DC spends over $270,000 on BLM paint job as violent crime skyrockets
by Breccan F. Thies, Investigative Reporter
November 28, 2023 10:58 AM
Taxpayers in Washington are footing the bill for a $270,000 paint job to refresh "Black Lives Matter Plaza" as violent crime in the district has spiked 40% since last year.
The move to repaint the anti-police street art, which features 50-foot yellow letters along two blocks of 16th Street outside the White House, comes as the district has implemented millions in budget cuts to the Metropolitan Police Department over the past several years and crime has skyrocketed.
"It's insulting on multiple fronts," Zack Smith, a crime and justice expert at the Heritage Foundation, told the Washington Examiner. "If the city council and the mayor's office are serious about combating violent crime, protecting the lives hopefully of all citizens, but particularly black lives, then they would pour more money into public safety — particularly putting more police officers on the street."
"Instead, it seems like the city is prioritizing performative gestures that really don't have an impact on combating violent crime," he said, adding it sends the "message that violent crime will be tolerated in the city."
A large share of the 40% increase in violent crime comes from the 34% increase in homicides in Washington over last year, according to data released Monday. Robbery increased by 68% in the same time period.
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https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/crime/dc-spends-270000-blm-paint-violent-crime
