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US: Authorities and citizens feel powerless in the face of escalating gun violence

At a party in front of a bar during a concert: Dozens of people were killed by bullets in the US this weekend, with homicides remaining at very high levels, according to APE.

Homicides in major US cities like Ohio, the Minneapolis and Florida, increased by 30% in 2020, with this year being one of the bloodiest in the last 25 years, due to many factors.

“It simply came to our notice then a combination of explosive situations caused by the pandemic (coronavirus), the loss of police legitimacy, the great concern for the economy, all this combined with an aggravating factor: the record number possession of weapons“, Explained o Jeff Asher, a former CIA agent who has become a crime analyst.

But now mobility is back thanks to the mass vaccination campaign against covid-19, the economy is recovering and the protests following the death of George Floyd have stopped, allowing police to return to their normal duties, he said.

Nevertheless, the situation is not improving, on the contrary.

The first quarter of 2021 saw a 24% increase in homicides compared to the same period in 2020, according to a survey by Council on criminal justice (CCJ) concerning the 34 largest cities in the USA.

“This rise, which is higher than normal seasonal, is particularly worrying,” the study authors said.

In fact, this trend seems to be worsening as the weather improves and more outdoor events take place after the lifting of the restrictions imposed due to covid-19.

“Every day more than 100 people are killed and more than 200 are injured by gunfire. “The events of this weekend add to this scourge.” Everytown and Moms demand Action, fighting to tighten gun ownership laws.

“My heart is breaking”

More than 12 people were killed Friday through Sunday in Chicago alone, including a 15-year-old man who was killed on the porch of his home and others in parks.

In South Carolina, a 14-year-old girl was killed during a secret concert when, under still unclear circumstances, a confrontation broke out which led to an exchange of gunfire.

“My heart breaks at the thought that I will never see the message ‘Dad, I love you again,'” the girl’s father, Ronald Smith, said in an open letter to local media on Monday. “Deadly shootings do not just happen in poor neighborhoods. “Violence and / or ignorance are not focused on one point or in some communities.”

Indeed, no city has survived an increase in homicides to levels unprecedented since the 1990s. Young and old, democratic or republican, have all been affected, Asser said.

According to him, this shows that the police reforms adopted by some cities after the big demonstrations last summer are not responsible for the deterioration of the situation, despite the claims of former US President Donald Trump and his supporters.

“There is no simple explanation,” he insisted, so there is no simple solution.

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