October 6, 2021
New Data Reveals Strong Correlation Between Grands Rapids Homicide Rate and Riots
Lansing, Mich., October 6, 2021 – According to FBI data, 28 people were murdered in the City of Grand Rapids last year, a 250% increase from 2019. 26 of the 28 homicides occurred after widespread rioting by groups such as Justice for Black Lives (JFBL) terrorized the city last summer. The Detroit News reports:
“According to monthly homicide data posted on the Grand Rapids Police Department website, all but two of last year’s killings came after May 30, when the city saw widespread rioting during a protest of Floyd’s killing by former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who was convicted this year of second-degree murder.”
More than 92% of the 2020 homicides in Grand Rapids occurred after rioting and looting began, confirming that the environment of violence created by far-left extremists had a deadly impact on the city. The ten murders in Grand Rapids in 2021 already exceed the total from the entirety of 2019. JFBL and others responsible for the rioting are still inciting unrest in Grand Rapids. Only a week ago, a rag-tag group of JFBL radicals hurled profanities and threatened City Commissioners with further violence. After the city’s deadliest year in almost three decades, families in Grand Rapids wish the groups would go away.
“36 people have lost their lives since JFBL began rioting in the streets of Grand Rapids,” said Eric Ventimiglia, Executive Director for Michigan Rising Action. Ventimiglia continued, “If the members of Justice for Black Lives truly care about making Grand Rapids a safer place to live, they should stop rioting and threatening violence against police officers and elected officials.”