This piece was originally published in The Hill on October 3, 2022. Read the full story here.
Rakim Allen, a successful rapper who performed under the stage name PnB Rock, was eating lunch last week at a popular South Los Angeles restaurant when he was ambushed, robbed, and fatally shot. Allen’s murder was vicious and unusually brazen. Still, it was just the latest tragedy in a disturbing trend, as similar violence has become nauseatingly common. America’s homicide crisis demands an immediate response. Fortunately, Congress already has the right tool for the job at its disposal, in the form of the VICTIM Act. This bipartisan bill would give law enforcement resources to solve the staggering number of murders that go unsolved each year and, in turn, reduce the likelihood of future violence.
Allen’s murder is part of a homicide spike that has affected the entire nation. Big cities, smaller cities, and rural areas have all seen a surge in murders over the past several years. And despite rhetoric to the contrary, the problem is bipartisan, with spikes in cities run by Democrats and Republicans alike. No one has been untouched by this, and no easy or politically convenient narrative convincingly explains the problem.
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