Baltimore suffers a violent crime rate far above the national average. The effects bleed into the youth through damaged school systems and shattered homes. Dismayed police avoid patrolling dangerous areas in concern for their individual safety. Many search for an escape through the use of illicit drugs. This is called “insular poverty,” or poverty derivative of social circumstance. Insular poverty is eating away at Baltimore’s cultural core. Adding blue lights throughout the city could make a difference.
Baltimore is known as “Murderland” by locals. It’s the runner up to St. Louis for most murders per 100,000 people at 55.37. Murder is so common in Baltimore that it has become a cultural norm in many neighborhoods. Children grow up without their mothers and fathers. Brothers and sisters lie dead outside their homes. Families and relationships are destroyed. To add insult to injury, rape, robbery, and assault also plague the city. All of this entrenches a cycle of self-destructive and sociopathic behaviors.
Poverty is at the root of violent crime. When people can’t afford basic necessities, they resort to desperate measures. Baltimore is the sixth poorest city in the United States. 32.2% of the population makes under $25,000 a year. Baltimore’s unemployment rate of 6.3% far exceeds the national average of 4.1%. Poverty and violent crime affect children in terrible ways. Seth Pollack, a psychology professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, examined 823 brain scans of children and found that those who lived in poverty displayed higher cortisol levels. Cortisol is a natural hormone responsible for our flight or fight response. A multitude of research links poverty, depression, and fight-or-flight behavior with violent crime.
Besides being known as “Murderland,” Baltimore is also known as the “heroin capital of the USA.” Roughly one in ten people in Baltimore are addicted to heroin. Due to the toxic stress levels of insular poverty and Baltimore’s war-like environment, many take drugs as an escape. These addictions cause good people to make dreadful decisions. Sadly, prostitution, armed robbery, grand theft auto, and murder define much of Baltimore’s culture.
Violent crimes in Baltimore can be mitigated by simply adding blue lights to the environment. Both Scotland and Japan have implemented the use of blue lights with favorable results. This discovery was accidental. In the early 2000s, Glasgow, Scotland changed adopted blue street lighting to improve the city’s appearance. Remarkably, the blue light areas saw a significant decrease in crime. Later, Nara, Japan began transitioning to blue streetlights as well. Crime decreased by 9%. Moreover, Tokyo officials installed blue lights in some railroad stations. Suicides stopped or slowed considerably in those areas.
Many theories explain why blue lights reduce crime, but the most accepted one is that they can “cure” depression. As I mentioned earlier, a link exists between those with depression and those who perpetuate violent crimes. An astounding 4.2% of those convicted for committing violent crimes were diagnosed with depression, compared to 1.7% of the general population. Blue lights have been used for quite some time now for curing SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder), but not much research has been put into testing their use with clinical depression. Unfortunately, this is because they are not very profitable, and money motivates. Still, research does prove that blue lights can alleviate depression as effectively as anti-depressants. This connection explains why the use of blue lights can decrease not only the rate of violent crime and suicides, but also illegal drug use.
Recently, Switzerland implanted blue lights in their public bathrooms. The Swiss reasoned that by adding blue lights to their lavatories, the cerulean luminescence would make it more difficult for heroin users to shoot up. Rick Steves, speaking of his trip to a public bathroom in Switzerland, reported, “I couldn’t see my veins. . . . You couldn’t shoot up if you wanted to.” Blue lights reduce depression, and there is a plethora of evidence regarding drug use due to depression. Mental disorders often lead to drug abuse as a means of self-medication. To these ends, with almost seven percent of Americans diagnosed with clinical depression, blue lights should be everywhere. Although no cure-all exists, blue lights are a step in the right direction.
While I would love to see blue lights on every block in America tomorrow, that isn’t realistic. We should start this movement by modifying street lights in the most crime-ridden cities in America first, and specifically Baltimore. This would take some significant funding but would be painless to execute. How many men does it take to screw in a light bulb? It would start with blue street lights in the most dangerous parts of the city and would eventually expand to cover the entire metropolis. After that, the use of blue lights in public restrooms would become mandatory. From there, we would do the same for the next crime-infested city, and so on.
Everyone is affected by violent crime in one way or another. One person from the hood becomes famous, and suddenly children from all over begin emulating that lifestyle. Someone like Garnett Smith becomes a multi-million drug dealer and dumps heroin into a city, which then spreads throughout the entire country. While Baltimore’s inner harbor is stunning, many tourists will miss the chance to visit it due to concerns for their safety. Riots in Baltimore inspire youth to revolt in vicious, primitive methods. Depression plagues America, and poverty torments our brothers and sisters. We must talk about it, write about it, and do something about it. Whether it’s adding blue lights to our own businesses or going out and running for a local office, every action adds up.
Imagine this. The moon hides behind the clouds as the wind whispers peacefully in a quiet city. Citizens walk up and down on a sapphire lit sidewalk. In the past, it was impossible to go anywhere once the sun set. That’s when the demons came out. But lately, there has been a change. People pass by with smiles and nods. The only honking comes with a friendly wave. No one has seen caution tape surrounding their neighbor’s house in over a year. The friend who once wrote a suicide note now lives life with a new, radiant aura.
Most importantly, the economy is picking up. More children are going to and staying in school. There’s less need for drugs, so more people are finding regular work. It’s not a utopia, and there are still problems, but there’s a newfound tranquility. A sign sits on the edge of the city once read, “Welcome to Baltimore.” Now it reads, “Welcome home.”
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Adrian Blue Bergling is a writer, anime fan, and devout Christian. He is currently working on a career in the music business.
