America's most dangerous cities: A prayer project

These are America's 10 Most Dangerous Cities: Men and women of God, let's Bring these cities before the throne of Grace and ask God to dispatch His laboreres into these needy harvests. Maybe, just maybe he may call us to go. "Here am I Lord send me".

1. Flint, Mich.
Population: 109,245  Violent Crime Per 1,000: 22   2010 Murders: 53   Median Income: $27,049 (46.1% below national average) Unemployment Rate: 11.8% (2.8% above national average) The number of violent crimes committed in Flint increased for all categories considered for this list between 2009 and 2010. Perhaps most notably, the number of murders in the city increased from 36 to 53. This moves the city from having the seventh highest rate of homicide to the second highest. The number of aggravated assaults increased from 1,529 to 1,579, a rate of 14.6 assaults per 1,000 residents, placing the city in the No. 1 rank for rate of assaults. Flint police chief Alvern Lock stated late last year that he believed the city's violence stemmed from drugs and gangs. Flint has a relatively small median income of about $27,000 per household. The city also has a poverty rate of 36.2%.
2. Detroit
Population: 899,447  Violent Crime Per 1,000: 18.9  2010 Murders: 310  Median Income: $26,098 (48% below national average) Unemployment Rate: 12.7% (3.7% above national average)  The city crippled the most in America's post-industrial era is almost certainly Detroit. The Motor City has suffered from high rates of unemployment, homelessness, and crime. The city has one of the ten highest rates for three of the four types of violent crime identified by the FBI. Detroit has the sixth highest murder rate, the fifth highest robbery rate, and the second highest rate of aggravated assault. In 2005, a major reorganization of the city's police department took place after a federal investigation identified inefficiencies within the system. According to an article in The United Press, opponents of Detroit Mayor David Bing called for further intervention by the Justice Department in several shootings that occurred last year.
3. St. Louis
Population: 355,151 Violent Crime Per 1,000: 17.5  2010 Murders: 144  Median Income: $34,801 (30.7% below national average) Unemployment Rate: 9.3% (0.3% above national average)  Violent crime in St. Louis fell dramatically between 2009 and 2010, and has decreased since 2007. Despite this, crime rates remain extremely high compared with other cities. In 2010, the city's murder rate and rate of aggravated assault were each the third worst in the country. With regards to both violent and nonviolent crime, St. Louis was rated the most dangerous city based on FBI data released six months ago. As of December 2010, the murder rate in St. Louis was 6.3 times that of the state of Missouri. The city's gunshot murder rate for residents between 10 to 19 years old is also the second highest in the country, behind only New Orleans, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
4. New Haven, Conn.
Population: 124,856 Violent Crime Per 1,000: 15.8 2010 Murders: 22  Median Income: $38,279 (23.8% below national average) Unemployment Rate: 9.6% (0.6% above national average)  New Haven has historically had the highest rate of violent crime on the east coast. The impoverished, crime-ridden parts of the city stand in stark contrast to affluent Fairfield county to the West, and elite Yale University, which is located within the city itself. The number of murders in the city doubled last year. New Haven has the eighth highest rate of robbery and the fourth highest rate of assault in the U.S. The New Haven Police Department is considering adding cameras at every intersection in one of the neighborhoods where shootings are the most common.
5. Memphis, Tenn.
Population: 673,650 Violent Crime Per 1,000: 15.4  2010 Murders: 89  Median Income: $34,203 (31.8% below national average) Unemployment Rate: 9.9% (0.9% above national average)  Memphis has high rates for all the violent crimes considered for 24/7 Wall St.'s rankings. It has the sixth highest rate in the country. Incidents of violent crime in the city dropped slightly less than 15% between 2009 and 2010 though. Memphis Mayor AC Wharton attributes this decrease to Operation Safe Community, a citywide plan developed in 2005. The plan consists of a number of strategies meant to increase crime prevention, through toughening punishments for criminals, and the effectiveness of the city's legal system, through changes such as expanding court programs so that they operate consistently and at full capacity.
6. Oakland, Calif.
Population: 409,723 Violent Crime Per 1,000: 15.3  2010 Murders: 90  Median Income: $51,473 (2.4% above national average) Unemployment Rate: 11% (2% above national average)  Oakland's violent crime dropped about 5.5% between 2009 and 2010, from about 6,800 to 6,260. The city nevertheless has the tenth-highest rate of rape, the ninth-highest murder rate, and the second highest robbery rate in the country. In 2010, there were 7.12 robberies for every 1,000 Oakland residents. According to an article in the San Francisco Chronicle, Mayor Jean Quan has attempted to combat break-ins and theft by creating programs to keep potential wrongdoers off the streets by starting late-night basketball programs. It it unclear if these policies have worked.
7. Little Rock, Ark.
Population: 192,922 Violent Crime Per 1,000: 15.2  2010 Murders: 25  Median Income: $38,992 (22.3% below national average) Unemployment Rate: 6.8% (2.2% below national average)  Little Rock has one of the highest rates of aggravated assault and forcible rape in the country. Since 2009, reported assaults has increased while reported forcible rapes have decreased. According to Lt. Terry Hastings of the Little Rock Police Department, quoted by local station FOX16, Little Rock was "down almost 12 percent across the board on crime" in 2010. This may be accurate for many crimes, and especially nonviolent crimes, however, according to FBI data, violent crime increased from 2009 to 2010.
8. Baltimore
Population: 639,929 Violent Crime Per 1,000: 14.6  2010 Murders: 223  Median Income: $38,772 (22.7% below national average) Unemployment Rate: 7.4% (1.6% below national average)  Baltimore had the eighth-highest rate of violent crime per capita in 2010 among cities with 100,000 or more residents, and the second-highest east of the Mississippi. The number of violent crimes has dropped slightly in the past year -- from 9,600 to 9,300 -- but the Maryland city has some of the worst rates of dangerous offenses in the country. This includes the tenth-worst aggravated assault rate -- and the fourth-worst murder rate in the country.
9. Rockford, Ill.
Population: 156,180 Violent Crime Per 1,000: 14.5  2010 Murders: 20  Median Income: $36,990 (26% below national average) Unemployment Rate: 13.3% (4.3% above national average)  Rockford has unusually high violent crime rates for a city of its size. Most notably, the city has the fourth highest rate of aggravated assault in the country, with 10.5 cases for every 1,000 citizens in 2010. During the same period, 20 murders occurred, almost double the number in 2000. Quoted by the Rockford Register Star in 2007, Winnebago County Sheriff Dick Meyers said that he believed the city's "location worked against [it,]" as Rockford receives traffic from the drug markets in Madison, Chicago, and Milwaukee, resulting in heightened rates of violence.
10. Stockton, Calif.
Population: 292,047 Violent Crime Per 1,000: 13.8  2010 Murders: 49  Median Income: $45,730 (8.9% below national average) Unemployment Rate: 18.4% (9.4% above national average)ifWith a jobless rate of 18.4%, up from 18.1% a year ago, Stockton, California has one of the worst unemployment problems in the country. The huge percentage of unemployed residents may have contributed to horrible crime rates in the city, which is located 40 miles east of Oakland and San Francisco. Stockton was rated one of the most miserable cities to live in the country by Forbes in March, 2010. Violent crime was one of the chief measurements for its ranking. Of the 267 cities with populations over 100,000, Stockton has the 27th highest number of murders per 1,000 people and the 12th most aggravated assaults per 1,000. Last year, recognizing the crime problems in the city, the state temporarily diverted hundreds of of California Highway Patrol officers to aid the city's overwhelmed police department.


by Douglas A. McIntyre, Michael B. Sauter and Charles B.
Stockdale, Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Evangelism Encounter: D.J.

    

 I work as a third shift security officer here in North Carolina, which is both good and bad. It's bad because I'm always tired, sleep is not my friend. But on the other hand It's good because I have a lot freedom on my shift.  One of the freedoms that I have is being able to converse and share the gospel with a variety of people. Tonight, I had the chance to talk with a young man named D.J. He's an African-American in his mid to late 20's. I've seen this dude around quite a bit. Tonight though was the opportunity that I've been waiting and praying for. As he sat alone in a booth at the local McDonalds, I approached him and asked, "D.J. can I ask you the most important question you'll ever be asked in life? Of course this caught his attention and curiosity, "Sure", he replied. I then asked, "D.J. if you died tonight, where would you spend eternity"? He gave the classic answer, "I think I'd go to heaven". I then asked him if I could ask a follow-up question. "Sure", was his reply. "Ok, you've died and you're standing before God and He asks you, "Why should I let you in to my heaven". I asked, "What would you say"?     This second question is what stumped him. He thought for a moment and started appealing to his personal goodness, "I'm not perfect, but I'm a good dude". "I've not crossed every "T" nor dotted every "I", but overall I think I'm good. That's when I proceeded to ask if he would take the, "good person test" to validate if in fact he is as good as he thinks. He said, "OK" I then told him that this test is based on the 10 commandments. I then asked, "Have you ever told a lie? He said, "Yes". I said, "what do you call a person who tells a lie"? "that's right! "A liar". I then asked, "have you ever stolen anything ever in life"? He responded, "Yes', I said, "What do you call someone who steals?, "that's right", "a thief". I finally asked, "Have you ever used God's name as a cuss word"? He said, "Of course", I said, "The Bible calls this kind of person a blasphemer".   I then told him, "D.J. by you own confession, you are a lying, thieving, blasphemer - No he didn't punch me - I said, "if you were to stand before God, on the basis of these commandments, would He find you innocent or guilty? He replied, "Guilty". I then said, 'therefore, would you go to heaven or hell"? He said, "Hell". "D.J. does that concern you? At this point, D.J. has become visibly uncomfortable and begins to argue with me. He say's, "I don't agree with your interpretation of the Bible". "I don't want to talk about this anymore". I said, "Before I go, I must tell you the good news". I then told him of the work of Christ on behalf of guilty, condemned sinners. "D.J., Jesus is man's only solution for his sin" Only through faith in Christ alone can you be rescued from the power and condemnation of your guilt and rebellion before a holy God" and receive new life. In fact the Bible clearly teaches, that if any man is in Christ, he is a new person, the old is gone and behold the new. I closed by saying, "D.J. you must put your total trust in Christ alone as your Savior and Lord" He was sitting on a bench inside the restaurant and I illustrated faith, by telling him, "Just like you have trusted this bench to hold you up, is the same way you are told to trust Jesus, you must put your whole weight on him". At this point i could tell he was ready for me to leave. So I told him, that I hope to see him again and if I could do anything to help him, to please let me know. and the encounter was over.
      Please pray for D.J. that God in his Sovereign grace would be pleased to save him by His mercy. Men every time God gives me the opportunity to share the faith(i.e. the gospel) I'm reminded afresh of why He left me and us on the earth.

For His Glory
Rev Todd