Cause of Crime in New Orleans

Cause of Crime in New Orleans

            The rise in the number of crimes in the U.S, especially in low-income states, has risen significantly over the years. While this may be a problem in many countries, the state of New Orleans has been hard hit with the numbers of homicides rising drastically, unlike in other states that share a common characteristic with New Orleans. Crimes in this state have been contributed by many factors that revolve around the culture of the people. Since the occurrence of Hurricane Katrina that left a devastating effect and displaced the surrounding population, people have found it hard to get back to their normal state of living even after the many years. The rampant rise in the number of crimes has had its effect on the social, economic, and political structures in this state. Factors including high imprison rates, poverty, straw gun laws, unemployment, inequality, and the education system have played a significant role in the rise of crime rate and gun violence in New Orleans. This paper analyzes how these factors have acted as a cause for the increase in crime rates in New Orleans.

The largest population in New Orleans has lived below the poverty line before and after the Hurricane Katrina tragedy in 2005. The effort to rebuild and get back to their homes has not been easy for many residents since the floods demolished everything, including houses. Since that time, the population in New Orleans, especially the blacks, have experienced abject poverty considering that they suffered the most from the post effects of the flooding. Currently, many homes in New Orleans experience hardships when it comes to the provision of their daily needs making it the state with the highest number of poor people in the U.S (The Times-Picayune, 2016). Even with the growing economy of the country, many households find it difficult to make end-meets due to the situation present in the state, sending many into depression and increased desperation. A combination of these and other factors are the major causes of crimes in New Orleans.

According to a 2016 report by the Brookings Institution, many people within New Orleans are faced with difficulties when it comes to getting their daily needs. Therefore, many people engage in criminal activities to make ends meet. Multidimensional poverty, according to experts, has been the main contributor to crimes in New Orleans, considering that other people in other states also live below the poverty line (The Times-Picayune, 2016). Multidimensional poverty occurs when a person who is already vulnerable, experiences different types of disadvantages, including a lack of secondary needs like education and electricity. Conversely, it is not right to say that multidimensional poverty as a factor can be a cause of crimes. A contrast occurs in the number of murders committed in different states and the poverty level compared to other countries. The assumption, therefore, puts to question the various reports brought forward, which related poverty as the cause of crimes in New Orleans.

Laws that govern the lawful ownership of guns and firearms in the U.S. have been sighted as the primary cause of an increased number of crimes in several states, including New Orleans. Megan et al. (2017) posit that the second amendment of the U.S constitution that gives citizens the right to own a firearm legally is the leading cause of the rise in the number of crimes in these suburbs. In contrast to the past, an increase in the name of guns in the hands of people has placed the lives of many people in society today at risk, including those of children. These people become lethal and are prone to committing crimes (Megan et al., 2017). Even with the advocacy for the legal purchase of guns, a lot of illegal sales are still being made. Legal gun purchases, together with the adopted crime culture of homicides, has proven to be a significant cause of increased deaths through firearms in New Orleans. The market through which these guns are sold, and the laws that govern the sale of these guns in states such are New Orleans also makes it attractive for many people to buy guns. Conversely, according to the report compiled by Megan et al. (2017), the police in these areas have not been successful in recovering these weapons used to conduct these crimes.

Additionally, the higher rate of imprisonment of people, especially the adults, has contributed to the increased number of gun violence in New Orleans. Many people involve themselves in gun violence after serving their terms in prison. According to research, many of these people in New Orleans had the idea of acquiring these firearms, with some stating that they could be even bought from the street markets or even steal (Megan at al., 2017). The government has, therefore, placed strict laws that govern the purchase of guns. However, these laws have not served to reduce the menace caused as a result of illegal ownership of these firearms. As the National Rifle Association put it, “the laws that govern the purchase of guns have had a deterrent effect on street crime.” (The Times-Picayune, 2016) They serve as the fuel of crimes rather than a solution to reduce crimes associated with gun violence in New Orleans.

The crimes occurring in New Orleans today have also been contributed majorly by the rise of inequality caused by racial discrimination. The African Americans living in New Orleans are discriminated against in terms of education, median household income, and property ownership. After the tragic occurrence of Hurricane Katrina, many African Americans remained homeless after their houses destroyed, and many left unemployed. Many were left impoverished since the reconstruction period took a long time before everything became normal again. Segregation occurred, and the whites and blacks were separated from the whites leaving in high elevation and the African American in low elevation places. The marginality caused a difference in the social and economic composition of these two groups (Deitz & Barber, 2015). The white people were favored when it came to the reconstruction of home with the blacks’ homes left, making it hard for them to return into their homes.

Today, the level of income of many African American homes fall in the low-income earning compared to the whites. The number of unqualified black youths is rising to lead to the unemployment of these youths. The teens from African American families have resorted to crimes which have sprouted mass shooting in the state. Some of these killings have been handled unequally, with the white minority favored when it comes to giving justice. The whites have been supported when it comes to handling cases that relate to gun violence (Deitz & Barber, 2015). The inequality has caused many youths from African American families to get involved in many crimes to fight for their rights, which has increased the rate of crimes and homicides in New Orleans. Arguably, the rise in the number of crimes as a result of inequality may be caused by mental health stress that many youths experience as a result of discrimination. Discrimination can result in depression and the development of aggressive behavior among teenagers, which in turn may lead to the thought of revenge.

Peer pressure and involvement in gang activities is also another major cause of increased crimes in New Orleans. Adolescents in New Orleans grow up in suburbs where gang activities are a daily reality. The situation is worse in an area with high poverty levels and a lack of employment. People lack what to do and therefore resort to crime-related activity. During an interview by the Times-Picayune, Nicholas Corsaro from the University of Cincinnati agreed that the “greatest driver of violence is young men in gangs or loosely affiliated networks.” (The Times-Picayune, 2016). These gangs play a significant role in shaping the behavior of many youths living in these states, which experience low employment and high poverty levels. Many people have, in the past, been afraid to report gun violence cases to the police. Silence over crime has, in the end, made it difficult for police to carry investigation about the series of murders that occur in New Orleans, making some perpetrators of criminal activities evade arrest. It has therefore made it possible for some gangs to continue with illegal activities in the suburbs, which has led to a rise in the number of gun violence in New Orleans.

The occurrence of Hurricane Katrina brought a change in the schools’ system in New Orleans. The chartered school replaced public schools during reconstruction. The increase led to the rise of operating expenditure to cater for the reforms that took place (Christian & Douglas 2017). The move allowed chartered schools to offer quality education compared to traditional public schools. However, the public schools are neglected, and much of the money channeled to chartered school. Due to the high cost of these schools, some parents from the median income families opt to take their children to public schools where it is cheaper. The quality of these public schools, however, is reduced compared to the chartered schools, which forces other students to drop from school and involve themselves in criminal activities. The rise of school dropout plays a significant role in the increase in the number of gang-related events.

The crime rate in New Orleans has increased enormously over the past year. The occurrence of Hurricane Katrina played a significant role in the happening of the recent crimes in New Orleans presently. Unlike other countries that share the same characteristic as New Orleans, many factors that are part of their culture have played a significant impact on the rise of crimes in New Orleans. Poverty is a significant cause of the increase in the price of crime activity in New Orleans. Half of the black population living in this state live below the poverty line. However, the government needs to come up with better ways to deal with the problem of gun ownership among citizens. It should also improve the quality of education in public schools in New Orleans to encourage many students from poor backgrounds to afford quality education like their fellow students in chartered schools. The move will help to reduce the number of crimes that occur in New Orleans and thus reduce the number of homicides that take place each day.

References

Christian, B. & Douglas, N. H. (2017). How Did the New Orleans School Reforms Influence

School Spending? Retrieved from https://educationresearchalliancenola.org/files/publications/020717-Buerger-Harris-How-Did-the-New-Orleans-School-Reforms-Influence-School-Spending.pdf

Deitz, S. L., & Barber, K. M. (Dec 2015) “Geographies of Inequality: Urban Renewal and the Race, Gender, and Class of Post-Katrina New Orleans.” Race, Gender & Class, No. New Orleans for Whom and What?

Megan E., Susan T. Parker, Thomas L. Scott, and Charles F. Wellford (2017). “A Comparative Analysis of Crime Guns.” RSF: The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences 3(5): 96–127. DOI: 10.7758/RSF.2017.3.5.05.

The Times-Picayune (2016). Why does New Orleans have more murders than similar cities? Experts search for answers. Retrieved from https://www.nola.com/news/crime_police/article_c78b758a-7214-58d5-81cb-0218ff42f55b.html