There have been 28 shootings in Allentown so far this year. When someone loses his life, shootings become more than statistics. They become the bloody reality of something going seriously wrong in the city. To get an idea of how bad it's getting, listen to the words of some of Allentown's citizens.
People have no respect for anyone else.
It's getting bad. You just can't be safe anywhere. According to the FBI, there were 15 murders in Allentown in 1998 and 11 in 1999. Last year there were eight killings. These numbers might pale in comparison to the murders and shootings in Philadelphia, New York and the urban areas of northern New Jersey but they're making the people of Allentown, especially those living in the neighborhoods surrounding downtown, feel unsafe.