Get the facts on crime
Whether it’s a Friendsgiving, corporate party, or family brunch — you never know when someone will start spewing made-up bullshit.
If you choose to respond, keep this info handy. We’ve linked articles that cite real data from reputable sources.
The United States is safer than ever. Both the FBI and BJS data show dramatic declines in U.S. violent and property crime rates since the early 1990s, when crime spiked across much of the nation.
Immigrants are less likely to commit a crime than native-born Americans
Research of crime rates in so-called sanctuary cities also found no significant difference when compared to similar cities without sanctuary policies.
Stories about crime are often fed by racially motivated misinformation.
Black Americans, and black men in particular, are overrepresented as perpetrators of crime in U.S. news media.
The criminal justice system was never designed to keep us safe. It evolved from slave patrols and exploited a 13th Amendment loophole allowing forced prison labor. Police forces emerged to break strikes and contain the labor movement, with officers routinely killing workers to protect corporate interests.