Eliminate Street-Level Drug Sales
In a bold move, the White House is planning to intensify its focus on shutting down America's open-air drug markets, particularly in cities like San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Philadelphia.
The president is considering saturating the airwaves with compelling narratives, including videos, mugshots, crime reports, and emotional stories about overdose deaths, to draw attention to the issue. Federal agents are also preparing to gather crime statistics related to these hotspots and arrest records for foreign criminals involved in the drug trade.
Most of these open-air drug markets are concentrated in a small number of city blocks. If successful, teams of heavily armed federal agents could take control of these areas for a longer period, say one month. Gathering visual evidence of organized gangs operating the drug trade with superior equipment is a key part of this strategy.
For years, these cities have struggled to address problems like homelessness, crime, and addiction, often due to ideological reasons. Adopting policies that cede territory to criminals in the name of 'social justice' has been a common approach. Shutting down open-air drug markets could demonstrate a proof of concept for cities and states that have given up on enforcing the law.
The feds could arrest and deport foreign drug dealers, using their aggressive presence to disrupt the drug trade within designated zones. The administration could also assemble this information to argue that these cities are enabling the takeover of public spaces by Honduran, Mexican, and other Latin American gangs.
Reporters, activists, and city leaders have acknowledged the existence of these drug markets but have expressed a belief that nothing can be done about them. However, the Trump administration could change public opinion by targeting dangerous criminals in open-air drug markets.
The Tenderloin neighborhood in San Francisco is one location where open-air drug markets are common. A documentary about the homelessness crisis in San Francisco revealed the existence of Honduran gangs operating these markets in the city.
Left-wing activists would likely protest federal intervention, but their position could be seen as untenable if federal agents take the territory. President Trump could potentially change the political calculus in lawless enclaves like the Tenderloin, Skid Row in Los Angeles, and Kensington in Philadelphia.
Local law enforcement agencies, city governments, public health organizations, and community coalitions are potential partners in the closure of open drug markets in Tenderloin, Skid Row in Los Angeles, and Kensington in Philadelphia.
Christopher F. Rufo, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute and the author of America's Cultural Revolution, has been a vocal advocate for this approach. Voters' sympathies could gravitate toward law enforcement as a result of this federal intervention.
The photo used in this article is by Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images. The political realities have led city elites to not enforce the law or challenge social justice activists who advocate for decarceration, decriminalization, and depolicing. However, the Trump administration's intervention could signal a shift in this approach.
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