When ‘Defund the Police’ Backfires: Seattle Residents Erect Barriers Against Rampant Gang Violence

For the longest time, Seattle has held a terrible grudge against police.

It all started back in 2020, when the whole “defund the police” campaign was in full swing following the death of George Floyd. The Seattle City Council acted quickly, slashing the police budget by a whopping 20%. This, in turn, led to less support for our officers, resulting in hundreds of officer resignations.

And where has that gotten them? Nowhere…fast. Several businesses have closed down in the area due to the increase in rampant violence. And now a new report suggests that, under the leadership of a Democratic socialist, the city has fallen into such disarray that citizens are being left to their own devices when it comes to protection.

Fox News reports that residents in the troubled city have begun putting up barrier walls in a desperate move to keep gang violence out of their neighborhood. This is despite promises made by newly elected Mayor Katie Wilson to change things.

Over the course of Memorial Day Weekend, the citizens reported shots fired and high-speed chases in their area, forcing them to create the blockades in an effort to get some peace.

Speaking with KTVB 7, Peter Orr, one of the residents, noted, “It’s either this, or bullets in my neighbor’s houses.”

Ridiculous.

Some officers were able to report to the scene prior to that, but with Wilson’s tight grip on the police budget being the way it is, it simply isn’t enough to stop the ongoing violence.

Of course, Wilson isn’t backing down on her policies, and has even yet to address the situation. Some believed that these policies could create fines for the temporary barricades being put in place. Imagine that. Having to fend for yourself in a matter of safety, and then being fined by the city because they didn’t like the way you did it.

Thankfully, I’m not the only one who sees just how pathetic this situation is. Conservative commentator Paul Syzpula recently posted, “The irony is undeniable. When progressive policies result in neighborhoods literally barricading themselves off…that says everything. What should Seattle leaders be doing so residents don’t feel forced to do this?”

Call me crazy, but I have an idea. Reverse their ridiculous policy against the police.

The damage has already been done. “Defund the police” was so highly effective that the police are barely around anymore. Wilson needs to get over her own socialist behavior and instead focus on exactly what a Mayor needs to do – take care of her citizens.

She needs to simply hire more officers and take care of them. That’s it. Provide the return to budget so that they have the necessary gear and numbers in an effort to fight back against this gang violence.

The problem, though, is that she simply refuses to face the problem.

Last week, during an interview with a local news reporter, they opted to keep asking questions surrounding the increase in gun violence and the further need for surveillance cameras. Rather than answering the questions or giving some sort of progress report, she abruptly ended the interview. No answers, just…”See ya” and out the door.

Not exactly the sign of a confident leader, if you ask me.

But let’s look even further back. She wrote an opinion piece back in 2020 talking more about “defund the police,” stating “there’s a strong argument for simply disbanding police departments and starting over,” though she also admitted “institutional culture change is hard.”

Looking back now, those words may be haunting her with her awful mayoral mistakes. She continues to stand by “defund the police” like it’s gospel, while criminals run rampant in her streets, forcing citizens to use natural defenses to fight back. And when people demand answers for what’s going on, she’s painfully silent.

Something has to be done. And I don’t mean Wilson pathetically fining these citizens for creating their makeshift barriers. I mean actually reinstating the officer’s funds in an effort to let them do their job effectively again. And getting over the idea of “starting over.” Because the police department was working just fine before people like Wilson started messing around with it.

I implore you, Mayor Wilson. Get over your own beliefs and take better care of your citizens and police. Because, otherwise, you may not have much of a city left.