Fifty-one people were murdered in Chicago two weeks ago. Six were killed in Baltimore. Forty-one people were killed in Washington, DC so far this year. These numbers are shocking, and only the tip of the iceberg. Many more victims were robbed, shot, or raped. For perspective, Chicago, Baltimore and DC are not our most dangerous cities, but they are our most notorious. The 20-year national trend of declining violent crime has reversed since 2015 in these cities. Why are these deep blue socialist cities so deadly and dangerous? Who is at fault?
Cities with large black populations are hit the hardest, yet the vast majority of blacks say they support law enforcement and want to live in peace. We can talk about causative sociological factors like drugs and faithlessness, but those causes affect the entire US. They don’t explain why these particular cities are so deadly.
A fish rots from the head down. On November 24, 2014, President Obama was angered by the Grand Jury’s refusal to indict Officer Darren Wilson for the death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri. President Obama’s remarks capping six years of anti-police comments. Obama blamed urban violence on a “bias in the criminal justice system” and “police racism”. (See The War on Cops, Heather MacDonald, p.7. Encounter Books, 2016.) The mayors of these blue cities added fuel to the fire, and small changes have profound effects over time.
It doesn’t take many criminals to raise a city’s crime rate, just as it doesn’t take many Socialist cities to raise the crime rate for the entire United States. Elections have consequences, and Socialist mayors appointed their favorite police chiefs. These political chiefs obey orders to let rioters have their way. We saw that back in 2015 with the Freddie Gray riots in Baltimore. We saw it again this year with the recent riot when Milo Yiannopoulos appeared at Berkeley.uc-berkeley-riots
These blue city police chiefs and the Socialist city attorneys determine which laws are enforced. As we saw in Baltimore, they determine which crimes are investigated and which criminals are prosecuted…or not. In Baltimore, six cops were persecuted in “show trials” to appease the mobs. All the officers were found innocent. These police officers are now suing Baltimore County District Attorney Marilyn Mosby.
Mosby’s hypocrisy was blatant. She called for an “independent prosecutor” to investigate the actions of Officer Darren Wilson in Ferguson, MO. DA Mosby claimed that, “No local prosecutor could be unbiased” so an independent prosecutor was essential in order to reach an unbiased determination. Yet, Mosby REFUSED to step aside for an independent prosecutor in the Freddie Gray cases. Marilyn Mosby put politics ahead of criminal justice. The effect on law enforcement is well known. Cops who expect to be scapegoated by their own leadership will not engage violent criminals, since each contact can bring a claim of “racism induced excessive force”.
In Chicago today, most crimes go unsolved and most criminals go unpunished. Chicago’s shootings increased 24% from mid-2014 to the end of 2015, and the number of shootings have zoomed upwards ever since. Today, only one out of 25 violent crimes, and only one out of four murders are ever solved. Many crimes go unreported. A few violent criminals in Chicago can commit crime after crime. That is only part of the story, though typical for these deep blue cities.
It isn’t easy to put someone behind bars, and as we’ve seen, it isn’t safe not to. Police have to investigate the crime, develop suspects, establish a chain of evidence and arrest the suspect. Lawyers have to develop and try the case. Judges need to preside over the trial, and then sentence the criminal. All this happens before the criminal is incarcerated.
Justice isn’t cheap. It takes both money and commitment. Deep blue socialist cities are busy spending tax money on political kickbacks. There isn’t enough money and political will remaining to power the justice system. Over 90 percent of the criminals arrested will be offered plea bargains. Socialist prosecutors and judges let repeat criminals out of jail for time served. Lots of criminals commit new crimes while awaiting trial or while out on probation.
The explosion in crime changes the way honest people live. Prosecuting the flood of violent crimes leaves no time or money for anything else. Property effectively becomes worthless when property crimes are no longer prosecuted. Criminals take what they want. Neighborhoods where mobs are allowed to run riot are not the places where companies will build and hire. They can’t even afford the insurance in those areas.
A cancer grows unless it is treated and removed. Honest people move out as they move up. Drugs and gangs take over. Yes, the poor local economy and family breakdown are causative factors, but the rest of the US manages to keep crime in check. The deep blue cities don’t. Socialists politicians, like criminals, always have an excuse why it isn’t their fault.
Elections really do have consequences, and the voters are responsible for the results. The crime wave in Socialists cities is a self-inflicted wound and a growing cancer. The voters can take the cure any time they want.
photo credit: yooperann Ashes under the ‘L’ tracks–Explored via photopin (license)
