“The Increasing Crime Rate” is a first-person nonfiction story inspired by the author’s personal experiences during the last six months of 2006. This was a time when the local news was filled with stories of the rising violent crime and homicide rates in Oakland and when local community leaders were trying to develop interventions to prevent the escalation of this crime. “The Increasing Crime Rate” was awarded honorable mention in the 2007 Penelope Niven Creative Nonfiction Awards.
Sponsored