The Public Safety Vote

Escape from New York. And Portland. And Chicago. And Philadelphia....

“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” – George Santayana

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The truest metric of a city’s success is a comparison of how many businesses and residents are trying to get in as opposed to out. This may also be a key metric for the midterms.

So, as they say here in the Big Apple: How we doing?

New York

Certain areas of a city can serve as a barometer of municipal health. In New York, I have always thought it was the stretch of Eighth Avenue between Penn Station and the Port Authority (that is, Eighth, W. 34 -W. 42). It’s midtown, the transportation hubs are there, and you’re heading into “the crossroads of the world” — Times Square. It’s like New York’s carotid.

Let’s just say this carotid has some arteriosclerosis. A short walk over the weekend was a guantlet of drug sellers, garbage piles, grungy scaffolding, and of course, deranged homeless (I witnessed one poor unfortunate having a drug-induced meltdown).

Turning onto 42nd Street, I got a sense of where some of the electorate stands:

(Note to graffiti artist: We’re getting there…).

In Times Square itself, coke and marijuana are openly sold on vendors’ tables (see recent write-up here). Many people don’t realize that marijuana sale remains illegal in New York State.

I shot some video recently:

Here’s a freeze-frame. Some of the brightly colored packages are likely “synthetic weed,” designed to look like Kool-Aid packets so as to appeal to young kids. It’s far more powerful than marijuana and is made in China. Rest appeared to be marijuana gummies, rolled joints, and vials of bud.

You can argue the “war on drugs” has been a failure; you can argue drugs should be legalized, taxed, and controlled. But what you can’t argue: all this is currently illegal, and creates an atmosphere of lawlessness and degradation in our city.

At the same time, despite arrests being at record levels, robberies and assaults (the crimes I believe are the true bellwethers) remain way up; the seriously mentally ill on our streets remain ubiquitous; and the subway system is breaking murder records.

Meanwhile, Manhattan D.A. Alvin Bragg has gone full Claude Rains on us (sorry — old reference):

And so, we get headlines like Workers Say Crime-Ridden NYC Not Worth the Hassle Anymore.

And this (amazing) one: NYC Mayor Eric Adams asks tech executives at private dinner to keep companies in the city

The result? New York governor race between Gov. Hochul and Rep. Zeldin tightens to 'toss up'

As your narrator has been saying for awhile now: this one is close, folks. And public safety is going to play a bigger role this Election Day than many are expecting.

(Btw: I made some related points in an article that dropped on Foxnews.com this past Friday — check it out here).

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Portland

Let’s do another city, at the nation’s opposite end. Portland is our choice, as it is known as perhaps the most progressive town in America.

After the 100 days of burning and looting in 2020, during which the city’s intrepid Mayor Wheeler was chased from his home, it seems anyone who can leave Portland is doing so.

Some recent headlines:

Portland residents flee as homeless fill neighborhood parks, crime surges

‘Nobody wants to help: Portland thrift store closing due to crime

Retail crimes soar in Portland, businesses unhappy with local governments

Portland even lost two Starbucks! In a town that practically worships coffee.

The results?

82% of Oregonians want more police

Everybody hates Portland: The city’s compounding crises are an X-factor this (election) year

And so finally: How a Republican Could Win the Oregon Governor's Race

Now, Portland’s tight Governor’s race is down to more than crime, we’re told… or is it? Yes, third-party candidate Betsy Johnson is mostly splitting the Democrat vote. However, that’s likely because she’s more moderate — including on public safety.

She recently said that Dem candidate Tina Kotek would leave Oregon “woke and broke,” and that she herself has always been “pro-cop.”

Telling…!

There are other cities experiencing a race for the exits, of course. Nobody is chasing businesses away like Lori Lightfoot. Tyson Foods, Boeing, Caterpillar, the Citadel hedge fund, all have fled Chicago. Even McDonald’s is complaining.

In Philly, with record gun crime and three cops recently shot, Wa Wa is closing locations due to “safety concerns,” and businesses are 'closing left and right' due to crime. The important Senate race there between Dr. Oz and John Fetterman has tightened to a toss-up — with Fetterman previously calling for the release of 1/3 of Pennsylvania’s prison inmates a definite factor.

And if you want to see why the Ohio Senate race between Tim Ryan and JD Vance is a dead heat, click the video below:

Donald Trump Jr. @DonaldJTrumpJr

BREAKING: Tim Ryan calls to eliminate cash bail nationwide #OHSen

We did a round-up of races-to-watch this Election Day here. Since then, crime has only become more of an electoral factor — even as the majority of our media strives to downplay it. (Here is one media source who is NOT doing so — Josh Kraushaar. Kudos to him).

It seems in many ways, between the economy and public safety, this November 8th comes down to a simple question: How scared do you feel?

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Speaking of being scared: A reader sends us “Letter From Europe,” a frontline account of life on-the-ground in a city threatened by Putin’s nuclear sabre-rattling. We sometimes forget in America that our best defensive weapon remains the Atlantic ocean. Things look quite different closer to Vlad….

A short, chilling read. We hope we see more from this writer.

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Our Sterling Educators

I could scarcely believe this upon reading it. Statistically, one grammar school teacher a day has been arrested for kiddie-fiddling?

Can you IMAGINE if that was cops? Or even elected officials?

One per DAY?

Look, I’m not condemning an entire profession. But something is awry in our education system.

No wonder home schooling is on the rise. Has anyone asked Randi Weingarten about this?

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All I can say is, the DA better be charging the FELONY version of Reckless Endangerment:

NYPD NEWS @NYPDnews

🚨WANTED for RECKLESS ENDANGERMENT: On 10/15/22 at approx. 11:50 AM, inside the E 149 St & Southern Blvd subway station, the suspect, unprovoked, pushed a 26-year-old male onto the train tracks as the "6" train was arriving. Any info? DM @NYPDTips, or call 800-577-TIPS.

If you haven’t done so, click that video…. Now you know what it actually looks like. Charming, huh?

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And finally… we leave you with the most ridiculous crime of the weekend. At San Gennaro’s, no less. He’s lucky this isn’t the 1990’s…. The feast was different then.

Until Thursday… please stay safe.