CNN ranks Detroit among most dangerous cities in world

George Hunter / The Detroit News

Detroit — Third-world countries have nothing on Detroit when it comes to crime, according to a list released this week by a national news organization.

CNN compiled a list of the world’s most dangerous cities, which includes places like Baghdad, Karachi, Pakistan, Beirut — and the Motor City.

The network collected data from Mercer’s global report on personal safety, Foreign Policy magazine’s most recent report on murder rates, and reports by Forbes and security watchdog Citizen’s Council for Public Security (CCSP) to compile the list.

New Orleans was the only other city in the United States to make the dubious list.

Lifelong Detroit resident Sherman Hayes, 79, was not surprised to hear that Detroit was considered among the most dangerous cities in the world.

“On just my street (Lakewood), the other day a man shot a 2-year-old girl during a dope deal; I saw the car zoom by the house,” he said. “Then, a few months ago, a father shot his son in the head over money. That happened just down the street.

“Crime is expected here,” Hayes continued. “It’s like the old westerns — when you hear gunshots, you don’t even pay attention. Someone could get killed right next door and nobody would know.”

CNN’s list was based on things like internal stability and effectiveness of law enforcement, along with official crime statistics and media reports.

Here’s the list, which was presented by CNN in no particular order:

Caracas, Venezuela
Detroit
New Orleans
Juarez, Mexico
Karachi, Pakistan
Cape Town, South Africa
Moscow, Russia
Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo
Beirut, Lebanon