AMERICAN CITIES: HOME TO "UNFRIENDLY" FIRE

BRYCE ON POLITICS

- The violence of New York, Chicago, and Atlanta.

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To say Independence Day was unusual this year is an understatement. There were few home town parades celebrating it, fewer firework displays, and more protesting from the far-Left. Americans were particularly appalled by the gun violence in our major cities, most notably:

New York - 44 shootings, 63 victims, 11 fatalities
Chicago - 47 shootings, 87 victims, 17 fatalities
Atlanta - 11 shootings, 31 victims, 5 fatalities

TOTAL - 102 shootings, 181 victims, 33 fatalities (some were innocent young children).

All of this in just one weekend, not to mention the other metro areas experiencing similar problems. And remember, this was a weekend intended to celebrate American independence, not mayhem.

These numbers are higher than last year's. To see how bad it currently is, I reviewed the statistics as produced by the police departments of the three cities. Here are the alarming numbers I found:

New York City - Mayor Bill de Blasio (D)
Shooting victims through June 28th - 
2020 to date - 616 - Avg 24 shooting victims/week
2019 (total) - 406 - Avg 8 shooting victims/week

Chicago - Mayor Lori Lightfoot (D)Shooting victims through July 5th
2020 to date - 1448 - Avg 54 shooting victims/week
2019 (total) - 1018 - Avg 39 shooting victims/week

Atlanta - Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms (D)
Shooting victims through June 28th
2020 to date - 344 - Avg 13 shooting victims/week
2019 (total) - 285 - Avg 5 shooting victims/week

These figures indicate the numbers will double or triple this year over the last.

Not surprisingly, Chicago leads the way in shootings as their reputation has gained worldwide notoriety. Ironically, New York and Chicago have some of the toughest gun control laws in the country, yet the violence only escalates. New York City's gun laws are tougher than the state's, which are tough to begin with, and; Chicago brags about their gun laws where they have banned the possession of certain semi-automatic firearms and laser sights, among other things.

In addition to tough gun laws, all three cities are considering de-funding the police in order to curb the strength of the police and/or changing how they react to violent situations. We should probably first ask the families of the 33 fatalities and 181 victims from the 4th of July weekend what their opinion is on the subject. Now is not the time for a wacky social experiment, but rather time for law and order.

For a long time, President Trump has said the Federal Government is willing to come to the assistance of the cities through financial and tactical resources to restore law and order. All the mayors and governors have to do is ask. Unfortunately, his offers are routinely snubbed by Democrat mayors, particularly de Blasio, Lightfoot, and Bottoms. So much so, it seems like they are under orders from senior Democrat officials not to deal with the President as it might be perceived as another "win" for Mr. Trump prior to election day. In the meantime, the shootings and fatalities pile up. This makes you wonder about the priorities of these mayors, particularly Mayor de Blasio who is more interested in painting "Black Lives Matter" on 5th Avenue, in front of Trump Tower.

In the end, the citizens of New York, Chicago, Atlanta, and other Democrat urban areas better get used to burying bodies while the mayors play politics. To them, it is more important to beat President Trump in the general election as opposed to saving the lives of their own local citizens.

Keep the Faith!

P.S. - Also, I have a NEW book, "Before You Vote: Know How Your Government Works", What American youth should know about government, available in Printed, PDF and eBook form. This is the perfect gift for youth!

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Tim Bryce is an author, freelance writer and the Managing Director of M&JB Investment Company (M&JB) of Palm Harbor, Florida and has over 40 years of experience in the management consulting field. He can be reached at timb1557@gmail.com

For Tim's columns, see:   timbryce.com

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Copyright © 2020 by Tim Bryce. All rights reserved.

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