English Argumentative Research Paper 8-10 pages: Crime in Memphis
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Crimedraftpaper.docxMemphis, Tennessee is a unique city with a broad variety of citizens, food, and activities enjoyed by locals and tourists alike. Visitors of Memphis most likely only experience the sunny side--the Pyramid, Mud Island, a lot of BBQ. However, there is a dark side to Memphis that many citizens are unaware of, or they have chosen to ignore it. Crime is an extremely serious problem in Memphis that is not being taken care of. In my opinion, it is the city's greatest downfall, and the root of all other problems such as the ones that interest me the most: lack of education and poverty.
The crime in Memphis, for the most part, is isolated to bad areas with high rates of drug and gang corruption. However, this crime is spreading to other areas and has been doing so for a long time. Memphis is ranked in the top three most dangerous cities in America, which is a truly frightening and upsetting thought that raises a lot of questions in my mind. Why don't we talk about it more? Are tourists afraid of coming here? Obviously there is crime in every city, but I have never experienced having to drive off the side of the interstate to avoid gunshots in any other city.
I do not know or claim to know exactly who or what is to blame for the skyrocketing crime rates, but there are a few aspects of the city that I think have something to do with it. First of all, the city government definitely plays a role in city violence. There is a severe disparity of where government resources are being allocated. According to reports by the Shelby County Commission, Memphis has allocated millions of dollars to Fedex, the tourism industry, and money wasted due to downright fraud. For example, in July 2020, Senator Katrina Robinson was charged with theft and fraud that involved government programs. It is completely possible that other government names in Tennessee are participating in these vile acts.
These cuts and tax breaks have taken important opportunities from the city's school system and resulted in poor academic ability and low graduation rates. The school system is another huge contributor to crime rates with many failing to realize it. The disadvantaged school system results in disadvantaged kids that are not given any opportunity to be successful. Children grow up in poor communities that have been overtaken by crime and it is very rare that school helps them escape it. Too many kids in Memphis grow up without realizing they can really make something of themselves. The crime will not decrease until every child has the chance to go to a decent school.
Along with the lack of education, there is now a lack of schools. Have you ever driven around Memphis and wondered about all the empty and abandoned buildings? Many of these are schools, failed businesses, or failed tourist proposals. What are these buildings doing? They are sitting there, rotting, and even instigating crime. A great majority of these buildings have been overtaken by drug dealers and users, gangs, and people just looking for trouble. In the last few years, there has been an increase in renovating some buildings as housing or shopping centers, but this does not contribute to the well being of underprivileged youth or even adults. The city has an amazing opportunity to create education centers or even more homeless shelters. I feel strongly that education centers during the summer/school breaks would show a decline in crime as it would give a lot of youth something to do in their free time. As for the need of homeless shelters, there is a disheartening surplus of homeless people in Memphis. Taking more people off of the streets would also show a great impact on crime rates.
