The Many Faces of US Politics...

[whitey]

From today's WSJ

OPINION  REVIEW & OUTLOOK
A Larry Krasner Christmas
Happy holidays from Philadelphia's criminals to a wedding party and even a U.S. Congresswoman.
By  The Editorial Board 
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Dec. 22, 2021 6:49 pm ET


District Attorney Larry Krasner addresses the Stop Killing Us anti-gun violence rally in Philadelphia,


On the unseasonably warm night of Dec. 10, a groom stepped outside of his wedding reception for a breath of fresh air. Two men saw him. One drew a handgun, and they demanded the groom's Rolex watch. The robbery occurred downtown a short stroll away from the Liberty Bell.

Welcome to the holiday season in Larry Krasner's Philadelphia. Days before the groom's ambush, the progressive district attorney claimed that "we don't have a crisis of lawlessness, we don't have a crisis of crime, we don't have a crisis of violence." The remarks infuriated Philadelphia residents, who are the victims of the crime he said doesn't exist.



Philadelphia has seen a record 544 homicides so far this year, up from 347 in the entirety of 2019. Police have recorded some 1,785 nonfatal shootings this year. More than 84% of the victims of the gun violence in 2021 were black, according to the Philadelphia Office of the Controller.


Police data also shows some 2,283 gun robberies as of Dec. 19, a 28.6% increase over the same period last year. Retail theft is up more than 20% this year, and auto theft more than 15%, with nearly 11,000 vehicles stolen.


The crime surge has spared no district. On Dec. 7, robbers stole Rolex watches from a man and his son as they left the Philadelphia Four Seasons hotel. One of the criminals "had the gun right to my stomach area," victim Drew Williams told the local Action News. Police said Wednesday that no suspects have been arrested in either the Four Seasons or wedding crimes.

The Four Seasons heist was one of some 25 armed robberies in the posh Center City neighborhood in the first half of December, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. But poor and minority neighborhoods have borne the true brunt, though those crimes receive less media attention.

Even as we were writing this, a report came over the wire that U.S. Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon was carjacked and robbed at gunpoint on Wednesday afternoon shortly after finishing a meeting at FDR Park in Philly. Ms. Scanlon was walking back to her car when she was approached by two armed men who demanded her car keys and personal belongings, according to a spokeswoman. She handed over her belongings, including personal and government cell phones—and the two men drove away in her 2017 Acura MDX.

The crime surge is a direct result of Mr. Krasner's soft-on-criminals policy. He has bragged that the county jail population decreased 40% in his first three years in office. Police data show property crime is up nearly 7% for 2021 compared to 2017, the year before Mr. Krasner became district attorney. But Mr. Krasner's office has charged only some 3,740 people for property crimes this year, down from 7,500 over the same period of 2017. No wonder criminals feel it's urban hunting season.


After a public backlash, Mr. Krasner walked back his claim that there was no crime crisis in Philadelphia. "I know that some inarticulate things I said earlier this week have offended people," he said on Dec. 9. "I did not acknowledge the pain and the hurt that people feel in the city of Philadelphia," he said on Dec. 13.

That half-apology means little as criminals now treat Philadelphia streets as if they have free rein to rob anyone at any time of the day. Wedding parties may soon need their own security in the City of Brotherly Mayhem.

[whitey]

FWIW

The company I work for holds an annual in person meeting

Chicago is a central location so the meeting is often held there. 

I've been told that Chicago is now off the table for this years meeting as certain people feel that it's unsafe

So that's 300 hotel nights (100 people-3 nights) 300 breakfasts, 300 lunches, 300 dinners, 300 flights, 300 Uber rides etc etc all going to be spent in a different city because of crime.

[J70]

I'll leave at that for now whitey. Real life calls the next few days.

Have a good Christmas!

[whitey]

I'll leave at that for now whitey. Real life calls the next few days.

Have a good Christmas!

Same to you...enjoy those kids they grow up very quickly

[Muck Savage]

That would be all very well if the "woke agenda" etc was the Dem party platform.

It's not.

If someone is for the GOP/Trump anti-democratic movement, they should just man up and admit it and spare us the bullshit excuses. The GOP are proudly and defiantly legislating and preaching this stuff.

And the poor craytur who is so offended by Joy Reid, where are they on, say, Tucker Carlson? He is way more influential than her and just did a special on Jan 6 that was so repugnant that a couple of arch conservative pundits left their gigs as Fox News pundits. And that's just one single example.

I'm way behind - I don't know how you boys have the time 

On one channel you have Tucker Carlson drumming up vial about how the election was stolen and on the other you have Don Lemon justifying why people riot/loot because of how they feel on racial/criminal justice or police reform. Both are fanning the flames of hate at the other side and causing deeper divide.  Yet neither side talk about the gang shootings every weekend in the inner cities, how to fix the HS drop out rate in black communities, the widespread drug use across America. That would take a real news caster, which neither of these two clowns are.

Rittenhouse was an idiot and should have been locked up for manslaughter. He's a product of his society where as a 17 year old he thought it was OK to stroll into town with a gun and expect to get respect.

Saying a small minority of the Dems that are on the far left but all the GOP party is completely dedicated to the veneration of Trump is simply not true. Yes there is an element in the GOP party that are there to drum Trump up but a lot of them are not drumming Trump also. I do feel that someone in the party needs to come out as a clear alternative choice to DJT and a lot of them are biding their time so as not to get the "Trump backlash" with the mid-terms just around the corner.

On the defund the Police question, I don't believe Biden has every publicly supported this. However if you look at the largest cities in the US with Democratic Mayors a large percentage have defunded the police. I'm on the west coast and the increase in crime, homeless on the streets, smash and grab robberies etc has gone through the roof in cities that have defunded. Portland, Seattle, San Francisco, San Jose, LA etc have all gotten incredibly dangerous to bring a family. San Francisco Mayor, which is near me, is doing a complete U turn on the defund stance. I do find it strange that when a police officer kills a man, and it is a tragic, that protesters/rioters are on the streets for weeks yet when Travis Watts was killed last weekend or any one of the 700 odd victims shot in Chicago in 2021 there are no marches. Where have all the BLM marches/riots gone since Biden took power?

[Gabriel_Hurl]

San Jose, LA etc have all gotten incredibly dangerous to bring a family.

San Jose? Really? I just moved away after 2 years there and never saw anything that I'd term as "incredibly dangerous".

[dec]

I do find it strange that when a police officer kills a man, and it is a tragic, that protesters/rioters are on the streets for weeks yet when Travis Watts was killed last weekend or any one of the 700 odd victims shot in Chicago in 2021 there are no marches. Where have all the BLM marches/riots gone since Biden took power?

The difference is when a Travis Watts is killed there is a proper investigation and an attempt to arrest, try and convict the killers.

When cops kill someone they usually get let go with a pat on the back and a well done..

I do find it strange that an Irish person can't understand how the cops getting away with killing people has an effect on the community that bears the brunt of those killings. Did you ever pay any attention to the north?

[Muck Savage]

I do find it strange that when a police officer kills a man, and it is a tragic, that protesters/rioters are on the streets for weeks yet when Travis Watts was killed last weekend or any one of the 700 odd victims shot in Chicago in 2021 there are no marches. Where have all the BLM marches/riots gone since Biden took power?

The difference is when a Travis Watts is killed there is a proper investigation and an attempt to arrest, try and convict the killers.

When cops kill someone they usually get let go with a pat on the back and a well done..

I do find it strange that an Irish person can't understand how the cops getting away with killing people has an effect on the community that bears the brunt of those killings. Did you ever pay any attention to the north?

So the riots after George Floyd was murdered last year was because there was no attempt to try/convict?
I don't believe anyone was arrested in the Watts case, but correct me if I'm wrong.
I have never seen any cop getting a pat on the back and a well done but I haven't followed all the cases.

With respect to me understanding the effects on the community, I didn't question this - I agree, there is an effect and people should march. Did I say different?
My point is over 700 murders in a city like Chicago this year has a far far bigger impact to the community but yet no one wants to talk about it, march about it or try to address. Yet, like is usually the case, someone try to twist an opinion into something its not to suit a political position while completely missing the elephant in the room and the lives of those murdered week in week out. 

[Muck Savage]

San Jose, LA etc have all gotten incredibly dangerous to bring a family.

San Jose? Really? I just moved away after 2 years there and never saw anything that I'd term as "incredibly dangerous".

The increase in the amount of homeless encampments around the city with folks openly taking drugs has skyrocketted in the last 2 years . My wife is an avid cyclist and there are routs she use to take that she won't now because she has been threatened. Its still a long way behind SF but far from the safe family city it was 5 years ago even if it is a boring city.

[Lotto]

https://edition.cnn.com/us/live-news/kim-potter-trial-outcome-daunte-wright-shooting/index.html

This will be interesting.

[gawa316]

San Jose, LA etc have all gotten incredibly dangerous to bring a family.

San Jose? Really? I just moved away after 2 years there and never saw anything that I'd term as "incredibly dangerous".

The increase in the amount of homeless encampments around the city with folks openly taking drugs has skyrocketted in the last 2 years . My wife is an avid cyclist and there are routs she use to take that she won't now because she has been threatened. Its still a long way behind SF but far from the safe family city it was 5 years ago even if it is a boring city.

The 99 is wild for the amount of homeless have set up camp, especially around Merced, Modesto and Manteca. Brutal to be sleeping outside in this weather at the minute

[Gmac]

I do find it strange that when a police officer kills a man, and it is a tragic, that protesters/rioters are on the streets for weeks yet when Travis Watts was killed last weekend or any one of the 700 odd victims shot in Chicago in 2021 there are no marches. Where have all the BLM marches/riots gone since Biden took power?

The difference is when a Travis Watts is killed there is a proper investigation and an attempt to arrest, try and convict the killers.

When cops kill someone they usually get let go with a pat on the back and a well done..

I do find it strange that an Irish person can't understand how the cops getting away with killing people has an effect on the community that bears the brunt of those killings. Did you ever pay any attention to the north?

what does looting Best Buy or target got to do with George Floyd .

[whitey]

I do find it strange that when a police officer kills a man, and it is a tragic, that protesters/rioters are on the streets for weeks yet when Travis Watts was killed last weekend or any one of the 700 odd victims shot in Chicago in 2021 there are no marches. Where have all the BLM marches/riots gone since Biden took power?

The difference is when a Travis Watts is killed there is a proper investigation and an attempt to arrest, try and convict the killers.

When cops kill someone they usually get let go with a pat on the back and a well done..

I do find it strange that an Irish person can't understand how the cops getting away with killing people has an effect on the community that bears the brunt of those killings. Did you ever pay any attention to the north?

That's a completely bogus comparison

The number of black people killed by police is a fraction of one percent of the number of black people
Killed by other black people.

The cops are trying to police in essentially what are war zones.....more people killed in Chicago in the past 5 years than were murdered during the 30 year duration of the troubles (99% being black on black crimes)

[Gabriel_Hurl]

Why won't those black people just help themselves eh lads?

Their own worst enemy, aren't they?

[whitey]

Why won't those black people just help themselves eh lads?

Their own worst enemy, aren't they?

Who said that?