Blood in the Streets

By  Lagan Sebert on Aug 05, 2008

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This week marks National Night Out - a sign of solidarity when American families turn on their porch lights to ward of predators. Crime in the United States has slowed since the nineties, but a disturbing trend is taking place as waves of violence are increasing across many American cities. While presidential candidates focus on foreign wars, many neighborhoods have themselves turned into war zones. According to the first ever American Human Development Report released last month, premature death by homicide is more than five times higher in the U.S. than the international average. Just four miles from the Capitol, DC's Trinidad neighborhood has seen many of its young people die this summer. As the economy slides and opportunities decrease for America's at-risk young we can only hope this is not the beginning of another national crisis.