Big Cities

At one point in the video below, the man filming says, “Seattle is lost.”

The same could be said for so many major American cities. Once bustling and beautiful, Democrat-run cities have declined into open-air prostitution markets, drug dens, and places to lie down and die for the addicted and destitute.

This short video from Johnathan Choe at the Discovery Institute starts out looking like it will be funny.

And to be fair, the beginning does give a chuckle. The nearly naked woman in the beginning could be metaphor for the modern American mind. She asks the videographer, “What you recording for?”, as if it were the most natural thing in the world to dress as a budget-grade working girl in broad daylight in front of the self-serve coffee bar at a mini-mart.

Because it is normal, now, isn’t it, in too much of America? In just 10 to 15 years behavior that would have had someone arrested for public indecency or lewdness is not only tolerated, but defended and “celebrated.” Employers are telling survey-takers that young people, recent college graduates, are the hires they most regret. Companies say Gen Z graduates can’t manage the basics like making eye contact or dressing appropriately for work. It is no surprise that the woman depicted in the video believes her “professional” attire is suitable for a public store with children present.

But when we go outside with the camera, the picture gets darker. A woman standing in the parking lot appears to be bent over awkwardly in a way that indicates hard-drug use. Behind the chain link fence next door a man is kneeling with his head on the ground while the camera man asks if he’s all right, and if he needs help. It’s sadly pointless; he’s completely incoherent and does not appear to know who he is or where he is.

Senator John Thune pointed out three years ago that a big part of the problem is the Black Lives Matter-inspired “defund the police” movement. “American communities are less safe today than they were a year ago. Crime rates have surged since ‘defund the police’ became a rallying cry,” he wrote.

In the intervening years, little seems to have improved. Drug overdose deaths have quadrupled between 2002 and 2022. This writer can confirm that the New England city where he lives—often depicted in tourist post cards—now has no-go zones filled with drug users, prostitutes, hypodermic needles, and human feces on the ground in areas that used to be middle-class neighborhoods.

The left insists that it has a bigger heart and cares more for the downtrodden than anyone. If that is true, why are so many people literally dying in the streets?

It’s getting hard not to notice the decline in decent behavior. Drivers are running red lights, children shout expletives on the streets, and store staff are surly and hostile. But it’s more than manners—brazen crime is the order of the day in more and more of America.

We’ve heard about “teen takeovers” where groups of aggressive teenagers smash windows and jump on cars, shutting down streets. A group of teen thugs beat up a couple in Chicago on May 31, causing the pregnant woman to miscarry; at least one of them shouted “we own the streets.”

Worst of all, America still has not shaken off the deranged idea of defunding the police. It’s like campaigning for fire safety by pushing city councils to remove fire hydrants and ban firefighters from carrying hoses.

People will only take so much theft and violence before they start taking matters into their own hands. Prolific Twitter/X user Collin Rugg who owns trendingpoliticsnews.com served up this story out of Nashville, Tennessee.

The video shows a group of ordinary shoppers keeping a posse of burglars trapped inside a Perfumania store after the four tried to make off with hundreds of dollars’ worth of stolen merchandise.

The text on the video tells viewers that the video-taker’s son was shopping when the burglars busted in. A group of adults and at least one child can be seen blocking the front door when the thieves try to exit.

The video claims it took police a half-hour to show up. Well, at least they showed up. In California, they made shoplifting less than $950 an optional misdemeanor (it used to be a felony), and Golden State residents say you’re lucky to get a police response at all.

Collin used the fire emoji and said “love this” about the citizen cops. Plenty of other X users felt the same.

In good times, most people don’t like the idea of vigilante justice, but hard times move people to look for solutions they wouldn’t consider otherwise. User Marc points out that we all pay for theft through higher prices, and folks are sick of paying taxes for police departments that can’t get the job done.

“One Bad Dude” lays down some truth in the thread (if you doubt it, read up on what’s happening to Daniel Penny).

What would you do if you were watching the shoplifting? Jump in with your fellow citizens, or call the cops? Tell us in the comments.