When criminals realize there are very few repercussions for their actions, they’ll get worse until someone stops them. In the Summer of 2020, Democrats signaled to rioters and looters that their actions would be tolerated, and even abetted by the defunding of police departments. Since then, the crime affecting America’s cities, especially those where police departments were gutted or neutered, has gotten out of control. Especially hard hit have been public-facing businesses like restaurants and stores. Heather Haddon and Jaewon Kang outline their plight in The Wall Street Journal, writing:
Food-oriented establishments and consumers are airing increased concerns over crime as U.S. consumers have resumed shopping in stores and dining out, after governments and businesses lifted Covid-19 restrictions. Forty-four percent of 1,005 adults surveyed earlier this month said they were more fearful to be in public because of bad behavior and rising violence, up from 39% in March, according to a national online survey by food-service research firm Lisa W. Miller & Associates LLC.
Violent crime has been on the rise in the U.S. since the onset of the pandemic, with cities including Seattle, Los Angeles, Chicago and New York reporting a surge in shootings and killings. Murder rates have also soared in rural areas. Local officials and law enforcement point to pandemic-related stress, a proliferation of guns and increased alcohol sales, among other factors.
While violent crimes in restaurants and grocery stores remain a small part of the overall U.S. total, incidents have increased in recent years, according to Federal Bureau of Investigation statistics. The number of aggravated assaults that took place in restaurants increased by 60% from 2018 to 2020, the FBI data showed, and the number in grocery stores increased by 73% during the period.
Action Line: When politicians signal that crime is ok, criminals listen. America needs leaders who will stand up against crime, not those who abet it. If you live in one of the states or cities where your leaders have abandoned you to the mob, it’s time to look for a better America. You need to find yourself a home in one of my Super States. If you need an extra push to get your family away from the crime-ridden streets of America’s blue cities, click here and subscribe to my free monthly Survive & Thrive letter, and each month I’ll push you to achieve the life your family deserves.
