The disproportionate impact of post-George Floyd violence increases on minority neighborhoods in Philadelphia

Abstract

In early 2020 the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic swept across the globe, impacting the criminal justice system in myriad ways. The effects of this significant societal upheaval were then exacerbated by unprecedented and extended protests and social unrest following the murder of George Floyd. This analysis seeks to clarify the disproportionate impacts on communities of color in Philadelphia (Pennsylvania) neighborhoods. This analysis considers all acts of violence, weighted by severity, and examined across the natural societal boundaries of the city for a seven-year period, while controlling for temporal trends and seasonality. Analysis using a fixed effects cross-sectional panel design of different racial/ethnic groups in the city finds that the increase in violent harm experienced by the city disproportionately impacted Hispanic communities, and one neighborhood specifically. In other words, during and following the 2020 ‘Summer of Racial Reckoning’, violence rose across Philadelphia, but increased more so in the Upper Kensington neighborhood. Possible reasons for this are discussed.