Mean Streets of (Rochester) NY

The New York Times today reports on a very disturbing rise in the homocide rate in my home town of Rochester, NY. In fact, the homicide rate here is over 3 times higher than the homicide rate in New York City, and about 5 times greater than the national homicide rate. People have been desensitized to homocide, where it becomes a part of their everyday life, instead of something that generates a public outcry. According to the Times, the recent murder of a radio DJ generated several days of news coverage, but the previous homocide generated “barely a mention”. Of course, local police officials and government agencies are trying to combat this rise in the homocide rate, but so far they have been ineffective.