Violence in the Heartland, Part IV–The Biggest Losers (and Gainers)

Among the eleven biggest Midwestern cities, Chicago has experienced the largest drop in homicide rates over the past quarter-century, while Cincinnati has experienced the largest increase.  The other nine cities are scattered between the biggest loser and the biggest gainer, reflecting a range of markedly different urban experiences with lethal violence since the mid-1980s.

This rather messy graph indicates the annual number of homicides (murder and other nonnegligent manslaughter) per 100,000 residents for each of the eleven Midwestern jurisdictions with a population of more than 250,000:

homicides by 11 cities

Other than Detroit’s position as the region’s perennial homicide champ, it is hard to discern any patterns in the mass of lines.

The following table provides a clearer picture of each city’s trajectory. 

Continue ReadingViolence in the Heartland, Part IV–The Biggest Losers (and Gainers)

21st Annual Howard B. Eisenberg Do-Gooders’ Auction–An Interview with PILS Fellow Patrick Winter

Patrick WinterThe 21st Annual Howard B. Eisenberg Do-Gooders’ Auction on behalf of the Law School’s Public Interest Law Society (PILS) will be held in the evening on Friday, February 21, 2014 at the Law School.  Proceeds from the event go to support PILS fellowships to enable Marquette law students to do public interest work in the summer.  Patrick Winter, a current law student, shares his experience here as a PILS Fellow.  Besides his work as a PILS Fellow, Patrick is helping to organize this year’s Auction.

You may attend the Auction by purchasing tickets here, or you may purhcase tickets at the door.  This link also provides you with an option to donate to the Auction.

Where did you work as a PILS Fellow?

I worked for the U.S. State Department, at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations in New York.

What kind of work did you do there?

I worked with the U.S. policy negotiation teams for the Middle East and East Africa to forward U.S. policy on issues pertaining to Syria, South Sudan, Somalia, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. I attended UN Security Council proceedings as well as bilateral and multilateral negotiations with other UNSC Member States, and prepared briefing memorandums for senior U.S. government officers on issues arising in the Council. Much of my work involved operational issues with peacekeeping operations, as well as topics on the protection of women and children in armed conflict zones, and UN mandated country-specific sanctions. I received reports from peacekeeping operations abroad, created diplomatic cables on current progress and setbacks in conflict zones, and prepared reports on legal issues pertaining to regulatory sanctions imposed by the UN and the United States.

Continue Reading21st Annual Howard B. Eisenberg Do-Gooders’ Auction–An Interview with PILS Fellow Patrick Winter

Impact of Reductions in Poverty-Fighting Increasingly Affecting Policing, Flynn Says

“Think big, folks,” Milwaukee Police Chief Ed Flynn urged a full-house audience in the Appellate Courtroom of Eckstein Hall on Tuesday. And Flynn did that himself during an “On the Issues with Mike Gousha” program, taking a broad view of the role of police in protecting and enhancing the quality of life of people and communities in the city.

Flynn’s perspective focused frequently on how police have become the ones dealing with a gamut of social problems, as well as criminal problems, as public investment in programs aimed at helping people, especially those in poverty, have declined across the United States.

Over the last 25 years, Flynn said, “we have seen a consistent and unrelenting disinvestment in the social network, OK?” He gave mental health as an example: “Right now, the response of our society to issues of mental health is the criminal justice system. I’ve seen this for years and it’s becoming more so. . . . If you have a mental health problem, we can guarantee you a jail cell.” He said substance abuse problems are another example. “What is our social network dealing with substance abuse? Jail.”

Flynn, who is in his sixth year as Milwaukee’s police chief, said, “I’ve got 1,800 men and women out there who are being asked to deal with virtually every single social problem that presents as an inconvenience, discomfort or issue. . . . It is this one group that right now has the weight of every single social problem on it. And maybe we should start asking ourselves, do we need to double back and see what else we’re doing?”

Continue ReadingImpact of Reductions in Poverty-Fighting Increasingly Affecting Policing, Flynn Says