Violence surges, COVID not sole cause

COVID not sole cause of Milwaukee's violence rise

Milwaukee's increase in violence over the last two years joins that seen in cities across the nation, but local health experts don't blame the COVID-19 pandemic alone for the uptick in crime, though it has played a role.

MILWAUKEE - Milwaukee Police Department crime statistics show an increase in violence over the last two years, with 2020 seeing a record 190 homicides in the city, a 95% increase.

Year-to-date, car thefts are up 193% in the city in 2021 as of Wednesday, June 30. There has also been an increase in other violent crimes like rape, robbery and aggravated assault.

It's a pattern seen in cities across the nation, but local health experts don't blame the COVID-19 pandemic alone for the uptick in crime, though it has played a role.

"I can’t draw a direct line from changes in reopening to violence," said Lauren Werner, UW Health.

Werner said yes, the pandemic caused an increase in stress and disruption to daily life, and while people in distress many have violent tendencies, it's not that simple.

"We notice that when people have increased stress overall, that violence can go up, but to relate it directly to the pandemic would be narrowing the factors that go into violence in our communities, and in fact, it’s a really layered and complex set of factors," said Werner.

Werner explained like the pandemic, violence is a public health issue, and there are several factors that go into it including economics, mental health and social connectedness.

 

"Stressors we’ve seen under the magnifying glass during the pandemic, but some of those would have occurred in absence of the pandemic, so to create a causal relationship would be a misunderstanding of the dynamics," said Werner.

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Werner said one of the positive outcomes when it comes to health and the pandemic is that COVID normalized the conversation surrounding mental health. She said learning techniques like anger and stress management are great life tools to have when dealing with this time of change. R

Health experts say if you or someone you know is exhibiting violent behavior, the best thing to do is talk to your health care provider about ways to manage it.