Rising crime rates have officials strategizing ways to find peace in Saginaw

Rising crime. Saginaw is reporting 21 homicides this year and increased violent crime rates.

This comes after seeing decreasing crime rates over the past few years.

“It is really disheartening to see how we were going down and now we’re going back up,” said Brenda Moore, Saginaw Mayor. “My whole goal is to get the city to work together.”

The newly elected mayor is working to instill peace and love and is calling on the community to open a dialogue.

 “We need to take our city back and part of taking our city back is put the guns down, put them down,” Moore said. “Let’s talk more about it. The hatred time is over. It’ all about talking now.”

The rise in violence is difficult to pinpoint but police say the pandemic has created problems like unemployment, unstable households and lack of activities. All can contribute to a trend of rising crime.

It’s a trend they’re seeing in more than just Saginaw.

“What we’re experiencing is what we’re seeing across the entire nation right now,” said Michigan State Police Lt Liz Rich.

But most of those reasons are out of our control.

Rich says they’re analyzing statistics and placing patrols in problem areas.

She says of Saginaw’s homicides this year, police have managed to bring charges in about 80 percent of them.

Moore believes police and community can come together and bring peace.

“I believe we can get back,” Moore said. “We’ll get back up. we just have to learn to love on one-another.”