Good afternoon all,
Wilmington officials knew this day would come.
Gun-related violence comes in waves. In recent days Wilmington has seen five homicides in quick succession that have the business community and other constituencies investing in the city’s revival concerned.
Wilmington has made substantial progress in reducing the number of homicides and there is no reason to believe things are changing. Setbacks are inevitable, given the widespread availability of guns and the toxic environments that remain in place.
Signs over the summer had pointed to a future uptick in homicides as the number of shootings increased, with incidents involving juveniles spiking. We have also seen reports that other cities, including Philadelphia, Baltimore, Chicago and St. Louis are struggling with higher homicide rates.
“I want our residents, visitors, and business owners to know that we are committed more than ever to mitigating this violent activity and arresting those who are part of it,” Mayor Mike Purzycki stated in response to the recent wave of gun deaths. “When crime increases, it just causes us to double down even more. We will continue our community engagement efforts which have resulted in more support than ever for Police Chief Robert Tracy’s respectful and effective policing plan. I am confident that we will bring the current increase in violent incidents under control.”
We should know in the coming days if the recent wave of violence is a one-time occurrence or the beginning of a longer-term trend.
We do know that in many cases, the shootings involve people with police records in a few troubled neighborhoods.
It is equally clear that efforts to address conditions that breed violence in these areas need to be intensified.
Good things are happening in Wilmington, but there is no room for complacency.
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