This is a really important story (which cuts against the maga and Trump narratives) but may represent one of the the most important sociological changes in the past 1/2 century. It has opened up (for the good) huge opportunities for investment in our cities and an improvement in Quality of life.
I TEND to be (confirmation bias) one that looks at demographic changes - we know that men in the early 20s are still developing parts of the brain that are responsible for self control/forward planning and so it makes a ton of sense that as the population as skewed older we see less "quick thinking" kinds of violence. That said, the story unpacks a ton of other strategies that have been layered on that have been effective.
Anytime you think that policy can't make a difference for good remind yourself of this trend. Blips along the way but a success compared to the violence of the drug wars in the 1980 and 1990s
https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/interactive/2025/homicide-rates-us-cities/
I TEND to be (confirmation bias) one that looks at demographic changes - we know that men in the early 20s are still developing parts of the brain that are responsible for self control/forward planning and so it makes a ton of sense that as the population as skewed older we see less "quick thinking" kinds of violence. That said, the story unpacks a ton of other strategies that have been layered on that have been effective.
Anytime you think that policy can't make a difference for good remind yourself of this trend. Blips along the way but a success compared to the violence of the drug wars in the 1980 and 1990s
https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/interactive/2025/homicide-rates-us-cities/
