What’s Happening:
Millions of Americans reacted to the death of George Floyd with calls to reform police departments. However, a group of radical leftists went well beyond that, demanding that police departments be defunded or outright abolished.
Local Democrats appear to be siding with radical activists. In New York, Democrat mayor Bill de Blasio (who had a long reputation for anti-police policy) promised a variety of measures to apparently punish the NYPD for perceived bias.
First off, he eliminated a major plainclothes anti-crime unit. The unit was aimed at preventing crime before it happened. The moment this unit was disbanded, the city saw a shocking 200% rise:
Gun violence exploded across the city after the NYPD disbanded its anti-crime unit of plainclothes cops on June 15, with three times as many shootings in the last two weeks of the month over the same period in 2019, police stats show…
Gunshot injuries skyrocketed to 157 from 47 in 2019, a 238 percent increase.[contentad widget=”427100″]
It appears that most Americans are against the defund police movement. Yet despite cries by residents to simply reform and improve PDs, Mayor de Blasio is on a scorched-earth campaign to reduce the effectiveness of the city’s officers.
Already, we’ve seen a rise in crime—and it’s only been a few weeks since the mayor implemented these cuts. This comes after the state of New York abolished bail, contributing to a rise in crime over the last year.
Police unions have frequently criticized de Blasio’s lack of support for the NYPD. It appears the current tensions generated by BLM’s protests have motivated de Blasio to go even further in his campaign to render the NYPD powerless.
The mayor is determined to placate a small number of vocal activists while ignoring the pleas of everyone else. Even as crime surges, he continues to push an anti-police agenda. In addition to the elimination of this anti-crime unit, he has promised to slash $1 billion from the NYPD’s budget.
Critics have expressed outrage over this move, saying it will only lead to more problems for the city. A spike in crime will undoubtedly hurt poorer neighborhoods the most, the exact opposite of what de Blasio claims he wants.
Key Takeaways:
- After NY mayor shut down an anti-crime unit, shootings soared 200%
- The mayor has shown a history of refusing to support the NYPD
- Critics predict a greater rise in crime, with de Blasio’s further cuts.
Source: New York Post