Geography and Crime: Drug Trade

1981. A state with 1,522 murders, giving the state of murder rate of 15 murders per 100,000. It's most famous city with 243 murders, translating to a murder rate of 70 murders per 100,000. Another state with 960 murders, translating to a murder rate of 17.2 murders per 100,000, the highest for any state that year. The largest city of said state has a murder rate of 52.1 murders per 100,000 and 201 murders total. This scenario could be St. Louis,MO or Chicago,IL.

However, the scenario being spoken of is Miami,FL and Atlanta,GA respectively. It really was 1981, and Miami and Atlanta did have very high murder rates during this time. The 1980s saw murder rates rise all over American cities. From New York City, to Los Angeles, from Houston, to Milwaukee, murder rates were on the rise. Why is this? Well, the drug epidemic was raging in this nation. It started in the early 80s with cocaine, and then in 1984, crack hit the streets. This is the sociological side of it.

This is the geographic side of it. Miami was dubbed the murder capital of the USA in 1981, with a murder rate of 65.5 murders per 100,000. This should not come as a surprise, if one considers Miami's geographic position. There were other issues in Miami at the time. However, this entry is about the drug trade and how geography can play a role.

This is how it worked. The drugs would come up from Colombia, and they would pass through the Caribbean, stopping in places like The Dominican Republic, The Bahamas, and Jamaica. Miami was like the southern maritime terminus for vessels shipping cocaine into the USA. Once those drugs hit Miami, I-75 was a major shipping lane on land. I-75 goes to Atlanta. Not much of a coincidence that the murder rates were so high for both Miami and Atlanta, and why both Georgia and Florida had such high murder rates. I-75 goes into the smaller towns and cities of Georgia and Florida, such as Tallahassee, Macon, and Griffin. With the drug trade, violence comes with it. One theory to consider is this. Because Miami and Atlanta were major distribution centers for drugs, there would be alot of violence involved because of competition over turf, or murder for other reasons.

Lets expand on this. The murder rate during the 1970s in Jamaica was around 10 murders per 100,000. Between the 1970s and 2003, that murder rate skyrocketed. In 2003, Jamaica recorded a murder rate of 32 murders per 100,000. Jamaica's geographic position put it in the middle of a major drug trade route. And with the drug trade came violence.

In fact, if one looks at the nations with the highest murder rates in 2010, such as Honduras, El Salvador, Belize, Guatemala, and Venezuela, these places are along major drug trading routes. Gangs fighting over turf often commit acts of violence.

In short, geography can play a role in crime, and it happens all over the world.














http://mondediplo.com/maps/drugs
http://www.benbest.com/lifeext/murder.html
http://www.miamiasis.com/paradise-lost/
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,922693,00.html
http://www.cicad.oas.org/Main/Template.asp?File=/reduccion_oferta/grupoexpertos/ge_maritimo_eng.asp
http://www.disastercenter.com/georgia/crime/2726.htm
http://www.disastercenter.com/florida/crime/1840.htm
http://www.disastercenter.com/crime/gacrime.htm
http://www.disastercenter.com/crime/flcrime.htm
http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1988-08-22/news/8802180409_1_miami-boys-crack-cocaine-cocaine-network/2

Detroit: More than cars.

When one thinks about the city of Detroit, what comes to the mind? Well, for many, automobiles will come to the mind. It have often been known as "The Motor City". Why else was a certain recording company called Motown? Other people with think of other things, such as crime, urban decline, and so many other things.

Of course Detroit has been the home of Ford, General Motors, and Chrysler. This is very well known. There is a reason that Detroit got its nickname "The Motor City". That being said, there is so much more to Detroit than just automobiles.

To get a sense of Detroit, it is important to look at Detroit from a perspective of historical geography. Detroit has been the place where people have come from all over the world to seek their opportunities in Detroit. However, Detroit is much older than many people might think about.

The city was founded in 1701 as Fort Pontchartrain du Détroit by French explorers, named for the Count of Pontchartrain. Its purpose was to keep the British from advancing further west, and to gain an advantage in the fur trade. It was established by French officer Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac.

At the site of Detroit, a Catholic church was founded, Ste. Anne de Detroit Catholic Church,  in 1701. Today, it is the second oldest continually operating Catholic parish in the United States of America. It is listed in the National Register of Historical Places as of the year 1976. 

It's location on the Detroit river would prove to be a strategic location. Water was a major mode of travel during the 1700s. Detroit's name means "the straits" in French. Fort Pontchartrain du Détroit's location was no coincidence. The Detroit river was a major shipping ground. The idea was to control the traffic that went through the Detroit river on the way to other places.

France offered free land to people who were willing to settle at Ft. Detroit. By 1765, the population would grow to 800 people. This made Ft. Pontchartrain du Detroit the largest settlement between Montreal and New Orleans.


(Map provided by: http://www.geo.msu.edu/geogmich/french_explorers.html)

Native American peoples were living in Michigan before the French had arrived, the Fox, Ottawa, Huron, and Sauk peoples. Things were friendly between the Native Americans and the French at first. However, conflict would develop between certain Native American peoples and the French, which would lead to the Fox Wars. Later on, tensions between the British and French would lead to the French and Indian War. Fort Detroit would later be surrendered to the British in 1760. In 1796, the Jay Treaty would make Detroit a part of the USA. In 1805, a fire would destroy most of the settlement. The USA and the British would be involved in The War of 1812, and in this war, Detroit would be sought after, as the British tried to take Detroit back in the Siege of Detroit. The USA took it back. Detroit was incorporated as a city in 1815.

Augustus Woodward, Chief Justice of the Michigan Territory, would design a plan for building Detroit, designing a street layout plan similar to Pierre L'Enfant's Washington DC plan, similar to what can be found in Paris and Versailles. Some of the streets would have traffic circles and avenues expanding outward. In fact, Detroit was once called "Paris of the Midwest".

Alot of Detroit's early growth came from its location. It was a major transportation hub with its location along the Great Lakes waterway. As manufacturing, shipbuilding and shipping grew, so did Detroit's fortunes.

Detroit's geography also made it a major stop along the Underground Railroad. The city of Detroit is closer to Ottawa(Canada's national capital) than it is to the USA's capital of Washington DC. Runaway slaves seeking freedom would often pass through Detroit. Detroit is across the river from Canada. There were former slaves living in Detroit and some churches were used as places of hiding slaves. Detroit would be a sanctuary for runaway slaves en route to Canada, and a last stop before getting to freedom in Canada.

Prohibition in Detroit proved to be a matter of geography in some ways. Alcohol was still being distilled in Canada, so some people would find ways to bring it in from Canada along the Detroit river.

When you think about Detroit's history, and geography, and look beyond its reputation as the Motor City, you can find how geography shaped the city of Detroit. Historical geography, political geography, human geography. It started out as a French fort, then an American town, then a sanctuary for runaway slaves, to a major transportation hub, and a major player in the Prohibition days, and a manufacturing hub. This is a city that has underwent many changes over the past 300 years. Geography has played a major part in Detroit's growth as a city.














http://www.historytoday.com/richard-cavendish/founding-detroit
http://www.geo.msu.edu/geogmich/french_explorers.html
http://apps.detnews.com/apps/history/index.php?id=205
http://www.ste-anne.org/dempsey.html
http://apps.detnews.com/apps/history/index.php?id=181
http://www.motorcitycandleworks.com/scents/freedomtrain/
http://detroit1701.org/UndergroundRailroad.htm
http://www.hal.state.mi.us/mhc/museum/explore/museums/hismus/prehist/civilwar/undergro.html
http://apps.detnews.com/apps/history/index.php?id=181

PanGeographic's First Entry: The Subject of Geography

Welcome to the pilot entry of PanGeographic.

For the first entry of PanGeographic, there will be an explanation of what geography is.

Obviously, by the title of this blog, this is going to be a blog about geography. However, with the first entry of this blog, one important question needs to be answered: What is geography?

Well, there have been quite a few misconceptions about geography. For one, geography is often thought of as memorizing state capitals. This is only a small part about the subject of geography. Geography is such a broad subject, that it is impossible to make an abridged version of the subject.

For starters, there is more than one form of geography. You have two forms of geography. Human Geography and Physical Geography.

Human Geography is a sub-field of geography that deals with the study of the people who live on this earth, cultures, and communities. It is very human-based. Underneath human geography, there are other areas of study. These are not limited to, but include:

Cultural geography - the study of cultures and how norms vary from culture to culture, how languages, religion, economy, and other aspects of human life vary from place to place

Economic geography - this looks at the relationship between geography and how it plays a role in the economy of a place.

Historical geography - this takes a look at how geography has changed throughout history, how regions have changed over time.

Political geography - this study is about how geographic distribution of political outcomes, and how geography can affect politcs.

Urban geography - this study of geography deals with the urban areas, how cities grow, the social and physical aspects of cities, and economic activities.

The other sub-field of geography is Physical Geography. This is considered a branch of natural science that deals with natural aspect of the earth instead of the human aspect of the earth. Such subjects include weather, geology, and the hydrosphere. Underneath the sub-field of physical geography are other fields, which include, but not limited to:

Geomorphology - a study of how the earth's surface is shaped and changed by past and present phenomena, such as wind and water.

Hydrology - the study of water processes, water quality, lakes, rivers, and even glaciers. Mainly, the hydrological cycle is a big part of this study.

Meteorology - study of the earth's atmosphere and the weather.

Climatology - study of the earth's climate

Oceanography - the study of the seas and oceans, and its ecosystems.

There is going to be more involved with geography than memorizing places on a map. That is only a small part of what geography is about. Geography is about understanding the physical and human processes of this earth.