SOLEDAD: WHAT’S THE REALITY WHEN IT COMES TO TALKING ABOUT VIOLENT CRIME? DESPITE THE HEADLINES SHOUTING ABOUT A SURGE OF CRIME THE NUMBERS FROM THE FBI PROVIDE A MORE NUANCED PICTURE. IN 2020, OVERALL, CRIME DECREAD.SE PROPERTY CRIMES WERE DNOW SIGNIFICANTLY- PART OF A DECADES LONG TRE. VIOLENT CRIMES DID GO UP BY FIVE THOUGH RELATIVELY FLATVE OR THE PAST TEN YEARS. THE SINGULAR OUTLIER IS THE RATE OF HOMICIDE WHICH WENT UP BY ABOUT 26 PERCENT. THOUGH THAT’S STILL FAR BELOW THE PEAK NUMBERS OF THE 1990S. TALKING ABOUT CRIME IS COMPLEX. DR. RASHAWN RAY IS ONE OF THE NATION’S LEADING EXPERTS ON POLICING AND CRIMINAL JUSTEIC REFORM. HE IS A SENIOR FELLOW ATHE T BROOKINGS INSTITUTION, AND A PROFESSOR OF SOCIOLOGY AT ETH UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND, COLLEGE PARK. SOLEDAD: DR. RASHAWN RAY, CENI TO SEE YOU AS ALWAYS. I’D LOVE FOR YOU TO JUMP IN FOR ME IN THESE NUMBERS. WHAT DO THESE NUMBERS TELL YOU EXACTLY? DR. RAY: WE KNOW THAT WE ARE LIVING IN UNPRECEDENTED TIS.ME WE ARE LIVING DURING A PANDEMIC AND DEALING WITH A VERY CONTENTIOUS POLITICAL CLIMATE. AND THEN OBVIOUSLY A VYER CONTENTIOUS RACIAL AND SOCIAL CLIMATE AND ALSO A VERY UNSTABLE ECONOMY, WHEN YOPUT U ALOFL THOSE FACTORS TOGETHER, ANY ONE OF THOSE IN A SINGULAR FASHION WOULD ACTUALLY LD EATO INCREASES IN CRIME. WHEN A MASSIVE AMOTUN OF PEOPLE EXPERIENCE FLUCTUATIONS WITH THEIR JOBS, WITH THEIR EDUCATION, WITH THEIR NORMAL FAMILY LIFE, IT LEADS TO INCREASES IN VIOLENT CRIME, NOT JUST IN TERMS OF WHAT HAPPENS PUBLICLY, BUT ALSO WHAT’S HAPPENING INSIDE PEOPLE’S HOMES, FROM DEALING WITH DOMESTIC VIOLENCE TO FAMILY MEMBERS AND FRIENDS ACTUALLY GETTING INTO IT AND CAUSING HARM TO ONE ANHEOTR. SOLEDAD: IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU’RE SAYING, LISTEN, THERE’S AN INTERSECTION BETWEEN VIOLENT CRIME AND AND MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES. ARE YOU SEEING THAT SAME THING WHEN IT COMES TO VIOLENC AGAINST WOMEN? DR. RAY: MOST DEFINITELY. I MEAN, WE KNOW THAT VIOLEENC AGAINST WOMEN IS SOMETHING THAT CONTINUES TO REAR ITS UGLY HEAD, AND PART OF IT HAS TO DO WITH THE LACK OF ACCOUNTABILITY I THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM, WHERE OFTENTIMES MEN AND BSOY GET A SLAP ON THE WRIST FOR THE TREATMENT OF INDIVIDUALS, PARTICULARLY WHEN THEY A IRE THE SAME HOUSEHOLD AS THEM PARTICULARLY DEALING WITH DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND WE KNOW THAT A LOT OF THIS IS WRAPPED UP IN MASCULINITY IS WRAPPED UP IN THE WAY THAT MEN PROCESS LIFE. THEREFORE, A LOT OF MEN BEINAG PROVIDER IS HOW THEY VIEW THEMSELVES WORTHY OF TIRHE MANHOOD. AND WHEN THAT DOESN’T HAPPEN, THEY AIM TO EXERT POWER. OFTENTIMES, PHYSICAL DOMANCEIN OVER WOMEN WHO ARE IN THEIR LIVES. AND SO WE’RE SEEING ATTH PLAY OUT IN HOUSEHOLDS ALL OVER AMERICA THAT ARE TRYING TO GRAPPLE WITH THE COVID 19 PANDEMIC IN ALL OF THE CHALLENGES THAT IS BROUGHT FORTH. SOLEDAD: CAN WE TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT POLICE REFORM? I’VE HAD A NUMBER OF PEOPLE TELL ME THAT THE SPIKE IN VIOLENCE IS BECAUSE THE POLICE HAVE BEEN DENDFUED. DR. RAY. THERE IS THIS OVERWHELMING PERCEPTION THAT DEFUNDING THE POLICE, WHHIC MEANS TO REALLOCATE FUNDING AWAY FROM POLICE, CORRELATES WITH INCREASES IN CRIME, MEANGIN THEY’RE GOING TO BE FEWER POLICE DOING THEIR JOBS. AND THE RESEARCH SIMPLY DOES NOT BEAR THAT OUT. LET’S GO TO OAKLAND. LET’S GO TO MINNEAPOLIS. LET’S GO TO CHICAGO, WHERE ROUGHLY0 PERCENT, 40 PERCENT OF ALL TAXPAYER MONEY IN THOSE CITIES GO TO LAW ENFORCEMENT. IF YOU HAVE C AITY WHERE 40 PERCENT OF FUNDING IS BEING SPENTN O POLICE, REALLOCATING FIVE PERCENT OF THEIR FUNDING FOR SOCIAL SERVICES FOR EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES FOR EDUCATION N ACTUALLY LEAD TO A DECREASE IN CRIME BECAUSE THE BIGGEST CORRELATES WITH VIOLENT CRIME IS EDUCATION AND WORK INSTABITYLI WHICH IS WHY DURING COVID, WE’VE BEEN SEEING SUCH A BIG SPIKEN I VIOLENT CRIME. SOLEDAD: DR. RAYSHAUN RAY, NICE TO TALK TO YOU. THANK