Most of my research is on urban inequality.

I started focusing on violence just because I think

it has been so central to understanding urban inequality

in the US both because it is a consequence

of urban inequality, but also because it amplifies

that reinforces urban inequality.

It's made it really difficult to address

the challenge of inequality, and that becomes

much more difficult as violence rises.

Hello, and welcome to Wise is Happening with me,

your host, Chris Hayes.

You know, 2020 was the deadliest year in American history,

and in aggregate terms, not a proportional terms.

Civil war was obviously considerably worse

with a much smaller population, but it was the deadliest

year in American history because of COVID, obviously,

but also the scale and scope of the devastation from COVID

masked a little bit the fact that it was also

one of the most violent years in recent recorded memory.

So the increase in homicides in the top 25 and 50 cities,

you know, average around 20, 25, 30%,

somewhere in there are a huge bump.

...