Reason to Celebrate, Kansas City!

Kansas City, nearly unbelievably to me, anyway, given the coverage of our shootings and killings, didn't make an ugly list recently.

Murder map: Deadliest U.S. cities

Herewith, some highlights--

• Wichita, Kansas, 58. Stunningly tied here with MIAMI, FLORIDA.
• Topeka, tied at the 50 spot with Columbus, OH.
• Dallas 49. Houston, 47.
• Tulsa at 30, tied with Fort Wayne, IN.
• Oakland, CA at 27.
• Atlanta, GA 23.
• Peoria, IL 18.
• Little Rock, AR, 17.
• Chicago, 16.
• Washington, DC at 10.
• Memphis, 6.
• New Orleans at 4.
• Detroit at 3. Not the worst.

St. Louis, Missouri at the number one worst spot of deadliest cities in the nation.

Even little old Springfield is there at number 61.

But no Kansas City.

Yahoo.

One for a win.

I'll take it. We'll take it, for sure.

Kansas City Takes 2 Hits

Yes sir, it seems our Kansas City area takes two hits today, in the media, with an article just out.

The 30 places in the U.S. where 

you're most likely to be murdered

This really surprised me and for a couple reasons. 

Naturally, I hoped Kansas City wouldn't even be on the list, in any way. After that, if we were on it, as I thought we might be, I figured it would only be one city or area, not two.

It wasn't to be.

At number 26 of the 30 is our own Jackson County, Missouri.

I thought sure this would be the only area on the list, first, and frankly, I am pleased we're all the way down to 26, at the end of the list.

Here's the shocker:

Kansas' Wyandotte County was in the (rather high) number 12 spot.  They just missed the top 10.

That's depressing.

But for Missouri, there's really bad news. 

I figured Detroit was maybe in the number one spot, right?

No.

Who was it? Who is it?

Our very own St. Louis.

Scary.

America: We're Number One!

Sen. Blunt takes a---deserved---written beating

 Show Me Progress of Missouri wrote a good, true and fair piece on our own Senator Roy Blunt so The Daily Kos couldn't help but reprint:

Remember after Sandy Hook when Roy Blunt was adamant that he would not support legislation that might restrict Second Amendment rights? By which he meant the right of citizens to amass stockpiles of just about any type of weapon. Which was, incidentally, the right of the same folks to enrich organizations that sponsor the NRA, which, in turn, offers tangible aid to politicians like Roy Blunt. Instead he sought to blame government for failing to keep those pesky mentally ill folks under control:

Blunt said in an interview that federal funds have been handed to some communities in states that move people from mental institutions, where federal dollars were used to help them, "and put them back into the community without much monitoring whether people are ready to be in the community or not."

So guess who he blames when a mentally troubled individual shot two policemen in New York?  His constituents, Missourians who exercised their 1st amendment rights to free speech in Ferguson this summer. Evidently the 2nd amendment trumps just about every concern, including public safety. First amendment? Not so much - at least when it involves issues that get old white guys, the only constituency that matters to Blunt, all itchy and bothered. God forbid that police should be accountable.

And, of course, there's the mental health dodge that was trotted out in the wake of Sandy Hook, but not so much in the case of the NYPD shooter. When a NRA-loving, gun enthusiast shoots a school full of little children, we blame the shooting on his mental problems, not his collection of lethal weapons. But when a troubled and violent man, angered by one more miscarriage of justice, goes off the deep end and the innocent suffer, Blunt wants to blame the folks who expose the bigger, original problem and demand that it be addressed. Nice distraction.

Links:

Roy Blunt: Confusing the symptoms with the disease.

This week at progressive state blogs: weak coal ash rules, war on secularism, RoyBlunt confused

Kansas City, St. Louis and Missouri not on a good list

The FBI's latest murder rate list came out and St. Louis and Kansas City, specifically and so, Missouri, in general, don't come out looking very good. The list?

These Are The Major U.S. Cities With The Highest Murder Rates, According To The FBI

Check out number 10: Kansas City, Missouri
Allan Baxter via Getty Images

Murder and non-negligent manslaughter rate per 100,000 people: 21

Total murders and non-negligent manslaughters: 99

Violent crime rate per 100,000 people: 1,260

Total violent crimes: 5,864

Population: 465,514

All data from FBI's 2013 Uniform Crime Report.

To lick our collective wounds on the West side of the state, here's St. Lou---

No. 4

Byron Jorjorian via Getty Images

And their rather lamentable stats:

Murder and non-negligent manslaughter rate per 100,000 people: 38

Total murders and non-negligent manslaughters: 120

Violent crime rate per 100,000 people: 1,594

Total violent crimes: 5,077

Population: 318,563

All data from FBI's 2013 Uniform Crime Report.

Note, only one other state had two cities on the ignominious list (and that was Louisiana).

Missouri, it's starting to suck to be you, kiddo.

Any ideas, citizens of Missouri? Solutions, anyone?

New Facebook page for the Ad Hoc Group Against Crime

Mayor Pro Tem Alvin Brooks posted on his Facebook page today they have a new page there for their  Ad Hoc Group Against Crime.

You can find that here: 

Ad Hoc Group Against Crime

American Exceptionalism

 

Yes, well, we're exceptional, all right.

Why we need to work together, all of us, as Americans.

Bumper sticker I see each day

Each day I go to work, I see a white van parked outside in the parking lot with this bumper sticker prominently displayed on its rear window:

Rather than be upset or angry or even depressed, I'm always amused and laugh a bit inside.

I love that "pro-gun" and "pro-life" are side by side.

It amuses me greatly they don't get that.

And that last election must have really upset them, huh?

KCMO: Sweet 16 on "25 Most Dangerous Cities"

I've always appreciated the fact that, when a list of the top 10 most dangerous cities was released, Kansas City wasn't on it.

So far, anyway.

But expand that list to 25 and we just can't miss, dangit. It happens to be one of the top stories on Yahoo! News right now.

From the FBI's compilation of crime statistics in the nation:

16. Kansas City, Mo.

Kansas City reported 1,200 violent crimes per 100,000.

The city also reported 57.4 forcible rapes per 100,000, more than twice the national average of 26.8 forcible rapes per 100,000 people.

At least we're not St. Louis (number 3) or, heaven forbid, Detroit and its environs (numbers 1 and 2 when you take in top-ranked, nearby Flint, Michigan).

Link: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/the-25-most-dangerous-cities-in-america.html

No one can stop the KC killing without help from the people

Why nothing will ever change in Kansas City regarding the shootings and killings unless the people change: Man shot twice outside an apartment, but refuses to tell police about the shooter KANSAS CITY, Mo. - A man is recovering from gunshot wounds suffered late Wednesday night outside a Kansas City apartment building. Police said the bullets hit the man in a shoulder and arm, but are not life-threatening. The victim refused to cooperate with police and does not want to prosecute his attacker. No one can say anything about what the mayor, City Hall, police or anyone else is doing if the people who are being shot or shot at don't assist the police, after the fact. After this, I refuse to write anything further on this subject, the shootings and murders in Kansas City. Like so many people here in town, if the people involved can't or won't help themselves with these problems, there is no way anyone outside the situations can. Sure, everyone knows it, as I had up to now but I had held out until now. Now, like so many others, I'm done with it. Link: http://www.kshb.com/dpp/news/crime/man-shot-twice-outside-an-apartment-but-refuses-to-tell-police-about-the-shooter

Kansas City No 9 on FBI's "most dangerous cities"

Yikes.


I was afraid of this.


When I saw this headline, I thought we'd likely be on it and there we are:


The 11 Most Dangerous Cities

City/ Crime Risk Index

1. St. Louis: 530

2. Atlanta: 484

3. Birmingham Alabama (tie): 380

3. Orlando (tie): 380

5. Detroit: 369

6. Memphis: 361

7. Miami: 346

8. Baltimore: 339

9. Kansas City, Missouri: 337

10. Minneapolis (tie): 331

10. Cleveland (tie): 331

The bad news?  We're on the list.  Worse, we're  not even in last place.

The good news?

We're not as bad as Detroit.  (Yet?)

Better yet, we're not St. Louis.

Link to original story:  http://finance.yahoo.com/news/The-11-Most-Dangerous-usnews-1262959588.html?x=0

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/

Quote of the day--wish I'd said that

"There is no question that we need to devote far more resources to enforcing federal gun laws. But it is a transparent fallacy to argue that deficiencies in enforcing current laws justify inaction to strengthen those laws." --Dennis A. Henigan, Vice President, Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence and Author of "Lethal Logic" Link to orginal post here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dennis-a-henigan/obama-gun-policy-fear-and_b_672250.html

Alonzo Washington: possible "gang wars and killings in area--and it could get worse"

If you haven't yet read this entry from and by Alonzo Washington, go read it. He says the word in the Black community is that the gangs are out on a bit of a "war" already and that the drive-bys and shootings and killings are expected to continue and only increase soon. And yes, it's the hottest part of the Summer and we expect that to happen but I have questions, we have questions, I think: a) If this is the case, what are the area police supposed to do about this? How can they prevent this senseless violence from happening and, heavens forbid, from increasing? b) b) What can the Mayor and his office do about this, if anything? d) What can community and church leaders do about this ignorance, if anything? e) What can you, Alonzo, do about this, if anything? f) Area City Councils? g) What about us, the citizens of the area? Because I have to say, I know there is a pretty deeply and widely felt opinion in this town that there's nothing we can do but stand back, stay away and let them kill each other. A lot of us out here would like to see that not happen. Answers? Alonzo? Dr. Evans? Tony? Anyone? It's the most important conversation this city can have and we need to have it now, before this gets any worse.

Best city to raise a family?

Well, Des Moines has done it again.

They've come out on top of a list of "best"--this time, the "Best City to Raise a Family." It comes from Forbes Magazine.

I have to say, as an aside, this is fairly clever on Forbes' part as the magazine repeatedly gets quoted for these rather arbitrary rankings, first, and second, Americans love rankings and competitions, if even phony ones. Also, they only rank the "top ten", it seems, so we have no way of knowing where Kansas City ranks.

So hats off to you, Des Moines--great job.

The cities were ranked on cost of living, crime rate, commuting, household income, home ownership, homeowner costs and education.

There are some notable points of this list:

First, New York State was the one state that had more ranked cities in it than any other: Buffalo-Niagara Falls (10), Albany/Schenectady/Troy (9), Syracuse (4) and Rochester (3). For one state, that's fairly outstanding. New York State gets kudos, too.

Second, Pennsylvania (Pittsburgh-7 and Harrisburg-2) and Utah (Ogden-6 and Provo/Orem-5) each had 2 top ten rankings. Not shabby.

Third, I'm thinking our local political and city leaders shouldn't maybe mosey up to Des Moines in the near future, to see what they're doing right that we could emulate.

Fourth, I think we should try, if anything, shrinking our city limits so the core of the city is valued more and we don't keep sprawling. It hurts us maintaining all of it (sewers, streets, schools, etc.) and makes commuting that much worse, too.

Finally, I know our local crime rate hurts us, of course, in this ranking but I'm wondering if those same local political and city leaders (hear that, Mr. and Mrs. Mayor, etc?) might look at these and, after addressing our most pressing problems (especially the shootings, murders, murder rate, drive-by killings, etc.), they might not try to get us higher on these categories, for our own benefit.

That would make this list a valuable assist to us, at least here in town, so we could make this a better place to live yet.


Link to original post:
http://www.forbes.com/2010/06/04/best-places-family-lifestyle-real-estate-cities-kids_slide.html?partner=yahoore

Hey, it could always be a lot worse

At least we're not Detroit:

Aiyana Jones, 7-Year-Old Shot And Killed By Detroit Police, Was Sleeping According To Family

Or Chicago:

Homicide rate jumps in Chicago

Think happy thoughts.

An indictment of the Mayor, his wife and the City Council

Kansas City is up to 26 homicides for the year at present--11 of them in KCMO.

That's bad enough but the latest victim "was gunned down in front of her three children -- an 8- and 9-year-old were getting on a school bus and a child said to be between 1 and 2-years-old was standing in the doorway of the home -- after a brief struggle in her driveway around 8:30 a.m."

The murder itself is horrible.

The other shootings and murders in town that have led up to this one are equally awful and unacceptable.

And it's still February.

If we do not/cannot get a handle on the killings and shootings in Kansas City before the warmer weather starts, they will likely escalate wildly.

What are Mayor Funkhouser and his wife Gloria Squitiro doing to change this?

I think nothing.

What is the City of Kansas City City Council doing or proposing to reduce the killings?

Again, I think nothing.

The Mayor said he wants to do away with the e-tax.

The Council wants to pass a fatcat developer's dream of building hundreds of homes North of the city--25 miles from the core--but on this? Silence. Utter silence.

My entry today is an indictment of this Mayor Funkhouser, his wife Gloria Squitiro (because she insists on being involved) and the entire City Council of Kansas City, Missouri.

The murder rate in Kansas City should be all these people's highest priority but they are doing nothing. They are ignoring the most serious and possibly disintegrating situation for and in the city.

We should stand for this no longer.

We must demand action from them, at minimum.

Some good news for Kansas City

At least we're not Mexico, right?

The number one hope for a happy new year in Kansas City

It was our number one story in Kansas City this past year and it hopefully won't be next year.

That is, right now we stand at 110 homicides in Kansas City.

That is far too many killings, folks. It's got to stop. Hopefully that will be it for the year but we do have 24 hours to go so let's hope for the best.

We need to stop it.

I don't know how. No one seems to.

What we do know is that, to do it, people will have to work together.

Churches, politicians, the police department, community leaders, average people on the streets--everyone.

Here's to 2010.

And may we have far fewer murders, shootings and homicides in Kansas City in that new year.

Let's make it our number one goal and not our number one story.

Additional link: http://www.kansascity.com/115/story/1656092.html

That's what I'm talkin' 'bout!

Would we rather protect guns, gun owners and bullets than our own children and lives?

I think the answer is, to date, yes.

Happy New Year.

Right?


(Thanks to Michael for the link).