3,000 was a popular number this weekend in the national press.
406 was big to us local folk.

While the amount of US soldiers killed in Iraq hit the symbolic high, the count of Philadelphians murdered, outside of Philly, wasn't a really big deal.

Why would it be?
Philly's bloodshed isn't national news.
See, murders in the US were up 1.4 percent , so said the latest FBI stats.
When cities over a million strong were looked at, the jump grew to over 6 percent. Seems that violent death is the hotest trend in this country right now.
(Does Bush even care about Americans anymore? We mean the ones who are not part of the top 1 percent in wealth.)

When Philly's murder numbers are dissected, this town's future is just plain scary. About 83 percent of the city 2006 homicide victims were African-American, just as in 2005. Men made up of 88 percent of the deaths and old people were a big target.

For more fun numbers, check out our partner's story. It is quite interesting if you are into digits and the sorts.

As for the 3,000 soldiers killed since the March 2003 start date of war in Iraq, it's despicable and depressing.

Still, PC would like to sadden you further.
Add up the homicide count since our fine mayor took office in 2000, and Philadelphia transforms into a war zone that is going ignored.

Since 2000, there have been 2380 homicides in Killadelphia, although our editor noted that their were more murders under Rendell.
True, the kill count from ' 92 to '99 added up to 3168 slaying under Rendell's rule, but in our minds, Street hasn't won this one.
The last two years of Eddie saw the lowest murder counts of his administration, while the final Street years pretty much suck.
Check out the numbers, see for yourself.