Mayor Brandon Scott, joined by city officials, announced an expansion of the Group Violence Reduction Strategy in February. FILE (Amy Davis/Staff)
Gun violence may be down in Baltimore, but Mayor Scott can’t credibly take credit for it
Originally published in the Baltimore Sun
Gun violence is down in Baltimore — and falling.
Not only was 2023’s tally (262) the fewest number of homicides since 2014 (211), but Baltimore is on pace to record well under 200 homicides this year. That is truly astounding.
The question is: Why, and who gets the credit? Running for reelection, Mayor Brandon Scott frequently credits his own Gun Violence Reduction Strategy (GVRS). The problem is Scott’s evidence of success is shaky.
Scott’s ambitious goal to reduce homicides and shootings by 15% every year of his tenure was a welcome rejection of the normalization of Baltimore’s endemic violence. But it was magical thinking— both murders and shootings actually rose in his first year, and they remained flat in his second year.
Read the full commentary here