San Bernardino was trying to get back on its feet when tragedy struck Wednesday in the form of a mass shooting at Inland Regional Center that left 14 dead and 17 wounded. The California city declared bankruptcy just three years ago and, according to the Los Angeles Times, is "among the nation's poorest big cities" and the state's "starkest example of urban blight":
This city of 214,000 has long suffered from the steady grind of crime that often accompanies poverty, drug use, and slashed city services. Methamphetamine use is widespread. The county assessor himself was arrested for possessing the drug in a 2009 raid.Gang violence is common here and a biker shootout earlier this year drew national attention. But violence on this scale was unheard of. [Los Angeles Times]
Some residents worry that the shooting will further tarnish San Bernardino's already hurting reputation and hinder its path to recovery post-bankruptcy. "These mass shootings are happening everywhere. It's a soullessness in the culture. We're losing our humanity," Michael Segura, 23, told the Los Angeles Times. "It just sucks this happened to happen in San Bernardino. It just puts more negative light on the city." Right now, one resident says, "it's like a ghost town."
Read the full story on San Bernardino residents' reactions at the Los Angeles Times.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Australian woman found guilty of mushroom murdersspeed read Erin Patterson murdered three of her ex-husband's relatives by serving them toxic death cap mushrooms
-
Combs convicted on 2 of 5 charges, denied bailSpeed Read Sean 'Diddy' Combs was acquitted of the more serious charges of racketeering and sex trafficking
-
Sniper kills 2 Idaho firefighters in ambushSpeed Read A man started a wildfire, then fired a rifle at first responders when they arrived
-
Weinstein convicted of sex crime in retrialSpeed Read The New York jury delivered a mixed and partial verdict at the disgraced Hollywood producer's retrial
-
'King of the Hill' actor shot dead outside homespeed read Jonathan Joss was fatally shot by a neighbor who was 'yelling violent homophobic slurs,' says his husband
-
DOJ, Boulder police outline attacker's confessionspeed read Mohamed Sabry Soliman planned the attack for a year and 'wanted them all to die'
-
Assailant burns Jewish pedestrians in Boulderspeed read Eight people from the Jewish group were hospitalized after a man threw Molotov cocktails in a 'targeted act of violence'
-
Driver rams van into crowd at Liverpool FC paradespeed read 27 people were hospitalized following the attack
