New Year. New Approach.

I started writing about Tacoma homicides in 2006 in an effort to honor those who have been taken from my hometown and to demonstrate that Tacoma was no longer the violent crime capital of the Northwest. That year we had 21 Tacoma homicides. The years after that we averaged 12-15 homicides a year. It was so easy to keep up that I added features to TacomaStories. I added 5 Question Friday where I interviewed local luminaries and small businesses. A few years ago my girlfriend and I started seeing what we could do for $20 as a date in Tacoma and that turned into Jack and Mimi’s Cheap Date.

In recent years as the violent crime rate has increased, I’ve run out of time to do those other features. In fact, as you can tell from my most recent updates, I’m not even able to keep up on the homicides. In 2021 we had 32 Tacoma homicides. In 2022 we had 45. What started out as something I could do in my spare time is now something I can’t do without dedicating some time to it.

So beginning tomorrow, Monday, January 2, 2023, I will write about a Tacoma homicide victim every Monday. Unfortunately, we’ve had so many homicides that even writing one every week will not have me caught up by this time next year. But I will be closer.

How close I’ll be by this time next year depends entirely on how many Tacoma homicides occur in 2023.

On another note, I plan on bringing back 5 Question Friday soon. If you know someone you believe should participate in 5 Question Friday or if you yourself have some Tacoma related thing you want to talk about, email me at jackcameronis@gmail.com.

Stay safe out there.