Augusta University students shed light on homicide trends
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - The United States saw 19,200 murders two years ago.
At Augusta University, students carved out each hash, to represent each life gone too soon.
In our local communities, we have tracked over 170 deaths involved in violent crimes.
Students hope this visual representation will shed light on the issue.
There are over 21,000 tallies at Augusta University, each one representing a life taken across the U.S.
One section specifically, has around 200 tallies, representing the amount of lives taken across the CSRA since 2022.
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A line of chalk that represents so much more.
“There’s too much, there’s too much violence in America,” said Kim Davies, dean of Pamplin College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences and Sociology professor.
Too many families are losing people they love because of violence.
“For our younger generation. I think I have hope, but I’m also very scared,” said Kali Patel, an Augusta University student.
They’re putting into perspective just how serious this issue is.
“Because we’re all so young, and I feel like we’re all just so naive to the real world and what’s really going on,” said Parmelie Andris, an Augusta University student. “When you just walk past here, you just look at the chalk and like, this is somebody’s life, and it could be your life or somebody, you know.”
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Across the CSRA, we have seen the amount of murders and suspicious deaths increase with 64 deaths in 2022 and 69 in 2023.
So far this year, there have been 48 deaths, compared to 46 deaths at this time last year.
“It is definitely just very, very, very scary,” said Andris. “It’s just like you could just go outside and something could happen to you. You can go to school and something, god forbid, something happens to you while you’re at school. It’s very scary.”
Some are looking for a solution to a problem that has way more than just one answer.
“It’s complicated. I think at early ages, we’ve got to have young people teach them how to solve things without violence, and it’s hard,” said Davies.
It’s a really powerful way to show just how many lives have been impacted not only by violence across the country but also right here at home.
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