In the Decade Before Crime Rose, “Broken Windows” Policing Stopped

George Floyd’s murder by a Minneapolis police officer on May 25, 2020, was followed in many places across the country by protest marches and riots. The Black Lives Matter movement mushroomed in size, funding and influence. Mayors of some major cities pilloried police and urged slashing their budgets.

In the ensuing months, especially as pandemic lockdowns eased, urban crime became more intrusive. Rampant shoplifting forced the closure of many stores, large and small. In a group of 34 of the largest U.S. cities, homicides surged 30 percent in 2020. Daily life in some cities evoked the menace and decay of New York City in the 1970s and 1980s.

Continue reading at the Washington Post…