Committing to a secure America

Two years ago, my state of Minnesota was the match that lit the powder keg leading to months of violent protests, six deaths, and a wave of “defund the police” rhetoric across America.

A police precinct, among hundreds of other buildings in Minneapolis, burned. Rioters left more than a billion dollars in property damaged, resulting in the most insurance claims from a civil disturbance in American history. Minnesotans watched as our Twin Cities became a ghost town following a rise in anti-law enforcement sentiment and policymaking throughout the United States.

Unfortunately, this wave of crime was not localized just to Minnesota. Portland, Ore., which redirected $15 million from its policing budget in 2020, saw homes and small businesses trapped in an armed anarchist “autonomous zone.” Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot pledged to cut $80 million from Chicago’s police budget; just a year later, she publicly pleaded for federal assistance to bring down the city’s rampant crime. New Orleans, the current murder capital of America, has been forced to bring on civilians to issue traffic citations amid city-wide police shortages.

More and more often, police are forced to get by with fewer resources, leaving them less equipped to respond to an ever-rising rate of crime. Since May of 2020, New York Police Department response times for critical 9-1-1 calls for emergencies like crimes in progress or calls for backup have increased by 25.3 seconds, about 10 percent. This lag translates to enough time for a criminal to escape, for stolen property to disappear, or for an officer or innocent person to be injured.

Even if police can apprehend a suspect, there is no guarantee that the offender will be taken off the streets. Liberal cities across America are now paying the price for activist prosecutors more concerned with defending criminals than their own communities. These prosecutors follow the model of former Suffolk County, Mass. District Attorney Rachael Rollins, who refused to prosecute entire categories of crimes, ranging from shoplifting to malicious destruction of property to drug possession with intent to distribute.

Those being hurt by Democrats’ willful negligence of public safety deserve a voice. In July, I invited Brian Ingram to the House Financial Services Committee to share his firsthand experience living and operating his business in a community where Democrat policies have significantly undermined law enforcement.

Brian is a chef and owner of Hope Breakfast Bar in St. Paul. Since 2020, Brian and his staff have been forced to modify operating hours to avoid opening before sunrise or closing after sunset, rebuild from robbery after robbery, and spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on security systems.

Unfortunately, after yet another robbery — one of seven times Brian’s restaurants were robbed in one year — the suspect was released from jail after just twenty-four hours. A few weeks later, the same person came back to rob the restaurant again.

Businesses like Brian’s — and the localities they reside in — have been caught in the crosshairs of this cycle of crime. And with fewer resources and officers stretched thin, there is little law enforcement can do to preserve an atmosphere of safety and security for the people who live and work there.

The American people, though, have signaled they will not tolerate elected officials who promote a pro-crime agenda. They are rebuking activist prosecutors like San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin who was recalled earlier this year. Unfortunately, top-ranking Democrats still don’t seem to have gotten the message. President Biden has even rewarded Rachael Rollins’ selective law enforcement with a promotion: she is now U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts. 

The message from Democrats is clear: crime-ridden communities are a fair price to pay to appease the extreme activists that burned cities across America just two years ago. Their policies are concerned not with your safety, but their own power. Americans should be able to trust their leaders to stand for their way of life, not cower behind their own private security while the communities around them burn.

Last month, I joined Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy (Calif,), Republican Whip Steve Scalise (La.), Conference Chair Elise Stefanik (N.Y.) and several of our House Republican colleagues in Pennsylvania as we unveiled our Commitment to America. The Commitment will guide our work in the next Congress, among them a return to safe communities. This means having the backs of our law enforcement and giving them the resources and trust they need to do their jobs. It means enforcing our laws, not treating them as suggestions that can be ignored. It means valuing the security of American citizens.

We can take back what Democrats have stolen from us and our neighbors — the peace of mind that every child, family, and home should be safe in their communities. Guided by our Commitment, we can live in our community without fear and invest in its future without hesitation. A secure America is within reach.

Tom Emmer represents Minnesota’s 6th District and serves as chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee.