A NATION UNRAVELS - More Americans Say Crime Than Coronavirus or Race is a Big Problem Sun Jun 27, 2021 Daniel Greenfield 12 comments This is a problem. A very big problem. For the Democrats. The Democrats trashed the country in 2020 in the name of two big crises, the coronavirus and race relations. They've gone on trashing the country in the name of those two crises, plus global warming. Their "solutions" unleashed a crime wave of epic proportions. And Americans are noticing. The survey of 1,592 U.S. adults, which was conducted from June 22 to 24, found that a significant majority (55 percent) now describe “violent crime” as a “very big problem” in the United States — far more than the share who checked that degree of concern for the coronavirus pandemic (36 percent), race relations (39 percent), the economy (41 percent) or political correctness (39 percent). The pandemic is falling into the rearview mirror. Violent crime is topping other major concerns because it's a critical issue. Biden's people know this which is why they rolled out his feeble gun control event, but people aren't worried so much about guns as they are about crime. Even more striking is the fact that the number of Americans who consider violent crime a very big problem rose 6 percentage points over the last month, and Republicans (among whom the number increased from 56 to 65 percent) weren’t the only ones contributing to that increase. Last month, 45 percent of Democrats described violent crime as a very big problem. Now that number is 8 points higher (53 percent). At the same time, 47 percent of Americans now disapprove of the way Biden is handling crime, up from 43 percent last month; just 36 percent approve. Despite the media's spin, more than half of Democrats are worried. And Biden's approval on crime is headed into negative territory. Yet moving to crack down on crime would alienate the lefties who have a death grip on his administration, the media, and the culture. It's a Catch 22 scenario. Democrats are mostly staying on the plantation, but the independents are breaking loose. Republicans and Democrats continue to disagree sharply, however, about what is causing the spike in violent crime and what can be done about it. Democrats who believe violent crime is increasing cite “rising gun sales” (66 percent) and “systemic racism” (62 percent) as the top reasons for this; Republicans (69 percent) and independents (62 percent) cite “the racial justice movement” itself. Also known as the 'race riots movement'.

 

More Americans Say Crime Than Coronavirus or Race is a Big Problem

Sun Jun 27, 2021 

Daniel Greenfield

 12 comments

This is a problem. A very big problem. For the Democrats.

The Democrats trashed the country in 2020 in the name of two big crises, the coronavirus and race relations. They've gone on trashing the country in the name of those two crises, plus global warming. Their "solutions" unleashed a crime wave of epic proportions.

And Americans are noticing.

The survey of 1,592 U.S. adults, which was conducted from June 22 to 24, found that a significant majority (55 percent) now describe “violent crime” as a “very big problem” in the United States — far more than the share who checked that degree of concern for the coronavirus pandemic (36 percent), race relations (39 percent), the economy (41 percent) or political correctness (39 percent).

The pandemic is falling into the rearview mirror. Violent crime is topping other major concerns because it's a critical issue.

Biden's people know this which is why they rolled out his feeble gun control event, but people aren't worried so much about guns as they are about crime.

Even more striking is the fact that the number of Americans who consider violent crime a very big problem rose 6 percentage points over the last month, and Republicans (among whom the number increased from 56 to 65 percent) weren’t the only ones contributing to that increase.

Last month, 45 percent of Democrats described violent crime as a very big problem. Now that number is 8 points higher (53 percent).

At the same time, 47 percent of Americans now disapprove of the way Biden is handling crime, up from 43 percent last month; just 36 percent approve.

Despite the media's spin, more than half of Democrats are worried. And Biden's approval on crime is headed into negative territory. Yet moving to crack down on crime would alienate the lefties who have a death grip on his administration, the media, and the culture.

It's a Catch 22 scenario.

Democrats are mostly staying on the plantation, but the independents are breaking loose.

Republicans and Democrats continue to disagree sharply, however, about what is causing the spike in violent crime and what can be done about it. Democrats who believe violent crime is increasing cite “rising gun sales” (66 percent) and “systemic racism” (62 percent) as the top reasons for this; Republicans (69 percent) and independents (62 percent) cite “the racial justice movement” itself.

Also known as the 'race riots movement'.

Report: Nearly 70 Shot During Weekend in Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s Chicago

Scott Olson/Getty

AWR HAWKINS

28 Jun 202152

2:32

Nearly 70 people were shot during another violent weekend in Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s (D) Chicago.

Breitbart News noted 27 were shot Friday into Saturday night alone and by Monday morning at 5:15 a.m. ABC 7 reported the number of shooting victims had risen to “at least 67.”

Seventeen people were shot, two killed, in two attacks on Sunday alone. One of the shootings was a drive-by, which injured five and killed one. The other was an attack by at least three armed men, resulting in ten wounded and one dead.

The drive-by shooting took place about 8:45 p.m. Sunday night “near E. 71st Street and Jeffery Boulevard.” Six people were standing on the sidewalk when someone inside a passing SUV opened fire, killing a female and wounding five males.

The deceased female was shot six times.

Hours later, at 11 p.m., three armed men came out of an alley and opened fire “near W. 63rd Street and S. Artesian Avenue in Marquette Park.” The gunshots struck six men and five women, and one of the women succumbed to her wounds.

CNN pointed out that the surviving women were ages 24 to 57 and the wounded men were ages “21 to 42.” The condition of the men “range from good to serious.”

Chicago, like all of Illinois, has a red flag law, a 72-hour waiting period on gun purchases, and a requirement that would-be gun buyers first acquire a Firearm Owners Identification (FOID) card. Acquisition of the FOID card involves a background check.

Moreover, Chicago is seated in Cook County and that county has an “assault weapons” ban.

The Chicago Tribune reported 316 homicides in the Windy City during the time frame of January 1, 2021, through June 23, 2021.

AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him at awrhawkins@breitbart.com. You can sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange.

Nolte: San Francisco Chronicle Claims Shoplifting Incidents Are Decreasing

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

JOHN NOLTE

28 Jun 202117

5:22

A San Francisco Chronicle article claiming the shoplifting situation in San Francisco is improving is a perfect example of how the left deludes itself.

It’s also an example of how the establishment media are more interested in trolling than journalism.

The article’s premise is that viral videos (like this one) of brazen acts of shoplifting (combined with this New York Times article) have given the false impression San Francisco is facing a shoplifting reign of terror. Not true! shouts the Chronicle:

But has there actually been a surge in shoplifting in San Francisco? Data from the San Francisco Police Department suggests these reports may be overblown. According to the data, overall shoplifting incidents reported to the police are below their levels before the start of the pandemic. And before that, shoplifting rates had been decreasing more or less steadily since the 1980s.

But then a bunch of paragraphs later, the caveats begin to show up: [emphasis mine]

A recent survey of 22 large U.S. retailers found that while overall shoplifting apprehensions declined by about 41% from 2019 to 2020, “essential” retailers that didn’t close stores saw apprehensions increase by 8%. This survey suggests it’s possible that chain stores like Walgreens and CVS in San Francisco have seen shoplifting incidents increase. But public data does not indicate an overall spike in shoplifting in the city.

Or is it possible that that closed stores reported fewer incidents of shoplifting? I’m just asking questions.

And then we’re hit with even more hokum:

While shoplifting incidents haven’t surged this year or last, the rate of shoplifting incidents ending in citations or arrests did go down — a continuation of a decline that goes back at least as far as January 2018, the earliest month included in SFPD’s detailed incident data.

Here are the facts…

In 2014, and by a margin of 60 to 40 percent, the idiot voters of California passed Proposition 47, which reduced non-violent crimes — where the stolen property is valued at $950 and below — to a misdemeanor. Basically, if you walk into a Walgreens and steal $950 worth of stuff, you get a ticket. Since then….

Seventeen San Francisco Walgreens have been forced to close due to … shoplifting.

Incidents shmincidents. What more do you need to know than 17 San Francisco Walgreens have been forced to close due to shoplifting?

Shoplifting in San Francisco is so chronic that, on average, a Walgreens store has closed about once every 3.5 months over the last five years.

This is my favorite part of the Chronicle story:  “This survey suggests it’s possible that chain stores like Walgreens and CVS in San Francisco have seen shoplifting incidents increase.”

Or, perhaps, the bigger stores are more efficient at making reports…?

Or, perhaps, it’s not the number of incidents people should be looking at but the amount of loot walking out the door with each incident? What was a pack of gum pre-Prop 47 is now a garbage bag full of merchandise?

Or, perhaps, stores are not reporting each and every incident because they know there’s no point? Near the bottom of the article, we’re told the police believe that to be the case.

Hey, sure, if you show me a video of something and scream, It’s an epidemic! I’m gonna roll my eyes. But when 17 Walgreens close in just five years…? Come on.

And naturally, this piece of “reporting” won the “reporter” an appearance on MSNBC.

But here’s the thing…

As much as the Chronicle might try, you can’t gaslight the public over quality of life issues.

What I mean is this: if the garbage isn’t being picked up and the potholes aren’t being filled, and the trains don’t run on time, and Walgreens are closing, and retailers are starting to inconvenience everyone by locking everything up, people notice. No amount of media spin can change that.

Cherry-picking numbers, burying caveats, ignoring basic facts (like multiple store closings), and not bothering to check other sources (like insurance companies) for additional data is not journalism. It’s lazy and arrogant propaganda. It fools no one.

Keep this in mind, though: The idea here is not to fool the people of San Francisco. There’s no need to fool those fools because those fools will continue to pull the “D” lever, even if it’s from within a Gulag. No, the goal is to try to fool the rest of the country into believing it’s safe to vote Democrat. The Chronicle wants us to believe this whole “Democrat-run City Crime Wave” narrative is false. Why else would the article go national with an MSNBC appearance?

But until the organized left (Democrats, media, Big Tech, academia, etc.) can force a private business to stay open even after it’s been looted $950 at a time into bankruptcy, they’re fooling no one but themselves.

Follow John Nolte on Twitter @NolteNC. Follow his Facebook Page here.