When Donald Trump federalized law enforcement in Washington, D.C., Democrats portrayed it as a racist and politicized decision.
After all, six of the 10 cities with the most murders in the country are located in states where there is a Republican governor, they noted.
Now, those GOP governors are answering the call, organizing efforts to address crime in their jurisdictions, which, by the way, is often taking place in cities led by Democrat mayors.
California Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom has made a habit of calling out crime and murder rates in red states, but he is only telling half the story.
For instance, after the federalization of D.C., Newsom stated, “These are not just observations. They’re stone-cold facts.”
He continued, “And the fact remains, if the President is sincere about the issue of crime and violence, there’s no question in my mind that he’ll likely be sending the troops into Louisiana and Mississippi to address the just, unconscionable wave of violence that continues to plague those states.”
He is right on the states, but he neglected one small fact that changes his narrative entirely.
The fact is that yes, six of the 10 top cities for crime and murder have Republican governors, but I want to address the two specific states mentioned by Newsom to show you how badly he is cherry-picking information.
Jackson, Mississippi, has a homicide rate of 77.8:100,000 residents. New Orleans, Louisiana, has a murder rate of 40.6:100,000. Both cities are located in states that have Republican governors (New Orleans is no longer in the top 10).
Like many big cities in states that have Republican governors, both of these cities have Democrat mayors and have had Democrats in charge of local government for many years.
That is something that nobody likes to talk about, and these governors are hesitant to step in because the moment they do, they are considered racists or accused of weaponizing the system against Democrats, especially if the mayor happens to be Black, which is the case in both of these cities.
Now, some of these red-state governors are stepping up to help Trump, starting their own task forces to address the growing crime issues.
Republican governors and state legislatures in Mississippi, Texas, Louisiana, and Missouri are now all putting forth legislation to address crime, even if the local mayor and police departments don’t want to get with the program.
For instance, both Texas and Louisiana have already made moves to activate the National Guard, and the Louisiana State Police are also being called upon to help.
This is a great move, and it is long overdue. We really have to stop worrying about the “racist” narrative Democrats will push because that will never go away. If Democrats don’t want to do the job, and there is a Republican governor in place, do what you have to do to stop crime in your major cities. And if that includes stepping on the toes of a Democrat mayor, so be it.
