Bill Barr's Justice Department brands New York, Portland and Seattle as 'anarchist jurisdictions' and face losing billions for failing to maintain law and order
The Justice Department declared New York City, Portland and Seattle as 'anarchist jurisdictions Monday that can have federal funding ripped away for failing to clamp down on violence according to its criteria.
It listed the three cities as among those 'that have permitted violence and destruction of property to persist and have refused to undertake reasonable measures to counteract criminal activity.'
Attorney General Bill Barr's Justice Department is calling out New York, Portland, and Seattle as 'anarchist jurisdictions' with billions in federal funding at stake
The designation comes with billions of dollars in federal funding at stake, following President Donald Trump's order to make the designations amid violence and property damage that occurred during a summer of protests over the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police during his arrest.
The agency made the designation in a document it titled: 'Memorandum on Reviewing Funding to State and Local Government Recipients That Are Permitting Anarchy, Violence, and Destruction in American Cities.'
It comes weeks before Election Day while President Trump campaigns across the country on 'law and order.'
The White House Office of Management and Budget is to make further determinations in the coming month.
The financial stakes for a city of New York's size are huge. Federal funding accounts for $7 billion in funding as it faces shortfalls amid the coronavirus, NBC New York reported.
Protests turn into looting and destruction in Manhattan before first curfew imposed. Firefighter extinguished fire set by protesters while looting before curfew begins in NYC, New York, New York, 01 Jun 2020
Mayhem and chaos in the CHAD/CHAZ zone of Seattle, at midnight of the day that police took back their precinct and arrested over 40 protestors who were occupying the Capitol Hill area, following the first set of riotous protests following the murder of George Floyd
The decision was accompanied by a statement from Trump loyalist Attorney General Bill Barr, who recently visited Chicago, another city Trump and the White House repeatedly single out for being saddled with violent crime.
'When state and local leaders impede their own law enforcement officers and agencies from doing their jobs, it endangers innocent citizens who deserve to be protected, including those who are trying to peacefully assemble and protest,' Barr said.
'We cannot allow federal tax dollars to be wasted when the safety of the citizenry hangs in the balance. It is my hope that the cities identified by the Department of Justice today will reverse course and become serious about performing the basic function of government and start protecting their own citizens.'
In the case of New York, DOJ cites a 177 per cent jump in shootings in July compared to the prior year.
'While the city faced increased unrest, gun violence, and property damage, the New York City Council cut $1 billion from NYPD's FY21 budget,' it noted.
It called out DAs in Manhattan and Brooklyn who have 'declined to prosecute charges of disorderly conduct and unlawful assembly arising from the protests.'
It also called out Portland for the way it handled 100 nights of consecutive protests, and Seattle for allowing protesters to set up and maintain the 'Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone' (CHAZ) downtown.
None of the three cities rank near the top of cities nationwide for violent crime. The designations notably do not name Minneapolis, Minnesota or Kenosha, Wisconsin – each located in key swing states.
The release states that they have 'permitted violence and destruction of property to persist and have refused to undertake reasonable measures to counteract criminal activities.'
Trump has regularly gone after New York City and his surrogates tore into Mayor Bill DeBlasio at the Republican National Convention. DeBlasio and local officials painted 'Black Lives Matter' on Fifth Avenue in front of Trump Tower in July following protests.
DeBlasio fired back at both the designation and the move to strip away funding a press conference Monday.
'It's just another of president Trump's games. It's not based on facts and it's insulting to the people of New York City,' he said.
'It’s all about race and it’s all about attempts to divide and to enthrall his base by attacking the other. It’s the only trick in his book. You’ve got to go back to the 1980s when he called for the execution of the Central Park Five,' DeBlasio said.
'Remember who taught him; Roy Cohn, Joe McCarthy’s right hand man. We’ve just got to get real about this guy. It is always divide and create hatred and move people to voter based on that hatred. He turns his attention to urban areas that he wants to associate with people of color, in another way he wants to associate with Democrats and progressives. He treats them as the other, he tries to convince people in the country that we are the problem and he will save his voters from all of us. There has been no president in history that has been this irresponsible and divisive. But it’s the only trick he knows,' he said.
Protesters use umbrellas to block less lethal rounds fired by federal officers during a dispersal at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center in Portland
'He has been threatening to take away our funding more times than I can count. We beat him in court every time or they just go away because they don’t have a leg to stand on.'
New York State Attorney General Letitia James also blasted the move – and indicated an imminent lawsuit.
'This designation is nothing more than a pathetic attempt to scare Americans into voting for a commander-in-chief who is actually incapable of commanding our nation. President Trump failed to listen to scientists, failed to steer our economy through this pandemic, and has repeatedly failed to bring our nation together. The president should be prepared to defend this illegal order in court, which hypocritically lays the groundwork to defund New York and the very types of law enforcement President Trump pretends to care about. We have beat the president and the illegal actions of his DOJ in court before and have no doubt we will beat them again,' she said.
The move follows a directive by President Trump for the agency to designate 'anarchist jurisdictions.'
It was not immediately clear what federal funds the feds would hold up.
New York is a top recipient of counterterrorism funding for high-threat urban areas. It also receives funding for child welfare, food assistance, HIV, and other benefits. The state has long chafed at being among the top 'donor' states – those that pay out much more in taxes than it receives in benefits on a per capita basis as an economic powerhouse.
The move to have DOJ call out local police forces for changes to their police budgets comes after the Republican Party spent decades building the brand as the party of federalism and local control.
'For the past few months, several state and local governments have contributed to the violence and destruction in their jurisdictions by failing to enforce the law, disempowering and significantly defunding their police departments, and refusing to accept offers of federal law enforcement assistance,' Trump said earlier this month announcing the program.
'To ensure that Federal funds are neither unduly wasted nor spent in a manner that directly violates our Government's promise to protect life, liberty, and property, it is imperative that the Federal Government review the use of Federal funds by jurisdictions that permit anarchy, violence, and destruction in America's cities,' said.
Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler, Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan, and de Blasio said in a joint statement: 'The President is playing cheap political games with Congressionally directed funds.'
'Our cities are bringing communities together; our cities are pushing forward after fighting back a pandemic and facing the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression, all despite recklessness and partisanship from the White House. What the Trump Administration is engaging in now is more of what we've seen all along: shirking responsibility and placing blame elsewhere to cover its failure.'
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