Troubles in Camden In a city in New Jersey, Walt Whitman once thought of it as “In a dream I saw a city invincible” (Gillette 5). Today that same city ranks as one of the poorest and most crime ridden cities in the United States. This city is directly across the river from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, a city called Camden. When many people hear the name Camden, they think of all the crime and drug issues that go on in that city. What some people may not know is that their past wasn’t all that bad. “Camden was once a manufacturing boomtown, home to RCA Victor, Campbell’s Soup and the biggest shipbuilding company in the world” (Guy). Once the industrial market declined, the economy of the city declined along with it. Then during 1969 and 1971,
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As people walk down the street, they could witness a crime occur, and that could be a normal day to them. The unemployment and the graduation rates in Camden also rank as one of the worst in the country. Camden was once a boomtown that now consists of many issues, such as crime rates, education, and employment, and these issues need to be resolved or somehow get a little better. Camden may have a lot of its issues, but it wasn’t always this way. Before all the crime and drug issues, Camden was once a town with many thriving industries and was known as a boomtown. Back in the 1950s and 60s, the town was home to companies such as Campbell’s Soup and RCA Victor. It also was home to the largest shipbuilding company in the entire world (Lurie 124). But then decades ago, many of the jobs in industry began to diminish due to the new technology. Many of the people that held those jobs left the town to find new beginnings. The industry business was a huge chunk of Camden’s economy. Once they all left the city, the economy took a turn from the worst. Even today, Camden is still trying to recover from businesses that left town over 40 years ago. But that wasn’t the only factor in the demise of Camden. Race riots throughout the city in 1969 and …show more content…
The crime rate in the city of Camden is the worst in the entire country. The homicide rates are also the worst. In 2012, in just a city of 77,000 people, 67 people were killed. If you do the math, the ratio would be about one homicide to every 33 hours (Pegg). Each year, the crime rate continues to increase. If you were to live in Camden, you have a decent chance of becoming a victim of a violent crime. Every 1 in 49 people fall victim to violent crimes in the city. In the rest of New Jersey, you would have a less likely chance as one in every 343 people fall victim to violent crimes. Also, the rate per 1,000 people for each violent crime in just the city of Camden outnumbers the national average. For rape, the number triples the national average, but for other crimes like murder, the rate per 1,000 people is 10 times worse than the national average (Crime Rates…). The numbers are absolutely mind-boggling, and there are a few reasons why they are so bad. One of the big reasons is the small amount of police officers. In recent years, Camden has struggled to be able to pay the police force. The economy is so bad in Camden that they couldn’t help out, so they had to take the issue to desperate measures. In 2011, they city had to lay off 168 of the 368 officers. With only 200 officers left, there wasn’t much of a police presence around the
As people walk down the street, they could witness a crime occur, and that could be a normal day to them. The unemployment and the graduation rates in Camden also rank as one of the worst in the country. Camden was once a boomtown that now consists of many issues, such as crime rates, education, and employment, and these issues need to be resolved or somehow get a little better. Camden may have a lot of its issues, but it wasn’t always this way. Before all the crime and drug issues, Camden was once a town with many thriving industries and was known as a boomtown. Back in the 1950s and 60s, the town was home to companies such as Campbell’s Soup and RCA Victor. It also was home to the largest shipbuilding company in the entire world (Lurie 124). But then decades ago, many of the jobs in industry began to diminish due to the new technology. Many of the people that held those jobs left the town to find new beginnings. The industry business was a huge chunk of Camden’s economy. Once they all left the city, the economy took a turn from the worst. Even today, Camden is still trying to recover from businesses that left town over 40 years ago. But that wasn’t the only factor in the demise of Camden. Race riots throughout the city in 1969 and …show more content…
The crime rate in the city of Camden is the worst in the entire country. The homicide rates are also the worst. In 2012, in just a city of 77,000 people, 67 people were killed. If you do the math, the ratio would be about one homicide to every 33 hours (Pegg). Each year, the crime rate continues to increase. If you were to live in Camden, you have a decent chance of becoming a victim of a violent crime. Every 1 in 49 people fall victim to violent crimes in the city. In the rest of New Jersey, you would have a less likely chance as one in every 343 people fall victim to violent crimes. Also, the rate per 1,000 people for each violent crime in just the city of Camden outnumbers the national average. For rape, the number triples the national average, but for other crimes like murder, the rate per 1,000 people is 10 times worse than the national average (Crime Rates…). The numbers are absolutely mind-boggling, and there are a few reasons why they are so bad. One of the big reasons is the small amount of police officers. In recent years, Camden has struggled to be able to pay the police force. The economy is so bad in Camden that they couldn’t help out, so they had to take the issue to desperate measures. In 2011, they city had to lay off 168 of the 368 officers. With only 200 officers left, there wasn’t much of a police presence around the