Asheville, North Carolina, used to be known as a beautiful tourist town nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains, but now the city of 90 thousand people has become dangerous as violent crime continues to rise. Not surprisingly, the city is governed by leftist ideas, including a defund the police movement. One week ago, a man was killed after an argument broke out over a cigarette. The victim was slashed in the neck at a bus stop downtown, according to police. This incident followed multiple armed robberies in the downtown area, an area once famous for its historic architecture and eclectic restaurants.
Many on social media have shared their previous love for the iconic town but are no longer interested in spending time in the lawless city.
One Tweet read, “Asheville has turned into a S**thole. Ten years ago, it was a nice place to go, listen to music, and enjoy the nightlife. Then the left moved in.”
According to Fox News, Debra Campbell, the City Manager, is hoping that taking targeted steps over the next two months will help the city reign in the unwelcome violence,
“During this 60-day period, city staff will be tracking and testing actions we hope will make for a safer downtown. The efforts we are taking will be tracked and regularly updated on a newly created Downtown Safety Initiative Page. At the end of the 60 days, staff will assess whether or not our actions are having an impact on downtown safety and determine the next steps to support a safer downtown and city as a whole.”
Asheville Police Chief David Zack weighed in, saying,
“The approach that we’re taking is data-driven and driven primarily with what we’ve seen with rising violent crime downtown but also rising property crime.”
Aggravated assaults in Asheville rose by 21.8%, and armed robberies increased by 20% from 2021 to 2022, according to APD statistics.
As part of the initiative, the city will increase law enforcement in the downtown. Their force will be present on foot and riding bikes, with a planned increase in vehicle patrol as well. City authorities are planning to keep the downtown cleaner, devoting attention to removing litter, needles, and biological waste. They are also planning to increase monitoring in areas that experience high levels of drug use, crime, and homelessness.
The city is also launching a Community Responder Pilot Program, which will be headed by the Asheville Fire Department; their stated goal is “to support individuals in crisis and provide a more visible City public safety presence downtown.”
The current police force now faces a staffing crisis, making the town’s efforts to recover an atmosphere of safety even more problematic.
https://twitter.com/DorothyStangle/status/1650624331259473921?s=20
Woke officials who participate in defunding the police movements harm their communities and downtown businesses while making the remaining police officer’s jobs much more dangerous and difficult.
