While cable news pundits and national newspapers often fixate on urban dysfunction, two Black mayors are delivering measurable, record-breaking progress in public safety.
Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott (D) and Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin (D) have overseen some of the steepest reductions in violent crime their cities have experienced in decades.
Baltimore, long branded one of America’s most dangerous cities, released midyear crime data showing a 22% drop in homicides compared to the same period last year. Nonfatal shootings are down 19%, and juvenile homicide victims have declined by an astonishing 71%. Police are solving more crimes, with a homicide clearance rate of 64% and a nonfatal shooting clearance rate 20 percentage points above the 10-year average…