But where street violence is different than global warming, is that global warming presents an eventual threat to all of property and even the survival of the species. Capital and the powers that be, having an awful lot invested in those things, will I think eventually (not in the next ten years tho) act massively to try to fix things. and no matter how backwards a political culture is, a widely understood and felt threat to all's survival will eventually prompt action and political will.
But street violence, as the past fifteen years has shown us, does not threaten real estate in florida and global agricultural futures markets. It can (mostly) be cornered off in its own area. Our country is willing to abandon west baltimore and south la to their demons, as long as the shootings don't leave the ghetto. They will sometimes and the crackdown response will be draconian when they do. But for the most part, young men in those areas will stay in the drug economy and the banging subculture, many remaining families will gradually try to flee, and in time a nurse or accountant or electrician living over the county line will inhabit such a completely different universe than the ghetto, it'll be a wonder they don't vote for explicit martial law over the underclass. Maybe they will. We're already, what, 20% of the way there?