On September 2, President Donald Trump directed his administration to investigate New York City, Portland, Seattle, and Washington, DC, to see if they should pull federal money due to the violence and destruction.
The Department of Justice announced this morning it has designated New York City, Portland, and Seattle “as jurisdictions permitting violence and destruction of property.”
Trump’s memo on September 2 outlined the problems with the four places. He noted the spike in violence in NYC, which has seen unprecedented gun violence.
Portland witnessed 100 nights of nonstop destruction. Rioters destroyed small businesses and set fires to government buildings.
Trump declared:
The Federal Government provides States and localities with hundreds of billions of dollars every year, which fund a wide array of programs, such as housing, public transportation, job training, and social services. These funds have been collected from American taxpayers who entrusted their money to the Federal Government to serve our communities and our citizens.My Administration will not allow Federal tax dollars to fund cities that allow themselves to deteriorate into lawless zones. To ensure that Federal funds are neither unduly wasted nor spent in a manner that directly violates our Government’s promise to protect life, liberty, and property, it is imperative that the Federal Government review the use of Federal funds by jurisdictions that permit anarchy, violence, and destruction in America’s cities. It is also critical to ensure that Federal grants are used effectively, to safeguard taxpayer dollars entrusted to the Federal Government for the benefit of the American people.
Trump instructed the Director of the Office Management and Budget (OMB) “to issue guidance to the heads of executive departments and agencies (agencies) for each agency to submit a report to the Director of OMB detailing all Federal funds provided to Seattle, Portland, New York City, Washington, D.C., or any components or instrumentalities of the foregoing jurisdictions.”
Attorney General Bill Barr said: “When state and local leaders impede their own law enforcement officers and agencies from doing their jobs, it endangers innocent citizens who deserve to be protected, including those who are trying to peacefully assemble and protest. We cannot allow federal tax dollars to be wasted when the safety of the citizenry hangs in the balance. It is my hope that the cities identified by the Department of Justice today will reverse course and become serious about performing the basic function of government and start protecting their own citizens.”
The DOJ identified New York City, Portland, and Seattle. However, the agency might add more if the cities meet the criteria:
- Whether a jurisdiction forbids the police force from intervening to restore order amid widespread or sustained violence or destruction.
- Whether a jurisdiction has withdrawn law enforcement protection from a geographical area or structure that law enforcement officers are lawfully entitled to access but have been officially prevented from accessing or permitted to access only in exceptional circumstances, except when law enforcement officers are briefly withheld as a tactical decision intended to resolve safely and expeditiously a specific and ongoing unlawful incident posing an imminent threat to the safety of individuals or law enforcement officers.
- Whether a jurisdiction disempowers or defunds police departments.
- Whether a jurisdiction unreasonably refuses to accept offers of law enforcement assistance from the Federal Government.
- Any other related factors the Attorney General deems appropriate.
New York City fell under the criteria because of the rise in violence, Mayor Bill de Blasio and the city council slashing $1 billion from the NYPD, and prosecutors not going after those accused “of disorderly conduct.
Portland has an increase in shootings and the city council also reduced the police budget.
Seattle’s mayor allowed people to run rampant, even declaring it the “summer of love” when people set up CHAZ and CHOP. This forced the police “to abandon their precinct within the CHOP.” Two teenagers died in the zone.
Trump has tried to help these three cities get everything under control. None of them accepted.
In fact, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo threatened Trump’s safety if the president ever stepped foot in New York City. He told Trump to “have an army” if he ever walked the streets of the city.
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