US Cities Face Rising Crime Since ‘Defund Police’ Movement

The crime map for Oakland, California, provides a telling glimpse into the reality that locals there live with on a daily basis. 

The colored dots indicate incidents of car thefts, assaults, drug-related crimes, robberies, and so on that have taken place in and around Oakland the previous week.

The map is an indicator of what many have known for some time—namely, that failure to support law enforcement and prosecute criminals will result in more crime. 

In 2020, far-left lawmakers and activists called for the defunding of America’s police departments. Claims like “Defunding the Police Will Actually Make Us Safer” from the American Civil Liberties Union discouraged policing and encouraged crime. Now, America is reaping the consequences. 

Meanwhile, in the nation’s capital, violent crime has increased 39% so far in 2023, compared with the year before, according to Washington, D.C.’s Metropolitan Police Department. The issue of violence in America’s cities is now affecting lawmakers themselves. 

Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, was parking his car in the Navy Yard area of the city on Monday night when three gunmen approached him and stole his car. 

Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-TX) briefly recounted his experience being carjacked in Washington, DC’s Navy Yard neighborhood. He said there were three assailants with guns who stole his car, and he said the incident was proof there should be better support for law enforcement. pic.twitter.com/ZXLYpyAh3Z

— CSPAN (@cspan) October 3, 2023

The congressman was not hurt in the carjacking, and police successfully retrieved his vehicle. But Cuellar isn’t the first member of Congress to fall victim to crime in the District of Columbia this year. 

In February, Rep. Angie Craig, D-Minn., was assaulted in her Washington, D.C., apartment building. She was left bruised by the assault, but not seriously injured.

After nights of violence and looting at stores in Philadelphia in late September, the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board announced plans to close all 48 of its Philadelphia locations. Most have since reopened, but some remained closed for repairs.

On today’s “Problematic Women” podcast, we discuss the need to support law enforcement and to prosecute criminals. 

Also on today’s show, we explain why there’s an investigation of a member of Congress from New York for pulling a fire alarm in a House office building. And in a history-making moment, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., was ousted from his position. We tell you what you need to know. Plus, New York City is now offering “on demand” phone appointments for an “abortion kit.”

And as always, we’ll be crowning our “Problematic Woman of the Week.”

Listen to the podcast below:

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