There was a major spike in murder in the US in 2020 caused by the George Floyd-BLM riots and cultural revolution

Some charts and numbers documenting the spike, plus how we know it was that

Published:

Aug 10, 2021 3am

Updated:

Oct 26, 2024 2am

By The Editor

Newly released FBI data confirms that there were nearly 5,000 additional deaths from homicide, an almost 30% spike.

The U.S. had its biggest one-year increase in murders on record in 2020, F.B.I. data shows, with some cities hitting record highs (NYT)

We know George Floyd-BLM was to blame maybe most of all because it was a uniquely American phenomenon — there's no evidence of a Covid-related spike in murder elsewhere in the world; but also, the spike is so sharp and coincides so precisely with the immediate wake of George Floyd's death. The exact mechanism at work may not be certain but it's not a stretch to conclude it's connected in some way to the literal war to "abolish the police" that George Floyd-BLM was, in cops being pulled back or the law being less enforced — there is plenty of evidence of this happening.

Charts on the phenomenon

Several different plots of the homicide rate over time show a sharp spike coinciding precisely with the BLM-George Floyd protests.

A plot from Twitter user Cremieux — From Twitter user Crémieux

The homicide rate over the last 20 years

Cities across the country experienced this spike, though to different degrees.