New York City and Philadelphia have both seen homicide rates skyrocket as their Democrat leaders impose strict lockdown edicts and make efforts to defund the police.
The Associated Press reports that New York City is witnessing a “dark period” brought about by a combination of the pandemic and race riots that flourished over the summer.
“New York City is closing out its bloodiest year in nearly a decade, grappling with a surge in homicides and a pandemic authorities say has helped fuel violence,” they write.
They note that killings have risen over 41 percent more than last year, while the number of people having been shot has nearly doubled.
Philadelphia, meanwhile, has its own horrific problems.
CBS Philly relays that the homicide numbers in the City of Brotherly Love are close to matching or eclipsing the most ever in a calendar year in the city’s history.
NYC Closing Out Its Bloodiest Year in Nearly a Decade as Killings Spike Amid Pandemic, Unrest https://t.co/OYw7SUyykY
— NBC Connecticut (@NBCConnecticut) December 29, 2020
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Homicide Rates Skyrocket Amid Lockdowns, ‘Defund The Police’ Efforts
The Associated Press linking a spike in homicide rates to the pandemic is correct, but both of these deep blue cities have some of the more strict lockdown protocols in place, and both have made significant efforts to defund the police.
In June, Philadelphia’s City Council proposed a budget that reduces overall spending on the city’s police department by $14 million.
This, after Mayor Jim Kenney proposed increasing the budget by $19 million, marking a $33 million swing for the Philadelphia police.
How did “defund the police!” work this weekend in America?
Chicago: 77 shot
NYC: 42 shot
Philadelphia: 17 shot
Baltimore: 9 shot
Atlanta: 24 shot
Greenville: 10 shot
Cleveland: 7 shot
Baton Rouge: 8 shot
Omaha: 8 shot— Emerald Robinson ✝️ (@EmeraldRobinson) July 6, 2020
In July, New York City mayor Bill de Blasio announced he had cut $1 billion from the NYPD budget.
Then, just weeks ago, the New York Post reported that “dozens” of NYPD officers were leaving the city in part due to a pervasive “anti-cop climate.”
Is it any wonder homicide rates in these cities are climbing?
.@NYCMayor announced he wants to cut $1 BILLION from the New York City Police Department budget. Shame on Democratic leaders allowing anarchy & caving to cultural whims that put our communities, law enforcement, & law abiding citizens at risk. @NYPDNews https://t.co/DQwj47uxcs
— Franklin Graham (@Franklin_Graham) July 1, 2020
Don’t Forget Minneapolis
The epicenter of the defund the police movement, Minneapolis, also saw murders rise 90 percent in the city as of mid-December.
A pair of Minneapolis City Council members claimed “defund the police” was never part of their planned “framework,” just days after a vote to move nearly $8 million from the department’s budget.
But other council members were already reaping what they had sown by September.
The Minneapolis City Council announced their intentions in June, according to the Guardian, when “a veto-proof majority of council members declared their intent to ‘dismantle’ and ‘abolish’ the embattled police agency.”
Months later, council members were dismayed over a surge in violent crimes – which Fox News reports include daylight carjackings, robberies, assaults, and shootings.
Ahem… the Minneapolis city council members who pushed to defund the police are wondering where they are during the city’s time of need. Typical Democrats. pic.twitter.com/kTkIU1EJMD
— robjh1: The Conservative Black Cowboy (@robjh1) September 17, 2020
With all of that as a backdrop, recall that President-elect Joe Biden has made it clear to his fellow Democrats that defunding the police is a political loser.
Not because the idea isn’t supported, but that he thinks the party needs to hide their anti-law enforcement views from the American people until after the Georgia runoffs.
“I also don’t think we should get too far ahead of ourselves on dealing with police reform in that, because they’ve already labeled us as being ‘defund the police’ anything we put forward in terms of the organizational structure to change policing — which I promise you, will occur,” Biden said in leaked audio with several prominent civil rights leaders.
Biden urged them “to think about how much do we push between now and January 5th,” the date of the Georgia runoffs, regarding police reform, but still promised a “full-blown commission” to examine the matter.
Defunding the police isn’t working. Pandemic lockdowns are leading to further unrest.
These are things Democrats want going forward. If they win in Georgia, you just might see more of it.
