In a series of interviews with Fox News Digital, a large number of law enforcement officers in Asheville, North Carolina blamed the city’s crime spike on its liberal political leadership and ever-growing “activists” fighting to defund the police.
Former Buncombe Sheriff Van Duncan believes what’s currently happening in Asheville is the culmination of almost five years of police being held back from doing their job like they’re supposed to, letting crime run rampant in this North Carolina tourist trap.
Democrat-run cities seem to be having problems with violent crime
Despite being a small 90k population city at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Asheville has seen a 31% spike in violent crime in the past five years, with the growth being nearly double that of the national average.
In 2022 though, the city has seen 11 homicides, setting Asheville well on its path to surpassing the numbers from 2020 and 2021. This number increased in tandem with the homelessness rate in the city, which spiked by 21% last year.
According to some other law enforcement sources from the area, the crime spike likewise brought about an increase in Mexican drug cartel activity in the area, putting the citizens of this once peaceful city in quite an unfavorable position.
Additionally, with all the liberal policies running rampant, many officers simply quit their jobs, causing a massive hemorrhaging of the police force in both Asheville PD and Buncombe Sheriff’s Department.
Former Democrat Sheriff loses faith in the party
Former Buncombe Sheriff Van Duncan, who was a registered Democrat for years, says he stepped down from his position in 2018, due to the party’s “anti-law enforcement sentiment.”
He added while he believes police officers who do wrong must be held accountable, they still must be allowed to do their jobs.
Duncan added during his time as sheriff, “activists” from outside the Asheville community would flock to meetings to cause a disruption. This led to a number of people who actually live in Asheville quitting these meetings.
Taking away law enforcement’s power to fight crime is likely the least effective method when it comes to making a community safer; it’s proven to be akin to shooting one’s self in the foot more times than one.
This sentiment is shared by a number of Asheville and Buncombe officers, all of which believe an overall lack of leadership, paired with a liberal agenda, is the direct cause of violent crime spikes in the Asheville community.
The majority of them also lay blame on Buncombe County’s DA Todd Williams, whose office regularly refuses to charge criminals or simply reduces their charges to minor misdemeanors, allowing crime to rise due to lack of accountability.
Without a quick and effective change in leadership, the once-beautiful city of Asheville, NC is headed for a downward spiral, a common pattern for Democrat-run cities.
This article appeared in The Record Daily and has been published here with permission.
