data–the most recent data available from the FBI–and ranks the 50 states according to their black homicide victimization rates. The study found overwhelmingly that firearms, usually handguns, were the weapon of choice in the homicides. This is the third year that the VPC has issued the report and the second time in three years that Pennsylvania has topped the ranking.”
For PENNSYLVANIA, the study found that in 2006:
- There were 490 black homicide victims, resulting in a homicide rate of 36.86 per 100,000. Of these, 441 were male and 49 were female.
- For homicides in which the weapon used could be identified, 87 percent of black victims (414 out of 475) were killed with guns. Of these, 90 percent (372 victims) were known to be killed with handguns. There were 26 victims killed with firearms where the type of gun was not stated. There were 26 victims killed with knives or other cutting instruments, 17 victims killed by bodily force, and 8 victims killed by a blunt object.
- For homicides involving black victims for which the victim to offender relationship could be identified, 85 percent of black victims (173 out of 204) were murdered by someone they knew. Thirty-one victims were killed by strangers.”
Read the full report here: http://www.vpc.org/press/0901homicide.htm
There is no single policy or piece of legislation that will prevent this kind of terror and tragedy. This is something that calls for community and government intervention working hand in hand.
Tags: deaths, gun, handguns, homicide, murder rate, Pennsylvania, philadelphia, pittsburgh, violence