By Josh Campbell
CNN (8/16/20)
(CNN) — As the body counts rise, American cities remain ground zero for a deadly new reality.
And those charged with keeping communities safe and helping flatten the curve of death are under fire and losing confidence from those they are sworn to protect.
This isn’t coronavirus but a plague of violence in many American cities as murders and assaults spike during the global pandemic.
From May to June 2020, homicides in 20 major US cities increased by 37%, led by Chicago, Philadelphia and Milwaukee, according to new data from the nonpartisan Council on Criminal Justice (CCJ) think tank. Aggravated assaults jumped by 35% over the same period of time, while other types of crime were down.
In Chicago, nearly 30 people were shot and three people killed this weekend alone, Chicago Police said Sunday morning. Among those injured are a 12-year-old boy, a 14-year-old boy and two 16-year-old boys in separate shooting incidents.
In New York City, over 40 people were shot in a 48-hour period as of Sunday morning, the New York Police Department said. There were 20 victims as a result of 12 shooting incidents Friday, and 23 victims as a result of 20 shooting incidents Saturday, according to data released by the NYPD.
The CCJ’s data comes as Gallup released new public opinion polling data indicating confidence in law enforcement has fallen to the lowest level in 27 years, with just 48% of respondents indicating a positive view of those who wear the badge. …