NC GOP Communications - 2/3/2022

Below you will find talking points regarding ongoing crime waves fomented by Democrats' soft on crime policies. As always, let us know if the NCGOP Communications Team can help with further messaging for your region. Democrats Created a Crime Wave In 2021, violent crime spiked across the country, with fourteen major Democrat-run cities setting all-time high homicide records. Philadelphia had over 550 killings, breaking its 1990 record. Chicago had its deadliest year in a quarter century. Atlanta saw 158 homicides, the highest number in over three decades. Oakland had 148 killings, the highest in 15 years. Austin saw 89 killings, the highest number since Austin police began recording over six decades ago. North Carolina is not immune, as Democrat-run cities like Greensboro and Durham are inundated with gang violence and shootings. Just this week an 8 year old was struck by a bullet during a shootout in Durham. Police in Greensboro are still investigating three shootings within three hours from last week. Nationwide, the number of brazen carjackings surged from 2020 to 2021: Chicago saw a 44% increase; Washington, D.C. suffered a 45% increase; and New York City had an 81% increase. Organized retail “smash-and-grab” robberies have plagued retailers throughout the country. As crime surged in 2021, so did attacks on law enforcement. Ambush-style attacks on law enforcement increased 115% from 2020. 346 law enforcement officers were shot in 2021, including 73 who were intentionally targeted by heinous criminals. This crime wave is no surprise – Democrat politicians have created the crisis through their reckless, pro-criminal policies: Defunding the police; Vaccine mandates that force first responders off the job in states like New York, California, and  Illinois; Weakened bail policies; No prosecutions for brazen criminal thieves; Refusing to prosecute crimes like resisting arrest, and broadcasting that policy to criminals; Downgrading crimes from felonies to misdemeanors; and Anti-police rhetoric. Today, Joe Biden is visiting New York City, a city ridden with crime thanks to failed Democrat leadership at the city and state levels. New York City saw 485 murders in 2021 alone, an increase from 2020 and the fourth straight year the number of homicides has increased. One of the latest victims of NYC’s skyrocketing crime is a one year-old baby girl who was shot in the face in the Bronx last month. New York Democrats have held back children, hurt the economy, and driven out residents in record numbers . Biden is just the latest in a long line of failed Democrat politicians to hurt the people of the Empire State.   Biden’s trip comes after two New York police officers were killed in cold blood two weeks ago and major crime in New York reached levels not seen in at least five years. In 2021, major crime, which includes murder, rape, robbery, felony assault, burglary, grand larceny, and grand larceny auto,  topped 100,000 incidents – last year was the first time major crime incidents exceeded 100,000 since 2016. The first time to pass this threshold since 2001, incidents of felony assaults exceeded 22,000 in 2021, which was a 9.8% jump from the year prior. Newly sworn-in Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has prioritized a soft-on-crime agenda from the start. Bragg released a memo outlining crimes he would not prosecute, including: Resisting arrest; Prostitution; Refusing to pay for public transit; and Trespassing. Even as crime soars in New York, Biden has refused to denounce Democrats who have pushed to defund the police. Biden has failed to condemn the Manhattan DA’s refusal to prosecute crime, with Biden Press Secretary Jen Psaki claiming Biden doesn’t “have all the details.” As families of victims speak out and the public outpouring echoes their outrage, it’s time for Joe Biden to finally condemn the abject failures that have exacerbated the crimewave hitting Americans across the country. Biden’s grandstanding in New York is merely political theater. Until Joe Biden, Eric Adams, and Kathy Hochul condemn the dangerous policies of Alvin Bragg and call for his resignation, they are complicit in the crime that is wreaking havoc in New York City. Until Democrats at large reject soft on crime policies in favor of law and order, the crime wave will continue, making a Red Wave in November a critical step toward improving public safety. Thank you, --NCGOP Communications Team