After a murder surge that continued from where a bloody 2021 left off, violence suddenly has calmed down over the past three months in the Port City.
one ahead of that year’s pace
Prine cautioned that today’s downward trend quickly can spike again for no apparent reason. But he added that there are other encouraging trends. Year to date, armed robberies are down 26 percent compared with same period last year. Assaults involving gunshots are down 9 percent. And shootings into cars and buildings are down 10 percent.
Lue, who also is community organizer for Faith in Action Alabama’s Mobile hub, offered another possible reason for declining trend – the waning effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. He said the anxiety and depression it caused contributed to violence. Prine said police rely on cooperation form the community. He said oftentimes, people are reluctant to call police about matters they consider trivial.