Top 8 in Top 10 Most Dangerous Cities in America.
Crime in Birmingham, Alabama
By the turn of the 20th century, the city of Birmingham, still Alabama's most populous city, grew dramatically from a collection of homes and small businesses into one of the most impressive downtown areas in the country. . The makeover was so rapid and extensive that it earned Birmingham the nickname: Magic City. Despite what many consider a "racist sprint" - a trend that has occurred since the 1960s, the mayor (Democrat Albert Boutwell) used police dogs and fire hoses on children black skin. Today, the city of just over 200,000 is one of the nation's biggest banking hubs, but Birmingham's southerly charm has been overshadowed by rampant violent crime. The city's violent crime rate is 1,912 per 100,000 residents, five times the national average. Serious assaults account for a particularly high proportion of these incidents, accounting for about 70% of the total. According to the police department, violent crime in Birmingham is down 26% so far this year. Rape and robbery have halved, although the murder rate has dropped only slightly.