“You can get much further with a kind word and a gun than you can with a kind word alone.”

-Al Capone

Introduction

The percentage of Americans who think local crime is getting worse is at a 50-year high and most Americans blame Woke politicians for the crime spree.

Violence Reaches Epidemic Levels

In April 2022, 6 people were killed in downtown Sacramento in a shooting spree. One of the gunmen had been arrested in 2018 for domestic violence and sentenced to 10 years in prison. Under Governor Newsom’s new policy of reducing the number of inmates in prison, this criminal was released without parole supervision 2 months before he participated in the killing spree in Sacramento.

In California, under an emergency zero-bail rule made at the height of the COVID pandemic to minimize jail crowding, bail costs were often reduced to $0. A recent study revealed that criminals released on $0 bail were 200 times more likely to commit violent crimes after their release.

Spike in Crime Forcing Store Closures

Opening a wet-weather gear store in Portland, Oregon seemed like a no-brainer when Marcy Landolfo launched “Rains PDX” in 2019. In December 2022, after 15 burglaries in 27 months, she shut the store down.

Businesses in Buffalo, New York were shuttered by a blizzard over Christmas 2022. Security footage showed looters smashing storefronts and leaving with televisions, computers, and other high-priced items.

The rampant crime and spiraling homeless problem in Seattle, Washington got so bad that in January 2023, after 26 years in operation, Nike permanently shut down its flagship store.

Amazon is closing several grocery stores in the high-crime cities of NYC, Seattle, and San Francisco. They are shutting down 8 of its Amazon Go stores, which are designed for maximum convenience as the shopper can scan the items as they leave, with no staff required. Criminals can also just jump over the barrier and leave without paying.

On March 24, 2023, Walmart will close its last 2 stores in crime-plagued, Portland, Oregon after a spike in “shrink,” retail speak for losses related to theft.

In San Francisco, with California laws changed to make all thefts below $950 a misdemeanor rather than a felony, shoplifting has evolved into systematic looting. In March 2023, members of a CNN crew on assignment in San Francisco for a story about the city’s rampant crime had bags stolen out of their rental car.

Conclusion

A strong Rule of Law and individual liberty are the cornerstones of Western Civilization.

History is full of examples, from Rome to the Ottoman Empire, which shows that a deteriorating rule of law is a leading indicator of a civilization in decline.

Photo by Maze Man 2011

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