The Ruins of Trenton

Trenton Mayor Douglas H. Palmer was quoted in the Trentonian today as calling an ordinance that would increase the minimum number of police in Trenton as a “knee-jerk reaction.”

Mayor Palmer went on to say the ordinance should not be considered while the city is in the midst of contract negotiations with the police.

Mayor Palmer is asking the citizens of Trenton to hold on for a little while longer until the negotiations are complete, before our few good, independent council members can pursue this ordinance for some much-needed police coverage.

Currently Trenton is suffering from a drastic spike in homicides that the administration says is the only portion of the city’s crime that is increasing, with other reportable crime down over past years.

The Trentonian piece points out what I hear all the time, in many different places from persons knowledgeable about the crime reporting: the powers that be are downgraded crimes to offenses not reported, giving the overall impression of a decrease in crime.

As Trenton Makes has pointed out before, anyone with a working set of eyes and a brain not tainted by the siren song of Palmer and his cronies can see that crime is certainly not down, or at least improving in any way.

Once viable neighborhoods like Chambersburg are sliding into economic ruin that coincides specifically with public safety problems. Even normally safe areas like the Market Street/South Broad Steet corridor have been seeing isolated violent crime.

Just yesterday a Trenton Makes correspondent was offered cocaine while purchasing a newspaper in front of the Mercer County Sheriff’s Department. A young man of about 20 years of age told the Trenton Makes rep "What's good? I've got that yey..."

Crime is certainly not down. Just open your eyes and look around Trenton.