For a decade, Atif Mahr mentored young people, preaching the virtues of anti-violence even as the streets of his north St. Louis neighborhood echoed ever more often with the crack of gunfire. Then one day last October, those bullets tore a jagged hole in Mahr's own family. His daughter Isis was dropping off a friend when a gunman unloaded on her car. The soccer standout, who had been saving money to pay her way through nursing school, was 19. "I always feared it," Mahr said. "I never imagined it." Isis's death filled him with hurt. The reaction from the community, however, gave him hope. The past two years have been dreadful for public safety in U.S. cities as homicide numbers soared - in some cases to record levels. Experts say a constellation of factors is to blame, including the pandemic's scars and a breakdown in trust between police and the communities they serve during the social unrest of 2020. But as 2022 kicks off, city leaders from coast to coast say the stars may … [Read more...] about Homicide rates have soared nationwide, but mayors see a chance for a turnaround in 2022