JERSEY CITY AND BEYOND – Residents are again questioning official accounts that the crime rate in Jersey City is down after a night of violence claimed three lives on July 11.
According to several reports, all three victims – who were male – were shot to death. These murders have left residents wondering if more needs to be done to address violent crime on Jersey City streets.
There has been debate on whether crime in the city is increasing or not. Earlier this year during his State of the City address, Mayor Jerramiah T. Healy stated, “While many other cities have seen crime surge during these tough economic times, Jersey City has been fortunate to see a drop in most categories in the past year.”
The mayor stated that there had been an overall 2 percent drop in violent crime from 2009 to 2010, which included a 14 percent decrease in homicides alone.
But residents say anecdotal evidence does not bear this out.
In an e-mail sent to members of the City Council today, resident Esther Wintner wrote, “In the span of a few months, our home was robbed, a man walked in to my backyard for who knows what, and my daughter was accosted in the middle of the day. Meanwhile, the administration sees fit to attempt to lay off officers while paying for health benefits for volunteer workers, distributing car perks including for personal use, maintaining a non-essential department.
Etc. What’s wrong with this picture? There’s a problem.”
Another resident, John Lynch, agreed, stating “the Healy Administration must step up.public safety. Where is the Mayor on this? We have not heard a word from him calling these murders unacceptable in Jersey City. We need outside help. Bring in the National Guard, State Police, do something, mayor, to make the residents feel safe. No matter how you tout your statistics Jersey City Residents do not feel safe.”