The city of Detroit is known as the most dangerous city America. According to the FBI data collected recently, Detroit saw a 15% increase in crime in 2016. However, Police chief James Craig disagrees and says it actually went down 5%.
In an article in the Detroit Free Press, Craig said: "Just because it's coming out of the FBI doesn't mean it’s accurate.”
A survey collected from the people of Detroit tells us what they have to say about matter.
According to the Detroit Free Press, Detroit saw 579 rapes, 9,882 aggravated assaults, and 2,941 robberies. Therefore, whether Detroit is known as the most violent city or not, it is still considered very dangerous. In order to create a safe community, programs/organizations have been around to promote peace and safety and provide resources to communities.
In a recent survey, 21 out of 30 residents of Detroit admitted that they do not feel safe in their community. Five citizens chose the option of ‘safe’ on the survey while the remaining few responded to ‘not sure.’ When asked how to prevent violence and encourage safety, a student at Cass Tech replied, “joining programs and organizations seems like the best option.”
A great example of one of these programs includes Neighborhood Service Organization’s Youth Initiatives Project (YIP), which encourages the prevention of celebratory gunfire as well as substance abuse. This program has done great work in the environment and allowed youths to bring about positive changes to their community. YIP’s peer educator says, “Every year, we conduct a press conference pertaining to our campaign called Hugs, Not Bullets around December. Last year, I spoke at the press conference with the support of youths from different schools, and also met a lot of important individuals, such as Chief James Craig.”
In order for us to keep our communities and neighborhoods safe, it is imperative that we work together and join life-changing programs/organizations. Not only that, but residents also have the opportunity to be a part in changing their community for the better. Together, the residents of Detroit may strive for success and create a safe and healthy city for its citizens.
