Spike in violence in US ’part of a broader trend‘: NYT

WASHINGTON - As violent crimes, including shootings and other assaults, have increased overall in the United States, more tragedies are likely to make headlines as long as higher levels of violent crime persist, a newsletter by The New York Times said.

Murders have spiked nearly 40 percent since 2019, said the article on Sunday. So far this year, murders are up 1 percent in major US cities, and some places are reporting sharp increases, it quoted statistics of US crime analyst Jeff Asher's team as saying.

The article also pointed out three reasons to explain the increase in violence in the country. Firstly, the COVID-19 pandemic and associated lockdowns have disrupted all aspects of life, including social services that can tame crime and violence.

Secondly, a growing sense of social discord and distrust. "As Americans lose faith in their institutions and each other, they are more likely to lash out -- sometimes in violent ways," Randolph Roth, a crime historian at Ohio State University, was quoted as saying.

Besides, the increasingly polarized politics and poor economic conditions in the United States have also fueled the bloody discord. "That helps explain the murder spike, as well as recent increases in drug addiction and overdoses, mental health problems, car crashes and even confrontations over masks on airplanes," the article noted.