According to a suburb in Houston, which has the highest violent crime rate in the country, crime can be decreased… by planting more trees. Alief in Texas will plant 1,200 of these trees which will cost $2 million.
Sounds far-fetched to you? ABC13 Houston’s (KTRK), reported the following:
Alief hopes to protect its neighborhood by planting trees. Alief will soon have 1,200 new trees. The people planting their claim that the trees will beautify and protect the area.
How can trees prevent crime? Journal of Public Economics published a study that found crime increases when temperatures rise.
According to Harris County Precinct 4 Alief is 10 degrees hotter on average in the summer than areas that are well-shaded. Alief only has 11% of trees, while Houston averages 33%.
It’s okay to call me “skeptical” but I have never understood how guns kill people.
Terry Jones, a longtime Alief resident, and president of the Clayton Homes Home Owners Association are not skeptical. She told KTRK that she believes planting more trees “will be a huge help.”
We can engage people by giving them something to do outside. There are so many projects in the works for the commissioner. Public art is coming. We are improving the parks.
Sure, okay. Barbara Quattro is the president of the Alief Super Neighborhood Council and she believes that the “broken-window theory” also applies.
Nobody will care if the place is ugly and barren and looks as if nobody cares about it. This encourages criminal activity. It encourages vandalism. Everyone benefits from trees. Not only do they look great, but also make the area look better, which makes people more respectful.
The argument that crime rates are 10 degrees higher in Democrat-controlled cities is, in my opinion, a sham.
KTRK reports that 1,200 trees are to be planted on 17 miles of roads in the Alief area. What about the $2 million cost I mentioned at the start? The money comes from Joe Biden’s “American Rescue Plan” which is a $1.9 trillion plan with a ridiculous name. Translation: your hard-earned taxes at work.
By 2025, all 1,200 trees will be planted. If the people of Alief are able to avoid being robbed or worse for the next few years, then they’ll be able to enjoy the shade.
Alief has not said if they are also working on a program that uses shrubbery to stop guns from killing people.
