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In Defense of Cities
Why do Republicans lie about the cities?
If you were to listen to Donald Trump (or the GOP) discuss American cities, you would be quite frightened. At various points, the president has asserted that US cities are “more dangerous than war zones” overseas.
Baltimore? A “disgusting, rat and rodent infested mess.” Chicago? Both “embarrassing to the nation” and “a disaster.” New York? A “hellhole.”
Of course, urban animus is not reserved for only the head of the party. The rest of the Republican establishment seems to hate American cities as well. When Ted Cruz derided “New York values,” the New York Daily News was quick to respond — “Drop Dead, Ted! You Don’t Like NY Values? Go Back to Canada!”
The cities, according to conservatives, are rife with cosmopolitan elites overseeing systemic poverty and violence. The entrenched politicians are the product of the Democratic machine. High taxes and burdensome regulations drive business and middle class folks out of cities in droves.
This, of course, is fiction.
Let’s first start with the issue of urban violence, since so much of right wing media has been so laser focused on the recent racial justice protests. The most recent FBI crime statistics are from 2018. Overall, the violent crime rate nationally fell 3.3%…
