1/ The US murder surge is accelerating: killings are now up 42% in Atlanta, 41% in Philly, 38% in Oakland, 30% in Miami, 25% in LA, 20% in Dallas.

Worse, cities that had been okay are joining the trend. Dallas has had 27 murders in Oct., compared to 2 in the same period in 2019.

2/ The US has NEVER - NEVER - had a recorded murder increase like this. Something is very wrong on the streets.

Theories:

Cops feel unsupported and have pulled back.

Progressive prosecutors/bail reform mean no one is jailed early in crime sprees or fears carrying weapons...

3/ Masks and Covid panic reduce foot traffic and mean that the streets feel less safe.

Remote learning means vulnerable older teens aren't even pretending to go to school; they have more time to fight.

I'll throw in sky-high cannabis use since you know that's my thing.

4/ Look, this hasn't become a national issue politically since the media is pretending it doesn't exist (I know, shock), but if you are a lefty justice reform type you need to stop hiding from this and start asking why. Because you are killing the people you claim to be helping.