Carjackings Skyrocket by 510% in Democrat-Run Cities amid Soft-on-Crime Policies
Crime wave fanned by Criminal reform systems pushed by Democrats
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Major Demcorat-run cities across the United States saw a spike in carjackings amid policies that are "soft on crime."
Carjackings soared by 510 percent as violent crime in cities like New York, Philadelphia, New Orleans, and Chicago experienced an epidemic of violent vehicle takeovers.
Many critics are now blaming the soaring crime rates on criminal reform systems pushed by Democrats.
But Demcorats argue the rising crime is due to the pandemic; blaming curbside pickup and increased demand for delivery services on the jump.
According to city data, Chicago saw 1,849 carjackings last year, a 510 percent spike from the 303 vehicular hijackings in 2014.
Last year’s figure represents a 30 percent increase from the 1,413 cases reported in 2020.
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City Alderman Ray Lopez said it “like the perfect storm.”
“All these soft on crime policies have come to a head during this pandemic,” Lopez told CNN.
An NYPD opined to the New York Post:
“New York has become carjack city; between the guns and the low-risk of stealing cars, we’ve seen this explosion in carjackings.”
Meanwhile, Philadelphia Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw reported 750 carjackings last year, a 34 percent year-over-year increase in the city.
“The onslaught of violence happening in Philadelphia is entirely unacceptable, and we remain committed to stemming these trends,” Outlaw said.
“One of the more disturbing trends that we have seen in Philadelphia is the startling increase in the number of carjackings – the taking of a vehicle by force or fear - that have been experienced over the past two years.”
She also suggests the trend could be attributed to the pandemic.
“The COVID-19 Pandemic has normalized mask-wearing, and this has provided additional opportunity for offenders to avoid catching their victim’s attention, as well as making it more difficult to identify perpetrators,” she said.
The worrying trend came to a head when Congresswoman Mary Gay Scanlon, a progressive "defund the police" Democrat, was robbed at gunpoint in Dember last year.
As Neon Nettle reported:
Scanlon was carjacked at gunpoint during a broad daylight robbery in her own crime-infested Philadelphia district.
The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that Rep. Mary Gary Scanlon (D-PA) had her car and possessions stolen by armed robbers on Wednesday afternoon after touring FDR Park in South Philly.
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“Scanlon and other elected officials met to discuss constituent concerns around ongoing development plans for FDR Park,” the Inquirer reported.
“The congressional lawmaker, whose district represents parts of South Philadelphia and Delaware County, was accompanied by another member of her staff, but the two drove separately, according to office spokesperson Lauren Cox."
Just days later, Illinois State Senator Kimberly Lightford, another Democrat, revealed she was carjacked at gunpoint.
Lightford has been blasted for being "soft on crime" for seeking to defund police departments.
A report from the University of Chicago’s Urban Labs department revealed last year that police made arrests in just 11 percent of carjackings in 2020 but made arrests in 20 percent of 2019’s cases.
Minneapolis Police Chief Jefferey Norman said the justice system caused a "revolving door" of criminals who felt “emboldened to be repeat offenders.”
“We saw this on a higher level in 2020 and 2021,” he said.
Here are some key figures as per CNN:
- According to data released by the NYPD, the number of carjackings quadrupled in New York City over the last four years. The city recorded more than 500 carjackings in 2021, up from 328 in 2020, 132 in 2019, and 112 in 2018.
- Carjackings in Philadelphia nearly quadrupled between 2015 and 2021, according to figures released by the city’s police department. They recorded more than 800 last year, up from about 170 in 2015.
- In New Orleans, there were 281 carjackings last year, up from 105 in 2018, the earliest year of available data. The city has also seen a string of carjackings this year, with NOPD reporting 39 as January 21.
- More than 1,800 carjackings were reported in Chicago last year, the most of any large city, according to data released by police departments to CNN. Chicago’s 2021 tally was the most on record over the last 20 years.
- Carjackings had been steadily declining in the city after 2001, hitting a low of 303 in 2014, but began to tick upward before skyrocketing to 1,400 in 2020 following the onset of the pandemic. Last year saw more than five times as many carjackings as in 2014.
Last year, authorities in Washington, DC, resorted to giving residents final resort tips on avoiding carjackings.
One piece of advice was to “drive in the center lane to make it harder for potential carjackers to approach the car.”
The other was to “GIVE UP YOUR CAR” without argument in the event of being threatened with a weapon.
