Defunding the police is one of the dumbest and most destructive ideas the left has ever advanced.
In Seattle, city leaders are reconsidering this nonsense, now that crime is on the rise. Homicides are high, as are car thefts and other serious crimes.
Why have the taxpayers of this city put up with this for so long?
Fox News reports:
As crime ravages locals, Seattle reverses course to cheat police: ‘big crisis’
Seattle residents Victoria Beach, Eli Hoshore and Jonathan Cho said the lack of police has put their city in dire straits after officers’ anti-law rhetoric.
Motor vehicle thefts in the city rose by 30% last year, while murders soared by 24%. Overall crime increased by 4%.
Mayor Bruce Harrell on Tuesday called for an increased police presence to curb the problem, saying, “We need immediate action and innovation to respond to our public safety problems … Seattle saw a 4% increase in reported crimes last year … We need more officers to solve our problem. The staffing crisis.”
Still, the outlook for some residents is less than optimistic.
“Right now, I don’t have a lot of hope,” Beach told Todd Pirro on “Fox & Friends First” Wednesday.
“I think the mayor is on the right track, but Seattle is in a big crisis. Our city is destroyed, and we’re not going to get it back anytime soon,” he said.
Beach agrees that the city needs more police to reduce crime, saying the current situation is a “free for all.”
“If you want to do crime, move to Seattle,” he said.
The mayor seems to be in over his head.
Trying to buy time: @Mayroff Seattle He’s taking a political gamble by admitting he doesn’t have a “definite blueprint” to address concerns that linger downtown. But some biz owners+crime-victim neighbors are waiting. #Seattle pic.twitter.com/YN1PUVEViU
— Jonathan Cho Journalist (Seattle) (@choeshow) February 22, 2023
Police officers cannot be retained in the city.
EXCLUSIVE: The Seattle Police Department lost 12 officers and hired 8 in January. So far in February they have lost 3 additional officers.
That puts the total officers lost to the BLM riots and repatriation movement at roughly 525 — a full third of the department. Unsurprisingly, crime is skyrocketing.
— Jason Rantz (@jasonrantz) on KTTH Radio February 13, 2023
Why would anyone want to be a police officer in a left wing city like Seattle where you are constantly demonized?
