DETROIT – It has become a symbol of shame to the city of Detroit, so much so that residents lash out at those who dare bring it up. For better or worse, violent crime has become as synonymous with Detroit as the auto industry, Motown, coney dogs, and Eminem.
The city has tried to shake the stigma of being the nation’s “murder capital” since the 1970s. That title, which Detroit has wrestled Chicago, New Orleans, Miami, St. Louis, Washington, D.C., and even nearby Flint over for the last 30 years, has become the albatross that has hung over the city in a way that few other things have.
The city, to their credit, has been far more forthcoming with its crime statistics over the last four years. As of August 8 — this number has since increased — Detroit had recorded an astonishing 227 homicides this year, which is a 21 percent jump from last year. We could possibly be closing in on the most recent high-water mark of 375 murders in 2008. The all-time mark is an astonishing 714, which was set in 1974.
“One of the things that’s contributing to (the crime) is our economy,” said Officer “Logan”, a 13-year veteran of DPD who asked to remain anonymous. “We are in a depression. Because Detroit was hit so hard with people losing their homes and losing their jobs, anytime you have a situation where people are forced to do other things for means of income, the violence is gonna rise. People from outside the state really don’t understand how hard Detroit and Michigan were hit by that.”
Detroit has seen a somewhat steady decline in murders since the 1970s, which can be largely attributed to the city’s declining population. Michigan was the only state whose population decreased in the last 10 years, according to the U.S. Census. Detroit has lost over 200,000 residents since 2000 and nearly 1.5 million since 1960.
There is no more dangerous time of year here than the summer. Summer in Detroit is more than just 4th of July Fireworks (that take place on June 25th), barbecues, Tigers games, concerts, music festivals such as Movement and the Downtown Hoedown, and cruising Jefferson Ave. & Belle Isle. Summertime in Detroit is prime time for violence.
“As police officers we were probably the only ones in the city to hoping for winter to come, because we knew that the snow and cold would at least slow down things,” said Eric Jarmons, a retired Detroit Police Officer who now lives in Atlanta. “We knew right around the time school lets out and the first festival downtown in Hart Plaza or the fireworks gets going, the city was getting ready to jump off.”
Last weekend, from 6 a.m. Friday morning to 6 a.m. Sunday, there were 25 shootings in Detroit, of which nine were fatal. The deaths ranged from a shooting that killed a 14-year-old boy, to random acts of violence where people were shot while sitting on their porches, to a dice game gone wrong, to the usual fare of robberies, car jackings, and bad drug deals.
“The worst of the summertime police blues was domestic violence, block parties, street fights, nightclubs, and innocent kids getting hurt some kind of way,” said Jarmons, who served for 12 years with DPD. “The summertime is crazy as a police officer and what I’m reading about what’s happening in Detroit now I’ve experienced. It’s nothing new to me.”
Last weekend was the low point of a particularly violent summer. It led Detroit Police Chief Ralph Godbee to institute more patrols on the city’s streets. DPD, which is strapped for cash and spread desperately thin, had to show some kind of force after the embarrassing headlines rained down across the country.
“I applaud the chief for doing this, but it can only work in the short term,” said Detroit City Councilman, and former Detroit cop, Gary Brown. “Our police officers who are being utilized as clerks and administrative personnel need to be put on the street permanently to reduce crime.”
As recently as 2001, Detroit had upwards of 5,000 police officers citywide. Now, after 10 years of officers retiring, quitting, and department downsizing, the number has dropped to around 2,000 officers.
You also have to factor in disabled officers, desk officers, police who are working special events, sporting events — three of Detroit’s four pro sports teams play downtown — on any given day, and officers who have off days, vacation time, and sick days, that number drastically dwindles. It can lead to a nightmare scenario when things get wild in the city.
“Instead of laying off officers, once these people retire, we’re not allowed to replace them,” Logan said. “It’s not quite as bad as laying people off, but we don’t have people to back us up. But even when we were hiring, there were not enough who were able to meet the criteria.”
By “criteria”, she means the applicants can’t pass the mandatory drug screening. “It’s because they smoke weed. So many of them think weed is not a drug.”The lack of officers has led to emergency calls going hours without being answered, if at all. It’s not because police don’t want to answer. It’s because the numbers game just makes it harder. This has further strained the already acrimonious relationship between the police and Detroit residents.
“When it comes to the average citizens, it’s like a double-edged sword,” Logan said. “A lot of times they’re happy to see us, but at the same time, they’re not. You’ve got the people who called, and we get the run five minutes ago. Problem is, the person called three hours ago.
“That’s because we’ve had dispatchers giving us other runs. Police runs are based on priority. I don’t know that I’m right down the street from a house that was broken into because I’m on my way to a (domestic dispute) run.
“You’ll honestly get the grateful citizen that is happy to see you, and then you’ll get the citizen who is like ‘Man, f—- the police!’”
The death of 3-year-old Aarie Berry was especially infuriating. On July 11, following a dispute outside of a house on the city’s east side, a stray bullet killed the toddler as she played in her living room. The gunfire happened after an altercation between one of the people staying in the four-family housing unit and some next-door neighbors. Aarie and her family were innocent by-standers.
Police were called and responded after the initial fight, but no one would come out or talk to them. Hours later, shots rang out. Things such as that make the job even more difficult for officers.
“There are three types of people in the city and probably in any urban area,” Jarmons said. “There’s the ‘Stand-Up’ citizens who don’t care what can happen to them, they are telling the police everything they know.
“Then there’s the ‘F—- You’ citizens who hate the police and probably participate in the same crimes you are investigating. These can also be disgruntled citizens as well. These people can watch someone be gunned down and they are not helping you.
“Finally, you have the ‘I Want To, But I’m Scared’ citizens, these citizens are a combination of the two previously mentioned groups of citizens. These people, unfortunately, probably have the most useful information of them all in any investigation.”
One community group that has made its presence felt is Detroit 300. They are a community group that was founded in 2010 by community activist Raphael Johnson and radio personality Angelo Henderson. The group first gained notoriety when they mobilized, along with DPD, to capture two teenagers who robbed and raped a 90-year-old woman last August.
“I think that (Detroit 300) is great. We need more of that,” Logan said. “They are the group that needs to be promoted. (Earlier this year) when that serial rapist was out on the east side, people were outraged, and eventually he was caught.
“That’s the kind of thing we need to have happening. There needs to be an outcry that we will not take this. We need more involved neighborhoods. We need more involved citizens.
“You can’t turn the other cheek, and say ‘I don’t want to get involved’, but they’re the same ones who say ‘Oh my God, it’s so violent.’ You’ve gotta get involved. It’s not gonna turn around on it’s own by wishing it away.”
Detroit is a city with an unfortunate reputation for being violent. For there to be any chance for us, or any urban area with a violent history, to shake this, there needs to be cooperation between the authorities and the citizens.
Accepting that “it happens everywhere” or blaming the media doesn’t do anything to combat the issue. As many have said for years about this city, and you can apply this to any city, when it comes to violent crime, it is better to be proactive than reactive.
