Mapping Crime in DC
For many reasons, I am drawn to the politics of maps, especially as it relates to the perception of crime. Because of last week’s focus on gentrification in class, I decided to highlight a map of DC created by Urbane Map seen above (http://mapurbane.com/washington-d-c-neighborhoods-revealed-beyond-politics/) Immediately, what strikes me about this map is its title, “Washington, DC: Beyond Politics” because this map is actually very political. Just look at the comments section. Many people express their feelings that arise from the stereotypes represented on the map, especially because of how the section of southeast DC is represented as “The Perceived Zone of Danger.”
Here is a screenshot of some of the comments:
DC, much like Brooklyn, is a city that has seen the good, the bad, and the ugly in terms of gentrification and crime rates. I remember moving to DC in 2005 and one of the common discussions was about avoiding southeast DC because it was such a big and bad place, which this map exacerbates. These stereotypes presented on the map leave out very important and nuanced stories about what happens in these places that are just labeled too dangerous; therefore, I wanted to see if there were any mapping projects that dug deeper into the crimes themselves and the people as well as issues in these neighborhoods where crime was high.
That’s when I stumbled upon Homicide Watch.
According the website, Homicide Watch is a community-driven reporting project covering every murder in the District of Columbia since 2010. Using original reporting, court documents, social media, and the help of victims’ and suspects’ friends, family, neighbors and others, they cover every homicide from crime to conviction. Their motto is “Mark every death. Remember every victim. Follow every case.”
The site has become a source of information about the crimes that don’t make headlines. According to The Atlantic story on the website, approximately 15,000 visitors a month look at 90,000 pages, leaving hundreds of comments.
I was impressed by the amount of data collected on each case. It is a very comprehensive data set on the crime and court case. It does make me wonder what kinds of audiences would best utilize this site. Who is this data really for – journalists, lawyers, etc.? One thing brought up in class was the data on the suspects and the ethical ramifications of publically showing this data and whether or not the moderators bothered with closing the data once the case is closed.
What is interesting to me about this map is that the creator’s intention was to present full stories of real crimes that often go untold in these neighborhoods, which are real and more than unfortunate, but I do wonder if it exacerbates the stereotype and doesn’t go deeper into the issues as to why crime is so prevalent in these areas. Since the victims no longer have a voice, I do like the memorial comment section that provides as a space for people to grieve, but what about a map that allows people from SE DC to describe the brighter side of their neighborhoods?
Overall, I do like the idea of showing real faces of victims who are impacted by crime and allowing digital space for people to mourn.
Regarding digital memorials of homicide victims, here is a blog created by the photographer Lloyd Wolf: http://dcshrines.blogspot.com/ This photographer posts photos of street memorials of the victims of homicides in DC. This is about remembering the fallen as opposed to simply showing where crime happens in a city as a way to humanize crime data.
Here is an interesting NPR segment on him as well: http://youtu.be/3MmWMrOZdEk
I learned a lot doing this project!