Isn’t That Polarizing?

 Don’t you think?

A bevy of business groups and industry associations located in downtown Washington wrote to Mayor Muriel Bowser and lawmakers on Thursday expressing "deep concern about the alarming increase in violent crime across our city."

Why it matters: The letter comes before the D.C. Council will take a final vote on Tuesday on a sweeping public safety bill in response to last year's surge in homicides and gun violence.

What they're saying: The D.C. Council "should take immediate action to target the small group of organized and repeat criminals responsible for most of these violent offenses," the letter says, signed by 70 groups, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the National Retail Federation, and the U.S. Travel Association.

--February 29, 2024. Today:

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which boasts its status as the largest business organization in the world; the National Retail Federation, a powerful retail alliance representing giants like Walmart and Target; and Airlines for America, which represents the major U.S. airlines, among others. These lobbying juggernauts spend tens of millions of dollars every year lobbying federal lawmakers to get their way in Washington."

= It was one of many efforts by right-wing groups to agitate for a more fearsome police crackdown in the city and oppose criminal justice reforms.

It worked. The D.C. city council tried to rewrite the city’s criminal code, to bring 100 year old laws up to date.

The reforms were vetoed by D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser in 2023. After the veto was overridden by the city council, Democrats helped Republicans pass a law squashing the reforms, which was signed by then-President Joe Biden.

The same groups from 2024 are happy today:

In a statement Monday, the D.C. Chamber of Commerce described itself as a "strong supporter" of the Home Rule Act, which Trump used to enact his federal crackdown.

The Washington Business Journal quoted multiple consultancy executives—including Yaman Coskum, who exclaimed that "It is about time somebody did something to make D.C. great again," and Kirk McLaren who said, "If local leaders won't protect residents and businesses, let's see if the federal government will step in and do what's necessary to create a safe and prosperous city."

What Trump is doing is not authorized by the Home Rule Act. It is effectively martial law, that is, the suspension of law due to a complete breakdown in order and a situation of absolute lawlessness. There is no provision for such action in U.S. law. But hey: crime, amirite? A carjacking that, it seems, may not have happened. As JMM has pointed out, it’s not even clear what the precipitating crime here, was. Really got to watch out for those unreliable narrators. They can be very polarizing.