I think if people zoom out and look at other cities around the nation, they'll see that this sort of thing has far less to do with local law enforcement or politics and almost everything to do with the economy and stress caused by macro factors.

I used to bounce between Providence, New Haven, and NYC quite a bit, and I was always sort of stunned by how each community would be experiencing the same exact thing and each thought it was a local issue. Then I'd look up somewhere distant like Dallas, Jacksonville, or Minneapolis and the stories were the same there too.

https://www.nhregister.com/news/article/new-haven-homicides-dropped-gun-violence-priority-17685848.php

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/30/briefing/crime-murders-us-decline.html

Whoa. I remember when they started running Swan Liquors, I think they bought it from previous owners. Back then, Swan was one of the only places in the area you could buy alcohol.