A heated discussion unfolded during a CNN segment where Ryan Girdusky, founder of the 1776 Project PAC, argued that the “Ferguson effect” and reduced police presence in communities are leading to increases in violent crime.
The term “Ferguson effect” was first coined by St. Louis Police Chief Sam Dotson in 2014 after the police-involved shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri.
The hypothesis suggests that a decline in police activity results in a surge in violent crime.
Girdusky linked this phenomenon to the aftermath of the death of George Floyd and the subsequent protests and riots that occurred in 2020, stating that these events contributed to a significant rise in black male deaths.
“There are the post-George Floyd riots [that] resulted in 15,000 black male deaths in this country,” Girdusky asserted during the segment, prompting a response from CNN political commentator Bakari Sellers, who questioned the validity of his claims. “How?” Sellers asked.
Girdusky elaborated, explaining that the perceived risks of policing during the 2020 riots led officers to withdraw from active duty. “The surge of violent crime, it was like Ferguson effect, the Ferguson effect and the Floyd effect … Because what happens is after the Ferguson riot and after the Floyd riot, policemen in fear of their jobs many times and political coverage, pull back from their jobs resulting in crime size,” he said.
CNN host Abby Phillips interrupted Girdusky, asserting, “Ryan, hold on, hold on. Ryan, we got to stop you there because you’re literally making a connection out of your own conjecture. You cannot just do that.”
After Phillips attempted to restore order among the panel, Sellers expressed that the rise in riots and violent crimes could not solely be attributed to the deaths of black men. “That literally, and my point to you is, that makes no sense,” Sellers stated. He emphasized his
support for law enforcement but called for reforms, saying, “I want police actually to be paid more, I just want better police, more qualified police.”
Phillips then reminded the panel that Donald Trump was president during Floyd’s death and the BLM riots, leading to a debate about accountability. “You’re trying to blame crime on Joe Biden, but you’re saying that people who died when Donald Trump was president, that’s not his fault?” she asked.
Girdusky responded by asserting that the president does not control local police departments, clarifying, “I didn’t blame Joe Biden.”
