Don’t Believe The Fictitious Crime Trends Used To Undermine Police Reform

The “Ferguson Effect”—a dramatic crime wave in the United States, resulting from protests against police shootings in cities like Baltimore and Ferguson, Missouri—is being touted by some. However, no scientific evidence exists to back up this claim. Using crime to delegitimize a civil rights movement is not a new phenomenon, and this article looks at how history may be repeating itself. 

The “Ferguson Effect”—a dramatic crime wave in the United States, resulting from protests against police shootings in cities like Baltimore and Ferguson, Missouri—is being touted by some. However, no scientific evidence exists to back up this claim. Using crime to delegitimize a civil rights movement is not a new phenomenon, and this article looks at how history may be repeating itself.