Hasay Pulls out of World Cross

Its not a bad idea to tell you the truth. One of my professors in Nairobi told me he carried 10000 shillings in his glove box just in case he was car jacked. Basically if you tell them you don't have any money and you look like you should (read drive a car, are white, etc.), they don't believe you and you have a better chance of being shot. Its sad but true.

Big-city murders jump more than 10 pct.

By LARA JAKES JORDAN, Associated Press Writer Fri Mar 9, 6:32 AM ET

WASHINGTON - The murder rate jumped by more than 10 percent among dozens of large U.S. cities since 2004, a study shows in the latest sign of the end of a national lull in violent crime.

Robberies also spiked, as did felony assaults and attacks with guns, according to the report to be released Friday by the Police Executive Research Forum, a Washington-based law enforcement think tank.

FBI data similarly has shown a rise in violent crime — if not as dramatic — since 2004. The Justice Department says crime was historically low that year.

"Two years worth of double-digit increases in violent crime demonstrates an unmistakable change in the extent and the nature of crime in America," said Chuck Wexler, executive director of the nonprofit think tank that is funded in part by the Justice Department, as well as corporations and private foundations.

"There are those that say this is a statistical blip, an aberration," Wexler said. "After two years, this is no aberration."

The report surveyed crime rates in 56 large U.S. metropolitan areas including Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas and Washington. It did not include violent crime rates in New York, the nation's largest city, which did not participate in the voluntary survey. An advance copy of the report, titled "Violent Crime in America: 24 Months of Alarming Trends," was obtained by The Associated Press.

The report compared crime statistics from 2004, 2005 and 2006 and tracked how much they had changed over the 24 months beginning Jan. 1, 2005.

Justice spokesman Dean Boyd called the department "concerned about the increase in violent crime in some cities and towns" as was reported in FBI data released last fall. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales has asked Congress to spend $200 million next year to help cities and regions combat gangs, illicit drugs and gun offenses.

"The Department of Justice is committed to ensuring the safety of every American city and town," Boyd said.

The forum's study found:

_Forty of the 56 surveyed police departments, or 71 percent, saw homicide rates increase since 2004. That translated into an overall 10.2 percent jump in murders. Between 2005 and 2006, the increase in murders was much lower: 2.8 percent.

_Robberies rose among the cities by 6 percent since 2005 and 12 percent since 2004. Between 75 and 80 percent of the departments surveyed saw a spike in robberies.

_Felony assaults dipped slightly, by 2 percent, between 2005 and 2006, but rose slightly, by 3 percent, since 2004.

_Gun assaults saw a 1 percent boost from 2005 but spiked by nearly 10 percent during the 24-month period.

The Justice Department has been keeping a close eye on crime rates after seeing a 2.2 percent rise nationwide in rapes, murder, robbery, aggravated assault and other violence in 2005 — the first increase since 2001.

Last fall, mayors and police chiefs reported seeing recent spikes in violent crime, calling for greater support from federal law enforcement agencies that have been distracted by counterterror missions since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

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On the Net:

Police Executive Research Forum:

when you talk that much trash and are that racist, no wonder you hide behind a screen name. i bet you dont talk that big in real life, so i guess you have to love the joys of the internet. ive been to kenya before and people live there because they work hard for what they get, unlike a lot of the world. there are much more dangerous places in the united states than mombassa, kenya and using some common sense is over half the battle in avoiding the danger. kenya has some of the friendliest people and the most beautiful places in the world and i cant wait to go back.

wait, who made the racist comments? its listed as a quote but i do not see the original post.

personally i'd love to see kenya.

This statement appears to be incorrect, as judged by the data following further down the piece:

"Two years worth of double-digit increases in violent crime demonstrates an unmistakable change in the extent and the nature of crime in America," said Chuck Wexler, executive director of the nonprofit think tank that is funded in part by the Justice Department, as well as corporations and private foundations."

There were not two years of 'double-digit increases'; from 2004 to 2006 the aggregate change was 10%; this implies that the there were NO years of double digit increase unless one year was flat/down. The correct statement is that the rates have increased over that last two years and are up X% from 2004 (X is different for different categories).

Yeah, there are more dangerous places in the US -- so? You don't see any world championships in Camden, New Jersey either.

can't blame her or her parents for keeping her out. I am sure the parental instincts take over. I am sure if the championships were held in Canada but the US government warned of a possible attack there her parents would have reacted the same way.

I think the whole continent of Africa is not widely understood by Americans, myself included, I think a lot of us picture poverty and crime only. (Thanks Blood Diamond).

What are other countries like England doing? Canada? Italy? Australia? Are they all sending full teams?

Hey, whatdaya know? My original post got deleted. That's a first.

Doesn't matter, I mostly use this forum to blow off steam these days anyway. If I ever care what I say here again, I'll make up a new name and go from there.

Aaaaand, the terrorists have official won.

I'm glad she pulled out. Plenty of time yet for her to run internationally in a saner locale. I have no kids, but if she was my daughter I wouldn't let her go, either.

Fatty Fats wrote:

Aaaaand, the terrorists have official won.

No they haven't, because they don't exist. Terrorism and all the previous "inside job attacks" are all a made up fairy tale, by the Right Wing Conservatives to increase Global Warming.

There really wasn't any terrorism attacks in Kenya in previous years

Besides the safety risk, if I were her I wouldn't want to be paranoid and worrying about something happening the whole time I was over there. She's not gonna enjoy the experience of the event and get as much out of it if she's constantly worrying. She's better off sitting this one out, in my opinion.

grubinski wrote:

I'm glad she pulled out. Plenty of time yet for her to run internationally in a saner locale. I have no kids, but if she was my daughter I wouldn't let her go, either.

Hey, that's basically what I said without the rant. :-D

If that is your opinion then great. I would prefer to live and let the terrorists think they won, then to die and have the terrorists think they won.

Fatty Fats wrote:

Aaaaand, the terrorists have official won.

If the World Championships are being held in Kenya, and if Kenya is hosting it, it should be their responsibility to clear this up and root out the responsible attackers. If I was the host of the meet and I didn't feel that it was safe for people to come, then I would make sure the meet was moved to a more safe local (at all costs). This not good for the sport of Cross Country nor is it good for any sport. Are we going to have to deal with these type of threats in the upcoming 2008 Olympics?

I know that when I was in middle school & high school, if someone called in a bomb threat, the local police & school administrators hunted them down and usually caught the person who was behind it.

I have even worked at a track & field meet with about 1500 competitors and probably nearly 1500+ spectators, where a bomb threat was called in at the facility during the meet. The local police was onto it, and meet officials worked hand-in-hand with the police. The phone call was traced and the person behind the bomb threat was caught. I don't know what measures the Kenyan government has taken to prevent any harm, but it seems like local authorities/police can operate more efficiently and effectively in many ways.

The problem is that there's been no threat of any attack; only "non-violent protests." Scary stuff, I know...

Tuone Udaina wrote:

The problem is that there's been no threat of any attack; only "non-violent protests." Scary stuff, I know...

No threat of attack? Next time, no what you're talking about before you misspeak.

From the article:

"The U.S. Embassy is also aware of public statements by leaders of Kenya's Coastal Muslim community threatening to disrupt, through unspecified means, the World Cross Country Championship if the government of Kenya does not satisfy various demands," the latest statement said.

ALSO FROM THE ARTICLE:

Dor said his group will disrupt the races unless the detainees are released, but that there will be no violence.

Oh yeah, I'm sorry. I forgot that terrorists and kidnappers are the most trustworthy people on the planet.