Journalistic amnesia infects newsrooms

In March, the Flint Journal ran an article with the following lede:

"FLINT, Michigan -- More than two months into 2008, the city of Flint can boast of an unlikely achievement: no homicides.
This is the first time in at least five years that the city hasn't had at least two killings in the first two months of the year. Last year, there were 11 homicides by the time February ended.
Interim Police Chief Gary S. Hagler says it's a sign that Flint is making a dent into violent crime.
"We are very thankful for where we are this time of year," Hagler said. "

To read the whole article go here:

http://blog.mlive.com/flintjournal/newsnow/2008/03/in_flint_an_unlikely_homicide.html

Here's the headline in today's Flint Journal (online):

Flint registers seventh homicide this month as man is shot after running out of gas

Here's the link to the entire story:

http://www.mlive.com/flintjournal/index.ssf/2008/08/flint_registers_seventh_homici.html

So I guess the "dent" that the former police chief was talking about in March has been effectively pounded out in August.

For a complete list and map of the locations of the homicides see a previous entry for a blog (not the Journal's) that keeps track. The total is now 20 homicides. That's 0 to 20 in just five months. Last year there were 30 for the whole year, so if the trend (and boy, do the Journal editors love trends) continue, this could be a bad year for the City. Hopefully not, but just sayin'

And if I'm reading the Journal correctly, the City Jail closed on July 11 due to budget problems. Another interesting fact is that since the jail closed, 10 people have been killed, half the year's total. Now there's something worth looking at.

For one thing, in the March story, then police chief Hagler, credited the jail as part of the solution to the homicide problem. You can read it for yourself at the first link in this story.

Hopefully, the boasting has slackened a bit by now.