Democratic mayors under fire as crime, violence plagues Chicago, New York, Philadelphia
Chicago mayor blamed retailers for not locking up merchandise amid flood of smash-and-grab robberies
By Jessica Chasmar | Fox News
Democratic mayors are raising eyebrows with their responses to the rising crime plaguing major cities like New York City, Chicago and Philadelphia.
The U.S. murder rate rose 30% between 2019 and 2020, according to FBI data – the largest annual increase on record, with Chicago topping the list. At least 12 major cities, including New York, have already set historical murder records in 2021. Robberies and assaults are also on the rise, and retailers in major cities across the country are reporting an uptick in organized smash-and-grab crimes during the busy holiday shopping season.
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot faced criticism last week after she responded to the recent flood of robberies in her city by blaming retailers for not better protecting their merchandise.
"We also got to push retailers," she said during a Dec. 6 event. "I'm disappointed that they are not doing more to take safety and make it a priority. For example, we still have retailers that won't institute plans like having security officers in their stores, making sure that they've got cameras that are actually operational, locking up their merchandise at night. Chaining high-end bags, these purses seem to be something that is attracting a lot of attention on these organized retail theft units."
Lightfoot's comments were blasted by retailers as misinformed.
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https://www.foxnews.com/politics/democratic-mayors-violence-chicago-new-york-philadelphia
