What happens if Trump offers troops to Philly?
On his last HBO show, Bill Maher speculated that the National Guards sent by Southern states were basically an occupation force, “a slow-moving coup.”
Two things can be true at once: Crime in the District of Columbia has dropped in the past year, and it is still much higher than it should be.
Also, President Donald J. Trump is using deployment of the National Guard for political purposes, and it has had a dampening effect on crime. It is axiomatic that more cops on the street = a decrease in crime.
As usual, the extremes have extreme views.
The Right says Trump acted because crime was “out of control.“ It wasn’t.
The Left says this is the start of a military takeover by Trump. It isn’t.
On his last HBO show, Bill Maher speculated that the National Guards sent by Southern states were basically an occupation force, “a slow-moving coup.”
This is from the show’s transcript:
“So when an election dispute might come up, [in Washington] just hypothetically, I mean, I don't want to be a big pessimist, and I'm going to pretend for the rest of the duration that the Democrats do have a chance of winning and they might win the next election.
“I just don't think they're ever going to take power, because this is what's going to happen, because I think this coup is going to go off a lot smoother than the last one.”
Pure paranoia.
As was the comment from a fellow guest at a recent dinner: Trump has “taken over” D.C.
Taken over? The mayor has not been removed. The City Council has not been arrested. The police commissioner is still in her office. More knee-jerk paranoia.
While Trump has said Chicago might be the next (Democratic) city to get the “help” from the feds, Philadelphia has to be high on the list, as we have almost twice the homicides as Washington, D.C. Remember when Trump said, “Bad things happen in Philadelphia”?
So what should be the response of Democratic mayors, starting with our Cherelle Parker.
I would suggest a form of jui-jitzu, turning any offer of "assistance" from Trump against him:
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“Mr. President. Thank you for an offer of federal troops to help us police our city, which is experiencing a welcome decrease in crime. With that said, there is always room for improvement.
“Currently, since we are about 1,200 officers short of our budgeted complement of 6,380, we can use more hands.
“Thank you. Perhaps you can send 1,200 troops to be deployed by our very able police commissioner.
“As a matter of fact, our current SEPTA service cutbacks have created a serious traffic problem, and we could use help immediately. We could use the National Guard for traffic control so we can concentrate police forces where needed.
“I take note that in addressing Washington’s infrastructure, you mentioned everything from faded grass to crumbling intersections. We have similar issues and would greatly appreciate the receipt of federal funds to address these beautification issues. The sooner the better.
“Thank you for your attention to this matter.
“Sincerely,
“Mayor Cherelle Parker”
