Major U.S. cities report highest homicide rates in 2021: Time

NEW YORK, Oct. 20 (Xinhua) -- Detroit was one of the most violent major cities in America in 2021, even though the city's homicides dropped 4 percent from 2020, reported the Time magazine on Wednesday.

"We are not in any way celebrating these numbers," Detroit Police Chief James White said earlier this year. "These reductions illustrate the value of our efforts together as a collaboration during an unprecedented time in history."

Nearly 300 miles west of Detroit, Milwaukee had a record year of killings in 2021, continuing the upward trend that started for them in 2020, according to the report.

"I don't think it's even a subject of debate anymore that lower-income communities took a harder hit from COVID and the impact that had on gun violence and homicides," said Jeff Flemmings, the Communications Director for Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett.

Memphis also struggled significantly with homicides in 2021, breaking the record the city set in 2020. "I think it's going to take more than just the police department. It will take more than just the mayor. It's going to take all of us," said Pastor Walter Womack, a Memphis community leader.

"According to FBI crime data, in 2021 these three cities had some of the highest homicide rates in the country," added the report.