The Real "Root Causes"

Just a day after I posted on the ongoing British crime wave, it's a pleasure to report that Wilmington, Del., mayor James Baker understands the real causes of crime as thoroughly as do the scholars at Civitas, the British nonprofit responsible for a critical report on Britain's approach to fighting crime.

In his second inaugural address, Mayor Baker drove straight to the heart of the urban crime problem; James Q. Wilson couldn't have put it any better.

Some of the pertinent text can be found in this morning's Wilmington News-Journal. But the entire speech, about 2,800 words, is peppered with wise insights. It isn't online yet, but the Mayor's communications director was kind enough to forward a copy of it, and you may access it by clicking on the "Read more" link at the bottom of this post.

Here are some choice excerpts:

The third and final issue that is critical to the City’s future, and the biggest challenge we face, however, is crime and public safety. Unless it is attacked at its very core and resolved, crime will always overshadow the most coordinated of efforts designed to help any City reach to its ultimate greatness. We cannot continue to be baffled by the existence of crime or continue to run and hide from it. We cannot continue applying simplistic answers to the very complex reasons why crime has overwhelmed almost every city and town in America. We cannot look to the police as our only real solution to the epidemic of violence caused in large part by our own children who are enthralled with guns, drugs, and making money illegally. This crisis of crime, fueled by a crisis of values, has gripped urban neighborhoods around the nation, especially poor and minority communities, and is even more pronounced within the African-American communities. In the Bible, there are two passages that I think speak volumes about people and their future: “without vision the people will perish” and “my people perish for a lack of knowledge.” Crime can and will destroy vision, knowledge, and people. So we of this City must never let this happen.

While we are fully committed to the continuous improvement of our policing strategies, we all know that policing is not the only answer to this national nightmare. Complicating this issue even further, as we try to understand criminal behavior and take action against criminals, is the fact that many of us, and our children, have adopted values that are alien to most people in this Country and are contrary to expected, required, or normal behavior. This crisis of values is having a devastatingly negative effect on our cities. The crisis of values is a type of self-inflicted genocide, the new lynching, that is not inflicted upon people by some evil, white-hooded terrorist in the middle of the night, but by those in black hoods or white T-shirts, whether in the middle of the night or in the light of day, who spew death, destruction, and fear at monumental proportions, far greater than at anytime during the highest number of lynchings that occurred in this country. Wilmington experienced only one horrifying public lynching in its past history. Yet, in one year alone, black-on-black crime has killed 15 people.

And: Shakespeare wrote, “The voice of parents is the voice of God’s. For to their children, they are heaven’s lieutenants.” I believe that if our children are left to gather their knowledge of life from their peers or from popular culture from entertainment or media, then only ignorance and despair will prevail. We constantly hear give them jobs, centers, and more recreational programs, as if these will answer the problems we see with us today, showing gross ignorance of the real problems. If not these demands, it is just give us more police, another misunderstanding of the real problem.

And: James Madison said “We have staked the whole of our political institutions upon the capacity of mankind for self-government, upon the capacity of each and all of us to govern ourselves, to control ourselves, to sustain ourselves according to the Ten Commandments of God.”

Bully for Mayor Baker, who's bound to feel some heat for his honest assessment of Wilmington's problems. But Wilmington is undergoing a genuine renaissance, and the mayor has a chance to oversee a dramatic urban revitalization. Which is to say, he has a reputation to build and protect, and it doesn't look like he intends to let a bunch of punks stand in his way.

In addition to the banks (lots of banks) and a new courthouse (needed for the odd, but very influential, Chancery Court), a huge number of new apartments and condos are going in all over the city. (Here's a good overview.) This construction (and renovation) has brought many new middle class residents into the city, a move without which no renewal effort could succeed. To boot, the Christina Riverfront has changed dramatically in the short time we've lived here (since '98). What was once a decrepit post-industrial wasteland is now a thriving shopping, sports, business, and cultural area. Even AAA Mid-Atlantic is relocating from downtown Philly to the Riverfront.

Of course, much work was done before Baker became mayor in 2001, but he's done a superb job of seeing several projects along and in gaining additional jobs and construction for the city. And by recognizing and stating some of the problems that plague minority communities in the inner city, he's broken with the older civil rights leadership, who too often look at problems as opportunities to be milked rather than solved.

The entire text of his inaugural address may be accessed by clicking on the "Read more" link just below.

Text of Inaugural Address of Wilmington Mayor James M. Baker
Tuesday, January 4, 2005 at the Baby Grand Theatre in Wilmington, Delaware
As the Mayor Begins His Second Term as Wilmington’s 54th Mayor

Good evening and welcome to this evening’s special ceremony as I join with Members of City Council and City Treasurer Henry Supinski in renewing our commitment to serving the citizens of Wilmington to the best of our abilities. I would like to thank all of you for your support over the years, for voting for me, and for giving me the opportunity to serve the people of this great City for another four years as Mayor. I thank my staff, my Department Directors, and all City employees for your dedication to the hard work that is required to move this great City forward. I send my thanks and appreciation also to all residents, businesses, agencies, and neighborhood and community organizations for continuing to believe in our City and for working consistently to support its future. I offer a special welcome to new Council Members Hanifa Shabazz, Sam Prado, Paul Ignudo, Mike Brown, and a special ‘welcome back’ to Loretta Walsh. I look forward to working with each of you, as we combine our ideas and energies to make this a better City.

We have accomplished a great deal over the past four years by working together to strengthen Wilmington. We have quieted many of the naysayers who like to remind us of what is wrong, what is not being done, or what cannot be done. In spite of them, and because of our individual and collective strength and determination, some of the greatest advances in our City’s history are being realized to strengthen and stabilize our neighborhoods, to boost the increasingly attractive nature of our Riverfront, and to secure the future growth and vitality of our downtown district. We are being creative, determined, and outstanding in achieving great things for our City. Wilmington has begun to experience a rebirth that many thought was impossible just a short time ago.

In business and in life, there are many references to collaborations, alliances, and partnerships. In Wilmington, this type of teamwork is very real and very productive and is key to our success as a City. Perhaps the most important of these is the partnership between the Administration and City Council, especially Council President Blunt, the Council Leadership, and individual Council Members. This positive partnership has helped to produce historical and meaningful changes for a better City, and I hope to strengthen this relationship as we move into this new term of office.

Beneficial partnership efforts among the City, County, State, and Federal Governments, as well as with the private business sector, community organizations, churches, and City residents, have resulted in greater economic growth, new housing developments, an increase in residential living, neighborhood improvements, jobs, advances in early childhood education, elimination of nuisance problems, CSO improvements, brownfield improvements, park improvements, street enhancements, transportation improvements, productive crime fighting efforts, health improvement efforts, beautification planning, and improved marketing of the City.

However, as we move forward, there are three crucial and critical issues that will determine the future of our City. The first is the final development and coordinated implementation of a Vision Plan for our City’s future. The second is securing the financial integrity and viability of this great City that serves as the center of business and commerce for all of Delaware.

I express my thanks and appreciation to the Governor, the General Assembly, the County Executive, County Council President, and County Council for the initial assistance that has been provided up to this point to help with our structural financial problems. Now it is time to close out this effort and identify and secure for Wilmington a steady, yearly stream of revenue to support the City’s growth well into the future. Moving forward with a Vision Plan and solidifying the City’s financial freedom are critical elements in our continuing efforts to re-develop and rebuild Wilmington into the very best and greatest City it can be. As partners in these projects, we all need to ensure the best possible future for ourselves, our children, and the children and families of tomorrow.

The third and final issue that is critical to the City’s future, and the biggest challenge we face, however, is crime and public safety. Unless it is attacked at its very core and resolved, crime will always overshadow the most coordinated of efforts designed to help any City reach to its ultimate greatness. We cannot continue to be baffled by the existence of crime or continue to run and hide from it. We cannot continue applying simplistic answers to the very complex reasons why crime has overwhelmed almost every city and town in America. We cannot look to the police as our only real solution to the epidemic of violence caused in large part by our own children who are enthralled with guns, drugs, and making money illegally. This crisis of crime, fueled by a crisis of values, has gripped urban neighborhoods around the nation, especially poor and minority communities, and is even more pronounced within the African-American communities. In the Bible, there are two passages that I think speak volumes about people and their future: “without vision the people will perish” and “my people perish for a lack of knowledge.” Crime can and will destroy vision, knowledge, and people. So we of this City must never let this happen.

While we are fully committed to the continuous improvement of our policing strategies, we all know that policing is not the only answer to this national nightmare. Complicating this issue even further, as we try to understand criminal behavior and take action against criminals, is the fact that many of us, and our children, have adopted values that are alien to most people in this Country and are contrary to expected, required, or normal behavior. This crisis of values is having a devastatingly negative effect on our cities. The crisis of values is a type of self-inflicted genocide, the new lynching, that is not inflicted upon people by some evil, white-hooded terrorist in the middle of the night, but by those in black hoods or white T-shirts, whether in the middle of the night or in the light of day, who spew death, destruction, and fear at monumental proportions, far greater than at anytime during the highest number of lynchings that occurred in this country. Wilmington experienced only one horrifying public lynching in its past history. Yet, in one year alone, black-on-black crime has killed 15 people. On December 11, we observed Children’s Memorial Day, a commemoration that is unfortunately a sign of the times. Sadly, many families today are experiencing and coping with the terrible reality of violent crimes committed against their children at a horribly frequent rate. We must not shrink from our duties and responsibilities by accepting this type of behavior and this crisis of values as business as usual. We cannot pretend that it is only a law enforcement problem, nor can it be viewed as only an African-American problem, nor as just an urban or city problem.

When public safety is mentioned, many people think right away about the police. That means that if police cannot ‘fix’ the problems, then we are lost. If you think about it, most of us never saw a police officer, except on rare occasions, as we were growing up. Today, in high crime areas some people expect to see the police 24 hours a day. If we have no respect for the law or law enforcement, if we have abnormal relationships between neighbors, if we accept or condone criminal behavior or activity, even within our own families, and see it as part of a normal way of life, we are creating and cultivating fertile grounds for crime.

The basis for the problems we are seeing today throughout the nation, with regard to crime, have their roots in a multitude of factors that include economics, education, social interactions, dysfunctional neighbors, families and communities, mental and physical health issues, the types of entertainment we enjoy or allow our children to be exposed to, much of it supported by the new technology, an absence of faith, a lack of substantive news reporting by the media leading to emotional or sensational stories about crime, and a lack of revenues which affect the delivery of services by law enforcement and government.

All of these issues collide, making crime the greatest danger today to our cities and communities and, most certainly, to African-American and other minority populations. At the same time, the white community has to address issues that feed the crime problem, such as the use, sale, and purchase of drugs that contribute to the feeding frenzy for illegal drugs and the almost unlimited use of guns.

Regardless of our race, our children reflect what we give them or do not give to them in life, such as values, character, and a positive and encouraging view of life. We have the power as parents and adults to raise our children based on strong morals and positive character development. We can and must help them learn. We must guide them though their most difficult periods and protect them from influences that can very easily shape what they become. This cannot be accomplished through wishful thinking but through hard work and intelligence.

We have already begun a process to solve these problems that includes the skills and resources of governmental institutions, community and neighborhood organizations, churches, individuals and families, working together and drawing upon their strengths, responsibilities, skills, and interests to produce a coordinated force to address the real problems that exist today. We are also working together from city-to-city and state-to-state to solve these problems of crime and social malfunctions on a regional basis, instead of trying to cope with these issues as isolated communities. The problem is too large, too organized, and too well-financed for us to be successful if we try to work alone. Without this massive, coordinated effort, the tragedy of addiction, idleness, hopelessness, and the maiming and killing of our children will only get worse. We cannot hide by putting our heads in the sand or becoming the three monkeys, “hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil” and expect it to go away.

The question then becomes, can we conquer these great evils that are seeking to destroy our children and families, our future, and our City’s future as well? The answer is a resounding “YES.” But, only if we believe we can conquer these evils. The answer is “YES” if we work together and remain committed to the common good of all people. The answer is “YES” if we use our abilities to work together as opposed to working apart. The answer is “YES” if we avoid the temptation to play politics with these issues or offer only lip service or political scapegoating as our response to the problems. The answer is “YES” if we believe we cannot fail because it is our duty and responsibility to win. The answer is “YES” if we accept the fact that these problems are “OUR” problems and not “THEIR” problems.

Shakespeare wrote, “The voice of parents is the voice of God’s. For to their children, they are heaven’s lieutenants.” I believe that if our children are left to gather their knowledge of life from their peers or from popular culture from entertainment or media, then only ignorance and despair will prevail. We constantly hear give them jobs, centers, and more recreational programs, as if these will answer the problems we see with us today, showing gross ignorance of the real problems. If not these demands, it is just give us more police, another misunderstanding of the real problem.

Complacency, failing to get involved, fear, running away, thinking it’s not my problem, or thinking you cannot do anything about it are all unacceptable excuses. If we love our children and families, love our City, and want them and it to grow, be prosperous, productive, and serve as the center for the achievement of all classes and races, then we must and will win this struggle.

To rebuild our City, all boats must rise, not just some. We are re-inventing our City. Enormous progress has been made in all sectors of our City, from our neighborhoods, our Downtown, and our Waterfront. The partnerships I spoke of earlier have been working tirelessly to make the re-invention of our City a reality. We have the energy, the will, the creative innovation, the intelligence, and natural elements to reach our goals. We do need financial and other resources far beyond what we have today.

A great renaissance does not happen by chance; it is planned. It takes hard work and a continual effort on the part of many people. Improving our quality of life is not something that can happen based on a slogan or a set of nice words.

We will work with the new City Council, County Government, State Government, Federal Government, and the private sector to make our dreams for our City a reality.

Henry David Thoreau once said “I learned this, at least, by my experience, that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.”

As we move forward and experience success, we may also, at times, become depressed by the problems that still face us; we may fear at times or feel hopeless; but we must be willing to overcome these negative feelings and draw upon our eternal optimism about our present and our future. If we do not, then the grand experiment of self-governing by the people will fail as sure as the sun rises and the sun sets.

James Madison said “We have staked the whole of our political institutions upon the capacity of mankind for self-government, upon the capacity of each and all of us to govern ourselves, to control ourselves, to sustain ourselves according to the Ten Commandments of God.”

To each of the Members of this new City Council, I pledge that we will continue working together for a better and greater City. We may differ from time-to-time but I know that your commitment to the citizens of your respective Districts and to the City as a whole is just as strong as mine.

To the citizens of this great City, I know we are still struggling with the various problems that are plaguing all of urban America, but we will persevere and continue producing the strong and beautiful City we all desire. To those in other levels of Government, we wish to work with you to do whatever is necessary to secure the future of our City, so that future generations will live a better life and bring children into a brighter world. To our City employees, thank you for continuing to give your best efforts and best quality of service to the citizens we serve. To carry out our duty with professionalism and dedication is the most honorable thing public servants can and should do.

Finally, I close tonight with a quote from Dr. Martin Luther King from one of his speeches in 1968. He said, “Now I am aware of the fact that there are those who would contend that we stand in the most ghastly period of human history. They would argue that instead of going forward, we are going backwards. We are retrogressing, they would say, instead of progressing, but far from representing retrogression and tragic meaninglessness, the present tensions represent the necessary pains that accompany the birth of anything new.”

So I leave you tonight with these thoughts. No matter what our problems or fears, we will not continue to reap the benefits of a stronger and more productive City should we lack the will, intelligence, spirit, or faith that our families, communities, and history demand of us.

Our daily struggle to make Wilmington a far greater, more secure, and financially independent City is clearly within our reach. Let us join our hands and minds knowing what we can and will achieve in this great journey. We have worked too long and too hard to let any one problem stop us from achieving the successes that are in front of us. Every challenge that comes along from this point forward should give us pause only so that we reaffirm our belief in each other and in our future. Through God’s eternal guiding hand, and our individual and collective strengths and skills, we will continue to rebuild this great City and share the benefits of our work with the generations that will follow.

Thank you.