Kansas City the third most dangerous city in the country?

Holy cow, folks.  As of tonight, there is a report out on Forbes magazine--another ranking--that says Kansas City is the third most dangerous city in the country.

Wow.

That won't be good for PR, will it?

I have to think the Chamber of Commerce is reeling on this one.

Memphis, Tennessee and St. Louis are worse than us. 

Oh, boy.

Check it out:

The rankings were put together by combining the Federal Bureau of Investigation's violent crime data with the rate of fatal car crashes.


Tops on the list is Memphis, Tenn., followed by St. Louis.
 
So it isn't just shootings and murders but adds in car wrecks.
 
It seems a little hard to believe.
 
Detroit isn't on there?  Los Angeles?  New Orleans? 
 
Forbes said it used FBI data on the number of violent crimes per 100,000 residents in 2009, and Department of Transportation data on the number of traffic fatalities per 100,000 residents in 2008 (the most recent available). They ranked all cities with a population above 250,000. Forbes said a lack of data prevented them from including Chicago, Las Vegas and Virginia Beach, Va., in the rankings.
 
Then, check out this quote from the Mayor:
 
"We can stand around and cheerlead, and whine when stats come out that paint us in what we think is less than flattering light, but when we have problems, we need to address them," said Mayor Mark Funkhouser.
 
That's rich.  Since when did this mayor propose anything--anything--to address the shootings and killings and murders in this city, when there have been such eggregious, ugly murders and shootings?  When the 3-year old child and their father were shot last year in their front yard at a family picnic, what did the mayor say?
 
Nothing.
 
When the Kansas woman was shot and killed leaving Swope Park by a random shooting, the mayor's response?
 
Silence.
 
Please, mayor.  I know you're running again, to get back in that office, but don't pretend you've ever promoted any solutions for the murder rate, specifically, while you've been mayor.  Or co-mayor, to be more precise.
 
It just hasn't happened.
 
Links:  http://www.kctv5.com/news/25376957/detail.html;
http://blogs.forbes.com/francescalevy/2010/10/12/real-estate-lifestyle-danger-housing-cities/