Category Archives: failed city

No scruples or shame: Fired St. Louis DA abdicated her duties

Posted on January 9, 2025 by | 2 comments

Democrats have absolutely no shame. None at all.

Fired St. Louis DA (backed by George Soros) Kim Gardner is proof of that.

Former St. Louis DA Kim Gardner

From the Daily Mail:

“St Louis’ former DA took nursing classes during her taxpayer-funded working hours before being fired over soaring crime.  

Former Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner, who was backed by progressive billionaire George Soros, spent 34.5 days attending classes at St Louis University in Missouri over two years instead of doing her public sector job. That’s according to a state audit released on Tuesday by State Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick in a damning 71-page report.

The review also found widespread staff turnover, misuse of public funds and a large drop in the number of cases filed, referred and closed before she resigned in 2023.

Gardner quit after Republican Attorney General Andrew Bailey took steps to remove her from office after she let too many cases, including homicide, go unpunished. 

She told auditors she had been pursuing a family nurse practitioner post-master’s certificate ‘to improve the office and bring mental health awareness’ to the office.

Other issues cited in the audit include $58,000 being spent on flowers, a DJ, car detailing, an office picnic, a chili cookout and her own legal expenses. Auditors also found difficulty in obtaining information from her office while she was in charge. 

Employees denied or delayed requests by auditors for two years until they had to respond due to court subpoenas.  The audit said that ‘full access to documents, personnel, and the office itself was only given after the new administration took over’. 

An additional $1.9 million was found to have been used to pay contracts for outside legal representation, new software, consultants, and office equipment.

She told auditors that some of the purchases, which also included $5,180 at a bar and grill and $2,585 in pizza were to ‘boost morale’, according to the St. Louis Dispatch.

Under her watch, murder in St. Louis hit a 50-year high and the city saw fewer and fewer felonies prosecuted.“

Read the whole story here.

None of this should shock any one. Garner was crooked from day one. One look at the long list of controversies on her Wikipedia page should tell you how rotten she was.

Dont hold your breath that she’ll be held to account for her reckless actions. In October of last year, Gardner was accused of misappropriation of funds by the U.S. Attorney’s Office. In a pretrial diversion agreement, Gardner formally admitted to the misappropriation of funds, agreed to remain crime-free for a period of 18 months, reported to a pre-trial services officer, and has to repay the misappropriated funds.

Sure is good to be a demorat.

DCG

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Posted in Crime, failed city, safety, The Left

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Decades of democrat leadership on display in Oakland, CA

Posted on January 8, 2025 by | 4 comments

Outsted Oakland demorat mayor Sheng Thao (left).

Oakland, California has been under demorat rule for decades. As a result, crime, homelessness, and overall decay is on the rise within the city.

Mayor Sheng Thao, who started her term in January 2023, was recalled this past November by nearly 65% of the voters. She leaves behind a mess of a city in which many are now calling a “zombie apocalypse.”

Thanks to feckless leadership, Oakland now has a massive graveyard of abandoned cars and illegal dumping. Check it out:

Abandoned cars along UPRR in Oakland.

From the Daily Mail:

Oakland likened to ‘zombie apocalypse movie’ thanks to horrifying trend

“Oakland has been compared to a ‘zombie apocalypse film’ as the crime-ridden city has seen a recent up-tick in a horrifying trend where abandoned cars are left along the Union Pacific Railroad. 

A massive ‘graveyard’ of ditched vehicles, including GMC and Ford pickup trucks, cargo vans, sedans and Chevrolet Tahoes have consumed the area for years, but recently, the problem has only grown worse. 

The area has been plagued by illegal dumping, leading officials and angry residents to speak up about the issue, which they say depicts a set from a ‘zombie apocalypse film,’ the San Francisco Chronicle reported. 

Oakland residents are determined to make the illegal dumping ground a high priority for the struggling city. Oakland officials, who have been trying to tackle the surging issue for some time now, told the outlet they don’t have access to enough resources to fight the trend. 

What’s more is there is an issue with the location of the dumped cars, as it is technically owned by multiple parties – Union Pacific, Caltrans and Alameda County.  Union Pacific said it previously cleaned up the area in November, and plans to clear the impacted spot out again next week, the Chronicle reported. Meg Siffring, a spokesperson for Union Pacific, told the outlet the company is currently ‘working on a plan’ with the county and city to clean up the cars. 

Meanwhile, the Oakland Police Department said they have towed stranded vehicles, arrested people and installed barriers to try to fight the rising trend. 

Despite the department’s best efforts, the police union said they can’t fully clear the slew of vehicles because towing abandoned cars in the city is a job for the transportation department.

Although they came in to help, Oakland Police Sgt. Tim Dolan said progress has decreased since the transportation department took over because of training requirements and a heavy workload. 

‘It’s mind-boggling,’ Dolan said. ‘It’s an ongoing issue. But it’s just gotten out of control over the last few years.’ 

The city previously implemented surveillance cameras in dumping hotspots in 2022 in a bid to catch those abandoning the cars and other items in the junkyards. A total of 457 incidents were caught on camera from April 1, 2023 to March 31, 2024, but only 59 were given citations, the outlet reported. The city was unable to issue more citations because 23 percent of the vehicles did not have license plates on them.”

Read the whole story here.

City Councilmember Kevin Jenkins is the interim mayor until voters choose a new mayor in an April special election.

As of Monday, eleven candidates have filed campaign account paperwork to run for Oakland mayor in April, including former Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D), Johnny Gatlin, Wendy Adams, Tyron Jordan (D), Peter Liu (famous for his anti-semitic comments in a mass email), Mindy Pechenuk (a Trump supporter) Fabian Robinson (his Instagram profile shows him with Gavin Newsom), Derrick Soo, Elizabeth Swaney (an American who competed for Hungary in the 2018 Winter Olympics), Loren Taylor (D), Renia Webb (who has the endorsements of the founders of Moms Demand Action) and Larry Lionel Young Jr.

Choose wisely this time, Oakland:

DCG

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Stingy Seattleites vote for economy-crushing polices; vow to stop tipping working folk

Posted on December 27, 2024 by | 10 comments

Seattle is a hardcore, progressive blue city. They’ve had a demorat mayor in office since 1969. The consistently vote for progressive, ultra-left council members that once included the socialist Kshama Sawant.

Seattle’s fight to increase the minimum wage dates back to 2014 with the “Fight for $15” movement. Many residents approved of the increase that resulted in Seattle having the highest minimum wage of any major city in the United States.

Fast forward ten years: After four years of “Bidenomics” and several years of crushing Wuhan virus restrictions set by Governor Inslee, Seattleites are now singing a different tune with a new minimum wage of $20.76 per hour.

The result: Many Seattle residents vow to quit tipping restaurant working staff in the new year.

From MyNorthwest:

“As Seattle ushers in the new year, a growing number of residents are pledging to stop tipping much or even altogether. This movement, gaining traction on Reddit, is a direct response to the city’s escalating minimum wage, which will rise to $20.76 an hour in 2025, up from $19.97 in 2024. Reddit Seattle has been buzzing on the topic of tipping. With Seattle now boasting one of the highest minimum wages in the nation, many in Seattle question the necessity of tipping on top of already substantial wages, especially in the context of escalating prices in restaurants and retail. 

The city’s minimum wage ordinance, which mandates annual increases based on inflation, was supposedly designed to ensure a “living wage” for all workers. But the Seattle minimum wage crusade came with unintended consequences. Consumers complain about ‘tipping fatigue,’ exacerbated by ‘tipflation,’ where suggested gratuities have risen in tandem with wages.

Seattle restaurant operators are panicked ahead of a minimum wage update that will now prevent tips and benefits from being deducted from hourly wages. For some Seattle restaurants, it will add about $45,000 in expenses per month that they don’t have.

When Seattle leaders hastily passed a $15 minimum wage hike, they offered a 10-year ramp-up period for small businesses (those with 500 or fewer employees). Under the current formula, restaurants may pay a $17.25 hourly wage if their employees earn at least $2.72 in tips per hour or in medical benefits. In 2025, this practice ends and the city of Seattle has refused to step in and help already-struggling restaurants.

Without tips, servers who once made $40-$50 an hour during busy shifts could find themselves stuck at Seattle’s flat-rate minimum wage if or when tipping culture changes or ends.”

Read the whole story here.

Rising food and labor costs, combined with Washington State’s Wuhan virus restrictions, have led to many restaurant closures.

I have no doubt that this new mininum wage will result in more restaurant closures. And I also have no doubt that Seattleites will never comprehend this message:

DCG

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Posted in clueless, Democrats, failed city, The Left

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California is worst state to raise a family

Posted on December 23, 2024 by | 4 comments

Surprise!

Not.

To go to the interactive map, click on the Consumer Affairs link below.

From Consumer Affairs, Dec. 10, 2024:

To determine the best states for raising a family in 2025, ConsumerAffairs compared each state on cost, safety, education, health care and quality of life.

The bottom five states for raising a family are all located in the West and South and face significant challenges in education and quality of life.

  • California ranks at the bottom, with poor scores in quality of life, affordability, safety, high child poverty rates, a shortage of libraries and bad air quality.
  • Texas follows closely behind, scoring poorly in health care, safety and quality of life. The state has the lowest pediatric health care score, with the highest percentages of uninsured children and families that can’t afford their children’s health care bills.
  • New Mexico, Arizona and Nevada round out the bottom, with poor public education and lower rankings in quality of life.

Vermont is the best state to raise a family in. It finished first in quality of life, sixth in child health care access and sixth in education. The top five states for raising a family are Vermont, Maine, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire and Wyoming.

~E

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Posted in Democrats, failed city, failed state, Finances, Health, safety, The Left

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Insanity: Washington State was the only state to shift “bluer” in 2024

Posted on November 20, 2024 by | 3 comments

I grew up in Washington State and thankfully was able to flee to a red state over a decade ago.

During my voting years in the Seattle area, absolutely none of my candidates ever won.  The area has been blue for decades. Seattle has had a democrat mayor since 1969 and Washington’s last republican governor was elected in 1981. And during the past presidential election, Washington State got “slightly” bluer.

To understand this phenomenon, get inside the mind of a liberal: A business-owner who was recently robbed and doesn’t want the perps to go to jail. Seriously.

From MyNorthwest:

“Just before 2:30 a.m. last Wednesday, Desirae Aylesworth woke up to the sound of her Ring camera system notifying her of a breach in her café. Her Seattle café was being robbed, becoming the latest victim of Seattle’s crime crisis.

Aylesworth is the co-owner of Wild Mountain Cafe in the Crown Hill neighborhood of Seattle. When she reviewed the surveillance feeds from her restaurant, she saw two young men jumping the back fence of her business, and then breaking in. She immediately called 911.

“I spent the following 10 to 15 minutes on the phone trying to get police there in time to catch them, and in the process, just was watching in real time two burglars going through my restaurant and not completely trashing the place, but definitely looking for something specific,” Aylesworth explained to “The Jason Rantz Show” on KTTH. “And you know, it was very obvious they were after money and didn’t care too much about product or electronics or anything else, which is, you know, saving grace in the whole matter.”

The two thieves stole about $5,000 in cash, which was earmarked for staff tips. And unfortunately, the two suspects escaped before police arrived.

It’s unclear the thieves’ ages, but judging from surveillance footage, they appear to be young. Despite the crime, though, Aylesworth doesn’t want them going to jail. They appear young enough to be course-corrected with intervention. She thinks community service would be more appropriate.

As is too often the case, the suspects are still on the loose.“

Read the whole story here.

The business owner felt very violated and helpless. Stealing $5,000 in King County is a first-degree theft Class B felony crime. Jail time should be the punishment for these perps. Believing that community service will deter them is a product of the liberal mindset.

The Seattle Police Department is severely understaffed as they are at their lowest staffing level since 1958. Last year’s crime data showed that Seattle had a drop in overall crime yet a rise in homicides and auto thefts.

Despite spending over nearly $1 billion the past decade to “fix” homelessness, Seattle’s homeless population continues to rise. And their fentanyl crisis continues, when Washington State reported a 41% rise in drug overdose fatalities (between September 2022 and September 2023) — the highest increase in the United States.

But you keep voting blue, liberals of Washington. Y’all keep voting for this so embrace the suck. So glad I left you for a red territory.

DCG

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Posted in 2024 Election, Crime, Democrats, drugs, failed city, failed state, The Left

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Progressive policies in action: Seattle Police won’t respond to alarm calls without “supporting evidence”

Posted on September 30, 2024 by | 3 comments

Thanks to the liberals’ “Defund the Police” movement in 2020 and BLM’s campaign to disparage police, the Seattle Police Department has lost more than 700 officers in the past five years and is at its lowest staffing level since the 1990s.

The consequences of this? From Fox 13 Seattle:

Seattle Police: Officers won’t respond to burglary alarm calls without evidence

From the article:

“A triggered alarm system at a property in Seattle will soon require more information to get an officer’s attention. Seattle Police Department (SPD) announced a new policy for responding to alarm calls.

SPD’s interim police chief, Sue Rahr, announced the updated standards in a letter dated Sept. 13. She wrote that, beginning Oct. 1, “SPD will only dispatch officers to calls from alarm companies with supporting evidence, such as audio, video, panic alarms or eyewitness evidence that a person is illegally entering or attempting to enter a residence or commercial property.”

“The challenge with that is it’s only two weeks’ notice. We have to notify all of our customers, we have to change how we monitor those alarms, we have to change dispatchers on how they respond to alarms in Seattle,” said Woodman. “We’ve been told that [SPD] has been working on this for eight months, but they never reached out to the industry or the monitoring companies. So, we are asking that they now work with us and just give us some more time.” 

Woodman and others from Washington Alarm gave public comment on Tuesday during Seattle City Council’s Public Safety Committee meeting and full council meeting. They voiced their concerns, not only about the short notice from SPD, but also the impact on customers who don’t have audio or visual capabilities on their systems.

“Law enforcement and the security industry can work together to come up with a solution that benefits our customers in a way that doesn’t leave them stranded and vulnerable at the most dangerous moment,” said Ashley Barber of Washington Alarm.

“Our fear is that the business owner or building owner is going to go down to that building and see what is going on. And with no police there, we could potentially be in a dire situation if there’s actual criminal activity going on at the property and they don’t have police to back them up,” said Woodman. “Other cities that have done this [have seen] the crime has gone up. And we certainly already have an issue in the city of Seattle with crime, and we would not want to see crime go up.”

Read the whole article here.

Yeah, don’t hold your breath waiting for the police in Seattle to back you up. That isn’t how most of us roll:

Alas, in demorat-run Seattle your options are limited. They never learn, do they?

DCG

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Priorities for NYC democrats: Wigs, prosthetic penises and breasts for “trans” prisoners

Posted on September 10, 2024 by | 1 comment

New York City is having all kinds of problems due to democrats being in charge and their importing illegal aliens.

The New York Post reported last week that migrants are flooding the city’s justice system and they now make up 75% of arrests in midtown.

Seven months ago it was reported that a NYC neighborhood was turned into a giant toilet as migrants litter a park with poop and leave cups of urine on doorsteps.

Last June I reported on a townhall meeting with New York City Councilmember Crystal Hudson where residents were furious over crime occurring outside of a illegal alien shelter housing 3,000 men. At the time, Hudson blamed the mayor for a lack of support in dealing with the migrant crisis.

Councilmember Hudson prioritizing the mentally ill.

But don’t worry New York, Hudson is on top of the “migrant crisis” now. Her latest bill:

Trans prisoners to get wigs, prosthetic penises and breasts under Democrat bill

From The Daily Mail:

“Trans prisoners in New York City will have access to ‘gender-affirming’ devices such as prosthetic penises and breasts under a new bill proposed by a Democratic lawmaker.

Councilwoman Crystal Hudson’s bill would also give guards at NYC prisons access to items like breast binders, wigs and tucking undergarments, as first reported by the New York Post. Hudson is expected to introduce the bill during Thursdays city council meeting.

The legislation is backed by fellow Democratic councilmembers Farah N. Louis, Chi A. Ossé.

‘This bill would establish a process for people in custody to obtain wigs, hair extensions, chest binders, tucking undergarments or gaffs, prosthetics, or other similar items or medical devices that are used by individuals to affirm their self-determined gender identity,’ according to the NYC Council website.

‘The bill also requires Department of Correction staff to have access to gender-affirming items or medical devices while at work.’ According to the bill, it would be up to the NYC Department of Correction to decide who foots the bill for the gender-affirming care.”

Read the whole story here.

Good job New Yorkers in electing Hudson. You can safely sleep at night knowing that illegal aliens and trans people are being coddled with your tax dollars.

Remember in November:

DCG

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Posted in Crime, Democrats, failed city, failed state, illegal immigration, LGBT, The Left

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Illegal alien indicted on rape released on $500 bail

Posted on July 1, 2024 by | 5 comments

This is America under demorat rule…

(story starts at :20 mark)

Story from MSN:

Cory Alvarez, an illegal from Haiti, is accused (and now indicted) of raping a disabled 15-year-old at a Massachusetts shelter. He’s been released on bail — despite a request from federal immigration officials to keep him in jail.

The perp was arrested in March and held without bail until he was freed on a $500 bail last week after the Plymouth County Superior Court ignored a request from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to keep the suspect in custody.

The Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office requested that Alvarez be held on $10,000 cash bail with numerous conditions of release. The judge set bail at $500.

The good judge released the perp with an ankle monitor, but ICE officials can’t track him because Boston is a sanctuary city — meaning local authorities don’t have to cooperate with the feds.

The suspect was also ordered to remain in home confinement, surrender his passport and check in twice monthly with probation, according to legal filings obtained by the Globe. He is due back in court on Aug. 13.

Federal immigration authorities said in March that they had filed an immigration detainer against Alvarez with the Plymouth County Sheriff’s Office. However, a spokesperson for the enforcement and removal operations division of ICE told the Globe that Plymouth Superior Court officials “refused to honor” its detainer.

The perp came to the US in June 2023 under President Biden’s parole program for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans (CHNV).

Read all the details here.

The illegal alien is being housed at this Comfort Inn in Rockland which was turned into an immigrant shelter, courtesy of taxpayers:

Think the perp will give up this great living condition and show up for his August 13 court date?

Maybe he will. Illegal aliens/criminals seem to have better odds under our current legal system than law-abiding citizens.

DCG

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Posted in Crime, Democrats, failed city, illegal immigration, Joe Biden, safety

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Identity politics doesn’t guarantee a “better representative of everybody”

Posted on June 20, 2024 by | 5 comments

The left are big into identity politics. For some reason, they’ll tell you that the color of their skin and sexual orientation makes them better able to govern. Case in point: Crystal Hudson, who represents the 35th District of the New York City Council.

When Crystal ran she outlined her “Black Agenda” for her district. She mentioned numerous times on her web page that she is “unapologetically pro-Black, pro-queer, pro-justice.”

Her page also states that she was elected in 2021 and made history as the first out gay Black woman ever elected in New York City. How did that turn out for the residents who voted for her? They aren’t too happy:

Furious residents erupt at NYC town hall meeting over crime outside gargantuan migrant shelter that houses 3,000 men

From The Daily Mail:

“A community meeting in Brooklyn devolved into a shouting match when concerned residents from several family-friendly neighborhoods expressed their extreme dissatisfaction with their councilmember over a huge migrant shelter in the area.

City councilmember Crystal Hudson was met with ire from her constituents as she attempted to speak at the community meeting on Monday night.

Residents in the family-oriented neighborhood of Clinton Hill remain uneasy about the migrant shelter that opened last summer right next to the Brooklyn Navy Yard.

The shelter currently accommodates more than 3,000 single men who  crossed the southern border illegally before being transported to New York City. Residents fear the massive shelter puts their children and the area in danger.

Hudson did not help her case when she stood up in the middle of the meeting to announce a stabbing had occurred earlier in the day right by the shelter. ‘There was an incident earlier today – it’s not the first incident, I hope it will be the last – there was a stabbing that was at the park,’ said Hudson.

But Hudson’s comments nonetheless further ignited intense frustration among the crowd at the Boys and Girls Navy Yard Clubhouse.

The news prompted several already angered constituents to stand up and begin shouting. ‘You are avoiding the issue,’ said one man into a microphone, speaking about the shelter. ‘Is there a universe where the city can safely house 3,200 single men together?’

‘It can’t!’ shouted some people in the crowd in response. ‘It is unsafe! It is unsafe!’ cried others.

During the meeting, Hudson – who had City Speaker Adrienne Adams and Comptroller Brad Lander by her side – encouraged angry attendees to save their wrath for City Hall.

She went on to blame the mayor for a lack of support in dealing with the migrant crisis. ‘We have literally said exactly what you just said … I understand the frustration. I get it … But my office has done everything we can,’ she said, according to local reporter Arya Sundaram.

Alejandro Gonzalez, a spokesperson for Councilwoman Hudson, said in a statement to the New York Post that her office confirmed its commitment to ‘caring for’ undocumented migrants.”

Read the whole story here.

When, oh when, are voters going to learn:

DCG

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Hey criminals: Head to Boston for fun!

Posted on May 30, 2024 by | 8 comments

Mayor Michelle Wu, welcoming to criminals.

Do your hobbies include shoplifting, larceny, disorderly conduct, receiving stolen property, driving with a suspended license, and breaking and entering? Then head to Boston, my friend, as Mayor Michelle Wu has declared that those activities should not be prosecuted!

From NY Post:

“Boston Mayor Michelle Wu advocated a soft-on-crime agenda by pushing to abolish the gang registry and arguing that criminal behavior – such as theft – should not be prosecuted. 

Prior to being elected mayor, Wu filled out the “2021 Boston Mayoral Candidate Questionnaire” from Progressive Massachusetts, a 501c4 nonprofit organization that tracks and ranks how progressive elected officials are.

According to its website, the group “intends to transform Massachusetts into a bold laboratory for progressive state initiatives.”

In the document, Wu outlined her most progressive commitments, including her support for noncitizens voting in Boston’s local elections. 

The mayor was asked, “Do you support shuttering the Boston Police gang database?”

She answered, “Yes.”

Then, Wu was asked whether she supported a do-not-prosecute list enacted by the former Suffolk County district attorney, Rachael Rollins.  DA Rollins enacted the policy memo identifying more than a dozen charges she said should be declined for prosecution.

Those crimes included shoplifting, larceny, disorderly conduct, receiving stolen property, driving with a suspended license, breaking and entering with property damage, wanton and malicious destruction of property, threats, minor in possession of alcohol, marijuana possession, possession with intent to distribute, non-marijuana drug possession. 

The DA was later brought into the Biden administration, before resigning after an ethics probe found that Rollins committed “egregious” ethical violations and “abuse of power.”  

“Do you support the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office’s do-not-prosecute list and expanded approach to dealing with such low-level offenses? YES/ NO?” Progressive Mass asked.  “Yes,” Wu responded. 

Wu also promised to advocate for reallocating some of the police’s budget towards other city priorities as mayor. The mayor said she believes law enforcement should be “demilitariz[ed].” 

Wu said police should not have the ability to use tear gas, rubber bullets, and attack dogs.“

Read the whole story here.

Boston, y’all about to find out the hard way:

DCG

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