FBI says Florence is America’s #1 most violent city with Memphis #2

It is often controversial, because people will say you can’t compare cities like Florence, South Carolina (the most violent overall city in America) and Memphis, Tennessee (number two on the list).

The F-B-I’s crime report is for the year 2005. It is often controversial, because people will say you can’t compare cities like Florence, South Carolina (the most violent overall city in America) and Memphis, Tennessee (number two on the list). But Memphis-Shelby County Crime Commission chief Michael Heidingsfield says the report is probably on the money according to WREG. “It is an urgent issue for Memphis, just like it is for virtually every large city in America.”

When MemphisRap.com asked a few people why there may be so much violence in the city a number of them stated it’s due to the economic state and low paying jobs. “Who wouldn’t be violent when you can only get paid $800-$1200 a month working, your MLGW (Memphis Light Gas & Water) bill is $400 or even more, your rent is more than $500 and then you have to pay for high gas and buy food at that. I’d be angry also”, one man stated. Another young man named Daryl told MemphisRap.com, “I can guarantee if you go to one of the safer cities their payout is higher, so that means less crime and happier residents.”

While stats for the most violent cities and safest were disclosed, Philadelphia was No. 1 most violent among big U.S. cities in ’05. According to Philadelphia Inquirer, Lawrence W. Sherman, a criminologist at the University of Pennsylvania’s Jerry Lee Center, said that rankings among the city’s 10 largest cities make Philadelphia look bad, but that there are far more dangerous cities.

“They’re sticking out like a sore thumb because some of the larger cities have become some of the safer cities,” Sherman said.

If Philadelphia, with a population of 1.47 million, is compared with cities closer to 100,000 in population, not just those with about one million or more, the city is nearer to the middle of the list in violent crime, Sherman said.

Since New York, has a population of about 8.1 million their crime may be less noticeable. However, New York has seen a slight increase in homicides this year, and had 673 violent crimes per 100,000 residents in 2005.

The FBI states that nationwide in 2005, there were an estimated 1,390,695 violent crimes reported with the estimated volume of robbery increasing 3.9 percent, murder and nonnegligent manslaughter increased 3.4 percent, and aggravated assault increased 1.8 percent from 2004 figures. Nationwide in 2005, an estimated 10,166,159 property crimes were reported. Collectively, victims of property crimes (excluding arson) lost an estimated $16.5 billion: $7.6 billion in motor vehicle thefts, $5.2 billion as a result of larceny-thefts, and $3.7 billion in burglaries.

Already since the weekend, Memphis has had 136 murders with the latest being at Tulane and Farris Road where as 21-year-old Joseph Wooten and occupants of his 1982 Oldsmobile, Delta 88 was leaving Tulane Apartments when an unknown man begin shooting at the vehicle. Joseph Wooten later died.