[....] Social order, under strain

When Covid-19 hit the U.S. in March, the lockdowns upended already fragile institutions in many communities. Schools and libraries closed, youth sports leagues were canceled, and social services and programs that were forced online struggled to adapt.

“When a local social order is disrupted, it creates the conditions where violence can rise,” says Patrick Sharkey, professor of sociology and public affairs at Princeton University. “It’s partly about the institutions that [those at greatest risk of gun violence] interact with, including places like summer jobs, community centers, schools, as well as institutions like the police. [All of that] was destabilized.”

Relationships with law enforcement grew especially frayed. The police first pulled back for fear of infection, and then in many places faced a profound legitimacy crisis after the killing of George Floyd. That fueled what scholars call “legal cynicism,” the idea that those who do not trust the criminal justice system will not call the police to resolve disputes. In Black neighborhoods where the police were known for aggressive stop-and-frisk tactics and doing little to solve homicides, the fallout from the protests over Floyd’s death could have made many residents even more skeptical about relying on, or cooperating with, law enforcement. 

“Legal cynicism means, at the margins, if there’s a dispute and there’s anything that discourages people from letting the legal system intervene it's going to contribute to self help,” says Jeffrey Adler, professor of history at the University of Florida. “And self help is a formula for violence.”

Fear itself 

While unemployment surged in 2020 and in the poorest communities may still be over 20%, there is little research that connects that kind of abrupt economic suffering directly with a rise in crime. But last year, many Americans were afraid in new and confounding ways — that uncertainty, and the inequality with which it was experienced, could be a driver of violence. 

“Much of the literature says that what triggers things like child abuse in a downturn is not unemployment, it’s fear of unemployment, fear of what’s going to happen,” says Randolph Roth, a history professor at Ohio State whose book American Homicide tracked the history of murder in the U.S. from colonial times through the 21st century [....]

Compare with anecodotal news from London:

White Shooter Pleads Guilty to Hate Crime Charges for Murdering Black Customers at Grocery Store

By ALBERTO LUPERON @ LawandCrime.com, Mar 18th, 2021, 6:28 pm

A Kentucky man pleaded guilty on Thursday to hate crime and firearm charges for murdering two Black customers at a Kroger grocery store in 2018. Gregory Alan Bush is already serving a state life sentence without parole in connection to the same attack.

Bush randomly shot a man in the back of the head using a Smith & Wisson, model 411, .40-caliber pistol, prosecutors said. He then shot the victim’s torso. The deceased man, identified as 69-year-old Maurice Stallard, had been shopping with his 12-year-old grandson.

The murderer then fatally shot a woman in the head and body outside at the parking lot, before getting into shootout with a third target, a man who survived the encounter and was legally armed with a handgun.

The shooting rampage took a different turn after Bush crossed paths with another man, who was also armed. There was a simple difference between this new individual, and the three victims, however. The fourth person was white. The other three were Black.

“Don’t shoot me [and] I won’t shoot you,” Bush said, according to authorities. “Whites don’t shoot whites.”

This October 24, 2018 incident was a racist attack. Bush did not know his victims. He only shot at them because they were Black.

“It’s complete sorrow in our community right now,” said Jessica Holman, who told The Louisville Courier-Journal in 2018 that Stallard was a family friend [....]

story posted 11 mins. ago

Breaking ACTIVE SHOOTING AT HOUSTON GALLERIA MALL??? OR JUST HYSTERICAL PANIC spread by social media?

Homicide Suspect Escapes Psychiatric Institute in Northwest DC Friday night

By Matthew Stabley • Published 27 mins ago , NBCwashington.com, video at link

A homicide suspect escaped custody in Northwest D.C. Friday evening, police said.

Aaron Adgerson, 17, was last seen about 6:45 p.m. at the Psychiatric Institute of Washington in the 4200 block of Wisconsin Avenue NW, where he was being held pending trial.

Adgerson stands 5-feet-4-inches tall and weighs 122 pounds. He has black hair, brown eyes and a light brown complexion. He was wearing blue scrubs, a light gray jacket and a pair of slip on shoes [....]

People question the wording of a CNN article which reports the death of Uber Eats driver Mohammad Anwar after he was allegedly assaulted and carjacked by two teenage girls as an 'accident' (especially because the girls were black)

that's the first 3 that I got at the "trending link"...continues and may be different when you access

I agree, but would add if they don't start solving it, the national party will suffer by association:

wouldja lookit that, these four teens arrested for car burglaries Two suspects were identified as 18 year-old Donjuan Watson Jr. and 18 year-old Jalin Washington, both of San Francisco. The other two other suspects were identified as a 16 year-old male from San Francisco and a 16 year-old male from South San Francisco.

turned out to have three handguns in their car

would have thunk it! police shouldn't assume such things?

then there's this one

... the victim, a 31-year-old male was in the area of UN Plaza...with a friend and his co-worker when an unknown male stabbed him in the face without provocation...The suspect fled the scene on foot and is described as a black male, 30-40 years old, approximately 5’6” tall, medium build, and was last seen wearing a black jacket and black hat and was holding a knife....