We all know that murder and other violent crime has been rising the last few years. But after seeing the figures in black and white, the implications begin to set in.
We’re in big trouble. And it really doesn’t matter where you live in America. Violent crime can touch you and your loved ones.
Senator Tom Cotton listed the grim statistics.
New nationwide data from the Federal Bureau of Investigation reveals that last year the number of murders rose by 29 percent, drug overdose deaths increased 30 percent, and the number of gang-related killings skyrocketed more than 55 percent. To put this carnage into context, a 29 percent increase in murder isn’t simply bad, it’s the worst single-year increase in American history. Similarly, the drugs flooding into our communities aren’t only deadly, they are the deadliest drugs ever sold. For the first time ever, over 100,000 Americans lost their lives to drugs and homicide in 2020.
Cocaine and heroin were bad enough. Now we have fentanyl being mixed with a variety of drugs. Fentanyl is not only wildly addictive, but it’s also extraordinarily dangerous as well.
The number of assaults rose by 12 percent last year and criminal assailants committed nearly 75,000 more violent crimes than they committed in 2019. Although the total number of property crimes fell, the total cost of those crimes rose by nearly $2 billion. Recorded cases of arson also rose by nearly 35 percent, a trend that is likely associated with last summer’s BLM riots, which were the most destructive in American history.
In Democrat-dominated cities, violent crime rose far more than the national average. Last year, murder rose 50 percent in Chicago, 44 percent in New York, and 38 percent in Los Angeles. The murder rate in Baltimore was higher than El Salvador’s or Guatemala’s — nations from which citizens can claim asylum purely based on gang violence and murder.
We’re assured by big-city mayors and the media that the massive spike in violent crime was due to the pandemic. People were stuck inside, so naturally, when they were allowed to go outside, they went nuts and started to kill people.
What’s rarely mentioned is that at the same time the pandemic was raging, Black Lives Matter and their “Defund the Police” plan began to not only demonize police but forced cops to stop or slow down patrolling high-crime areas.
And then came the cuts to police forces.
Initial estimates also reveal evidence of a shrinking American police presence. Even though the FBI gathered data from over 100 additional law-enforcement agencies than it did in 2019, it estimated 1,000 fewer police officers. This isn’t surprising; 86 percent of police chiefs report being short-staffed. Between April 2020 and April 2021, the rate of hiring in mid-sized departments dropped 29 percent and plummeted 36 percent in large departments. Equally concerning, initial data shows that the number of police killed by criminals has increased 46 percent compared to this time last year.
Emboldened criminals knowing that police will hesitate to use deadly force is not a good situation for anyone — unless you’re a violent criminal. Then, it’s a godsend.
It hasn’t helped that George Soros-backed prosecutors have released massive numbers of people from jail and waived cash bail for violent criminals.
People are frightened and angry. But instead of taking it out on the Democrats, they’re blaming too many guns on the streets and the judicial system being too mean to violent felons. At what point will reality reassert itself these politicians and activists be told where to go?
Until it happens, anyone who can will vote with their feet and leave.
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