Blue Cities Go Red With Conservative Policies on Crime

From coast to coast, American cities known for their liberal policies are taking more aggressive, conservative approaches to fighting crime.

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• The changes expose intense pressure on Democrats to adopt tougher anti-crime laws and policies they once ridiculed — and reflect rising fears about violent crime among voters on both ends of the political spectrum.

State of play: San Francisco voters approved two ballot measures to expand police surveillance and impose drug screenings for those receiving welfare benefits.

• In New York City, Gov. Kathy Hochul recently ordered hundreds of National Guard troops to address crime in the city’s subways.
• Oregon is recriminalizing possession of drugs such as heroin, cocaine and fentanyl, three years after becoming the first state to decriminalize possession and personal use of all drugs.
• D.C. just passed a sweeping new crime bill that raises the penalties for thefts and gun crimes.

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{snip} This rightward shift comes after many liberal cities and states limited police powers and cut law enforcement budgets in the aftermath of George Floyd’s killing.

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