DC spends $270K to repaint BLM street mural after slashing police budget and city remains plagued by crime
By: Joe Schoffstall (Fox News)
I'm sure that will calm shit down.
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
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DC crime activist calls for accountability as battle against surging violence continues
D.C. crime activist Ronald Moten joined Fox & Friends First to discuss his concern surrounding the growing surge in violence and what is to blame for the spike.
The Washington, D.C., government dropped hundreds of thousands of dollars touching up its "Black Lives Matter" street painting as crime skyrockets in the Democrat-run city.
The refurbishment of the infamous mural, which Democrat Mayor Muriel Bowser initially painted in June 2020 as BLM protests were underway in the city and across the country, appears to have run taxpayers $271,231, including $217,680 in labor costs and $53,551 in paint supplies, according to documents obtained by Judicial Watch from D.C.'s Department of Transportation.
"DC crime is out of control but local leaders continue to waste $270,000 in tax money promoting the extremist Black Lives Matter movement in the heart of Washington DC that is racist, anti-police, anti-American, and often violent," Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton said in a statement.
According to the documents, the city contracted with D.C.-based vendor Equus Striping on the project. The company posted videos on its Facebook page showing its team "making progress on prepping the surface" of the BLM mural on Nov. 8 and shared the completed project the following day.
BLACK LIVES MATTER DONATIONS DRASTICALLY PLUMMETED BY NEARLY $70 MILLION
D.C. Mayor Muriel Browser initially painted the BLM slogan in June 2020.(Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images)
"As a black and women owned DC business, we couldn't be prouder of our crew. A lot of elbow grease went into this project and we are incredibly happy with how it turned out," the vendor wrote. "Thanks for Helping us Change the World, One Line at a Time."
The D.C. government doled out the cash to repaint the mural after slashing its police budget by millions since 2020. The city also has 400 fewer officers than three years ago, according to multiple reports.
Meanwhile, the nation's capital has experienced soaring crime rates as its leaders have attempted to alleviate anxiety. Democrat D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson told the House Committee on Oversight in late March that while there are significant concerns regarding crime, residents should not worry.
"With regard to crime, yes, there is considerable concern," Mendelson said. "But while perception is important, the reality is less concerning. Let me be clear: People should feel safe, and it is a problem that many residents of the district don't.
"I know this belies the common belief - and when it comes to crime, how people feel is important - but there is not a crime crisis in Washington, D.C."
The hearing came after months of disputes between Congress and the D.C. council over crime proposals. It also occurred just days after a staff member for Republican Sen. Rand Paul was severely injured after being stabbed by a man who had recently been released from prison.
BLM CO-FOUNDER'S NONPROFIT FLOODED WITH SECRET CASH FROM TECH TITAN FUND
During the summer of 2020, Mayor Bowser said Black residents were "craving to be heard and to be seen" and that the BLM mural was an "opportunity to send that message loud and clear on a very important street in our city."(Getty Images)
Statistics show that crime in D.C. remains exponentially higher than last year.
According to data from the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department, homicides have increased by 34% as of Nov. 28 over the same time in 2022, while robberies are up 68%, motor vehicle theft is up 93% and arson is up 125%.
Overall, violent crime is up 40% this year, while all crime is up 27%, the data shows.
"I was not denying the importance of public safety," Mendelson told Fox News Digital in August. "The increase in crime is, of course, a concern. But back in March when I testified, Congressman Comer was suggesting a 'crisis' to justify taking away the District's Home Rule. I don't agree with that. In fact, Congress has gotten in the way of our efforts to fight crime by under-resourcing local prosecutions, cutting local police funding, and interfering with our ability to control illegal cannabis sales."
Democratic D.C. Councilmember Trayon White Sr. sang a much different tune than Mendelson. In early August, White said it might be time to bring in the National Guard as the city continued to be hammered by criminality.
D.C. Councilmember Trayon White Sr. has lambasted rising crime in the city.(Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
"The crime is out of control and getting worse by the day," White said at a press conference at the time. "We must declare an emergency regarding the crime and violence in our neighborhoods and act urgently. It may be time to call on the National Guard to protect the children and innocent people that are losing their lives to this senselessness."
"I am tired of burying our children. We are too comfortable with the state of our city. We must take action to gain control and protect our residents," he continued. "Law enforcement is only one part of how we combat public safety issues. It will take all of us to heal our community."
Mayor Bowser's office did not respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
Joe Schoffstall is a politics producer/reporter for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to Joe.Schoffstall@Fox.com and on Twitter: @joeschoffstall
No Trump, trolling, fascist BS, Dissing the source.
Meanwhile HOW many homeless are on the streets?
It gives them a new place to drop a deuce.
Then they'll cry and call it a "hate crime".
That's why I read these 'articles' - to induce a deuce
Said mural was/is nothing more than a complete waste of DC taxpayer money just so Bowser could make a political statement.
How many of those homeless need to be in a mental hospital for their own and everyone else's safety?
Example: What will happen to the autistic youth who will require adult supervision and possibly medication all of their life to keep their anger issues under control?
Should they be going to prison, mental hospital or relegated to being homeless on the streets?
Where are the government officials who care about the well-being of the citizens in their cities, districts and states?
Who is in charge of the funding for murals and who is in charge for the necessary lifelong care of this young man and the children like him?
Wait a minute! In the past 3 years, I've seen many far-right Democrats on social media sites and in the news state that crime isn't out of control and that police departments haven't been defunded in Democrat-run cities. Is Muriel "bravely" changing her tune after all this time?
How many times do I need to educate you that budget cuts do not equal defunding?????????????
In the United States, " defund the police " is a slogan that supports removing funds from police departments and reallocating them to non-policing forms of public safety and community support, such as social services, youth services, housing, education, healthcare and other community resources. Activists who use the phrase may do so with varying intentions; some seek modest reductions , while others argue for full divestment as a step toward the abolition of contemporary police services
Defund : to withdraw funding from
budget cut. the act of reducing budgeted expenditures
Either way the police get less money and staff reductions takes place.
Your comments to me have never educated me on any topic because they are devoid of facts and links.
Perhaps you should do some research before wearing out your question mark key.
and 2.1.1 Drinker of the Wry
Thanks.
How many times? You haven't done it a single time let alone multiple.
I now add your comment to my 2.1.4
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[Deleted - trolling again]
Correction: Far LEFT Democrats.
Just like those that insisted that there was no crisis at our Southern border. Some still insist that.
And those who insisted that CRT wasn't being taught in schools.......................
Yep.
Whether it's called CRT or DEI, it is still a Marxist/Communist ideology designed to divide people into opposing groups, promote racial hatred, and destroy the two-parent family structure, religions, and factual knowledge of history/civics, literature, science, and math.
Yep, and some here on NT still insist it is not despite all the proof to the contrary.
CRT wasn't being taught K-12
College courses - yes.
Explain what this marxist/communist ideology is because that is not what CRT is and is only taught as a college course.
It wasn't.
You're still asking me to explain what I've explained to you many times, Tessy? In the past 2-3 years, I've given you many links to read every time you requested/demanded them. I cannot make you open them and read them, but I do hope that one day you will. The facts they provide will help you educate any children you may have.
Bullshit. It is being taught in some high schools and even some parts of it are being taught in Grammer schools.
Agree. Except for the fact it was.
Another thing you have been proven wrong on time after time. Please fucking remember my wife is a K-5 teacher. And yes it is to an extent. Title 1 school.
And ignored by many again and again and again.
Have you ever heard of Chris Rufo?
He is the conservative grifter who invented CRT as a whipping boy for MAGA bigots.
This is a smoking gun
The goal is to have the public read something crazy in the newspaper and immediately think ‘Critical Race Theory.’
CRT complaints are not about critical race theory, they are a way that the right tries to demonize liberal policies they want to destroy.
Denying its use is 2021. Your brethren have moved on to touting how wrong it would be not to incorporate it.
CRT being portrayed as being taught in grammar school and high school was a hoax from day one. Rufo sold it to MAGA as a way to demonize liberal ideas. "Teaching black history? Thats critical race theory". (But its not).
Rufo's own words prove that was his intent. To claim otherwise is silly.
I know you are intelligent enough to understand what that paragraph means.
Again bullshit. Although a few may do what you describe many know exactly what crt is and thanks to covid they know exactly what is being taught to their kids. Trying to distract from those facts is just denial.
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If you gave what you think the definition of Critical Race Theory is there is a 95% likelihood you would be wrong.
Critical Race Theory is related to the legal system.
Critical race theory (CRT) | Definition, Principles, [ & ] Facts
Critical race theorists hold that racism is inherent in the law and legal institutions of the United States insofar as they function to create and maintain social, economic, and political inequalities between whites and nonwhites, especially African Americans.
You obviously have never been to the rural Southwest on the border to towns where the majority population is Hispanic or you would know better than to push that BS.
Imagine moving to a predominantly Hispanic border town and being shocked to find Hispanic people going back and forth across the border for work and family just as they have been doing for generations before you dreamed of moving there?
That's very true in Chicago isn't it John?
Where is NYC at with educational and residential segregation mitigation?
So crime rate is high but they can read a 3 word statement chanted by rioters across the country as they burnt their cities down and stole millions of donations.
Because that's what smart people want. /s
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