Violent crime in most of America's largest cities has declined, yet fear of crime is rising. Donald Trump repeatedly portrays urban life as dangerously violent, using hyperbolic phrases about blood-soaked streets and cesspools of blood. On August 11 he sent National Guard and federal agents to Washington, claiming the city was awash in crime despite violent crime being the lowest in over three decades. He emphasizes anecdotal fears, saying people no longer feel safe jogging, and singles out cities like Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Baltimore, and Oakland as deteriorating. Democratic leaders have largely responded by citing statistics, which risks minimizing public fear.
In most of America's largest cities, crime, especially violent crime, is down. But the fear of crime is increasing. Donald Trump has made a career out of ignoring the reality of crime rates and of stoking that fear. Well before he entered politics and throughout his political career, he has talked about city life as life in a proverbial jungle.
On 11 August, the president returned to his demagogic characterizations of America's urban areas when he deployed national guard and federal law enforcement agents to the streets of Washington DC. He said the city was awash in crime, bloodshed, bedlam, and squalor. He claimed that crime is out of control in the District of Columbia. In fact, violent crime in the District of Columbia is the lowest it has been in more than three decades.
Referring to Washingtonians who like to jog, the president said: People tell me they can't run any more. They're just afraid. And he was not content to target just the nation's capital. You look at Chicago, he said, how bad it is. You look at Los Angeles, how bad it is. We have other cities in a very bad New York is a problem.
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