Flint Murder Map, R.I.P.

My experiment with the Flint Murder Map has ended.

It sparked some good discussions about how to cover homicides, but it proved to be way more work than I imagined. More importantly, I didn't feel it was really providing much of a memorial to the people who died in Flint. I was basically reprinting information gathered by the overworked and under appreciated reporters at The Flint Journal, especially Shannon Murphy, Bryn Mickle and RoNeisha Mullen. I didn't have the time to conduct interviews with family and friends or offer a more complete portrait of the deceased that I thought they deserved. (Believe it or not, this was actually my original plan. After 19 years as a journalist, I should have realized how unrealistic this goal was.)

Although it is not complete, one thing the Murder Map provides is a reasonably comprehensive look at where murders occurred in 2008. It also offers a database for readers to begin making their own judgments about what counts as murder and what doesn't. As this January story by Shannon Murphy shows, the Flint Police are more than willing to revise the murder count:

"Flint police now are saying 2008 had one of the lowest reported number of homicides in a decade.

"On Monday, interim Chief David Dicks said the city had as much as a 10 percent decrease in homicides from the previous year.

"That comes just a week after Dicks reported there was a 16.6 percent increase — from 30 homicides in 2007 to 35 in 2008.

"A closer look at the statistics revealed that up to eight of the homicides are justifiable, which would bringing the number down to 27, Dicks said.

"'This is a big deal for us and the citizens,' Dick said. 'It's showing we are doing the best we can.'"

Anyone who has ever watched The Wire knows that statistics compiled by the police should be verified independently.

In season three, Major Howard "Bunny" Colvin complains about pressure to "juke the stats" to create the appearance that crime is decreasing. "You can reclassify an agg assault, unfound a robbery, but how do you make a body disappear?" he asks.

Apparently, you simply reclassify the murder as a justifiable homicide.

Marian Easter, R.I.P.

RoNeisha Mullen of The Flint Journal reports:

A Flint woman was shot to death and another injured after someone broke into their home.

Police where called to 217 E. Belvidere Ave. just before midnight Monday, on a call of a male breaking into the residence.

When police arrived they found 20-year-old Marian Easter dead of multiple gun shot wounds, and 47-year-old Jo Ann Easter in critical condition.

Police said they suspect is familiar with his victims, but did not release his name.

Neighbors on the street are upset about the incident.

"I didn't even know the girl and my stomach has been turning since they told me about it," said Helen Shuman, who doesn't live on the street but visits friends there almost daily. "She was only 20 years old. I couldn't imagine being her mother and getting that news."

The Flint Murder Map tracks homicides in The Vehicle City throughout the year. Please note that the map is incomplete and offers only a partial list of murder victims.

The numbers game

New census numbers are out for Genesee County and the results are distressing, but not surprising — people are leaving the county, especially young people and African Americans.

RoNeisha Mullen reports:

"Genesee County is losing residents at a rate more than double that of years past, according to a Census report released today.

"It hits home especially in the black community, where population has been on a constant decline. Nearly 5 percent of the county's black residents have packed up and headed elsewhere since 2000.

"Many young black people don't believe they can succeed in Flint, said Torchio Feaster, a 26-year-old lawyer.

"'The city is struggling, and a lot of these kids don't have two-parent homes, so they don't think it's feasible to achieve the American Dream here in Genesee County,' he said. 'They don't know any black people who've made it, so they think they can't make it (here) either.'

'In all, about 3,000 people left the county in 2007, compared to about 1,500 in 2006.

"Of those 3,000, almost 1,000 were between the ages of 18 and 24."

The overall county population dropped to 434,715 in 2007, down from 436,141 in 2000.

Embezzlement: A new career option

RoNeisha Mullen of The Flint Journal has a nice overview of all the embezzlement cases plaguing the Flint area, including the tale of Dana Bacon (above), who was sentenced to one year in jail for stealing more than $1 million from the Montrose School District. Youth soccer leagues and work-release prisoners are also popular targets.

Jonathon Joseph Stevens, R.I.P.

I guess we all knew it was only a matter of time. Shannon Murphy and RoNeisha Mullen of The Flint Journal report on the city's first murder of 2008:

The city's first homicide of the year occurred (Saturday) morning when police said a 72-year-old man shot his 37-year-old housemate in the stomach.

Police were called to the scene about 7 a.m. and found Jonathon Joseph Stevens dead on the sidewalk next door to the home where he'd been living.

Police have not released the name of the accused shooter.

Flint police Sgt. Roderick LeGardye said Stevens and the older man got into an argument early this morning inside the home at 2518 Bagley St. During the fight, Stevens allegedly hit the elderly man with a large wooden stick.

The 72-year-old then pulled out a gun and shot the victim at least once in the stomach, LeGardye said.

Stevens tried to run away but collapsed on the sidewalk. The suspect was taken to Hurley Medical Center with head injuries.

"Right now, we're unsure what they were fighting about," LeGardye said.