What are the Astrals?
“The Astrals” is simply a stylized name given to an international group of people that serves to assist in community policing and public safety. They primarily serve as a third-party crime reporting service, similar to Crime Stoppers.
Why do the Astrals do what they do?
The Astrals act to help people. Altruism is the most important virtue their members exhibit.
What makes the Astrals different?
The Astrals use “superhero” imagery in order to gain a sizeable following from the public. Superheroes are arguably the most popular fictional demographic in this decade, and this has proven to be very helpful to the Astrals in Savannah, GA. Superheroes are especially attractive to young people. The original branch in Savannah has a spotlight, like the fictional “bat-signal”, that occasionally shines on the tallest building in the city. After the first shining, the Astrals received an increase in the rate at which they received reports from citizens.
Why might the Astrals be needed?
Percentage of Violent Crimes reported to the Police (Source: US DOJ)
| 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 46.0% | 46.5% | 43.9% | 44.9% |
| Rape/Sexual Assault | 33.6% | 32.5% | 23.2% | 40.4% |
| Domestic Violence | 56.1% | 57.7% | 52.2% | 47.2% |
| Stranger Violence | 48.8% | 42.1% | 43.6% | 46.9% |
| Robbery | 60.9% | 61.9% | 57.0% | 49.0% |
| Assault | 44.6% | 45.8% | 43.9% | 44.7% |
According to the United States Bureau of Justice Statistics, between 2014 and 2017, the percentage of violent crimes reported to the police never rose above 50%. The way that the Astrals act could attract many more people to report and police could extend their reach to these previously unhelped individuals.
Especially: Sexual Assault
Sexual assault is an underreported crime nationwide. According to an article from the publication The Tab , there were nearly 50 reports of sexual assault and rape on the University of Michigan campus from 2014 until 2017. If you count that as four years, that’s an average of a little over one incident per month. Again, those are only reported incidents and only on the University of Michigan campus.
When have the Astrals been useful, really?
Other Astrals branches have dealt with the following cases: (only ambiguous descriptions provided) - A university president blacklisting students of certain backgrounds; the Astrals have worked with the university’s security personnel to obtain witness stories - Missing person, the Astrals provided police with newfound information from witnesses - Sexual assault accusation, the accused met with the Astrals anonymously to provide their side of the story, which assisted the police in the investigation; the accused was found innocent
Why might people not report to the police? (according to the Department of Justice)
- Fear of reprisal
- Fear of getting the offender in trouble
- Believing police won’t or can’t do anything
- Believing that the crime is a personal issue
- Believing that the crime is too small or trivial to report
How can I contact the Astrals?
Contact info is as follows:
The Astrals of Savannah, the oldest branch: theastralsofsavannah(@)gmail.com
To contact other branches, please check their respective pages on this website.