Dem Mayor: 'Unconstitutional and Unwise' for DHS to Defend Federal Property From Rioters

Democratic Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas appeared on Fox News Sunday and blamed the federal government, the president's rhetoric and the Republican Party for fomenting and exacerbating violent upheaval in several major American cities. Anchor Chris Wallace opened the discussion by noting that Lucas "began this year with a commitment" to hold his city's homicide rate to less than 100 slayings -- but as of late June, murders had already topped that number and were on track for a new record. Lucas acknowledged that a "limited scope" collaboration with the feds on reducing crime and solving some of the dozens of unsolved killings in his city is a welcome development, but criticized the federal government's intervention in cities like Portland and Seattle.

As is becoming standard among elected Democrats, Lucas placed the onus of blame on federal law enforcement and the Trump administration, and seemingly couldn't be bothered to utter one syllable in denunciation of the agitators responsible for the chaos and violence. If you're pressed for time, scroll ahead to Wallace's final question:

Asked directly about federal agents protecting federal property against violent and destructive mobs, Lucas called their actions as "unconstitutional and unwise." Several prominent legal scholars clearly disagree on that first point, but what to make of the mayor's second assertion? He says other mayors have told him that they have the situation "under control," which is manifestly not the case in the two cities under discussion, Portland and Seattle. Agitators have been causing trouble, often with violence, for two consecutive months in the former jurisdiction, where multiple federal agents were injured, among others:

Craig Gabriel, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon, tells reporters in a DOJ press call that six federal officers were injured during the riots in Portland last night. Injuries included a concussion and one officer was hospitalized for burns from a "mortar blast."
— Julio Rosas (@Julio_Rosas11) July 25, 2020

Some vandalized the police station, broke windows, spray painted, shot fireworks and pointed lasers at officers and helicopters, according to officials. Police say demonstrators in the area of 17th and Lakeside are breaking windows and “chanting racial slurs” at residents. The Alameda County Superior County Courthouse was set on fire by agitators, police say. “We ask for organizers to keep the protest peaceful,” the police department wrote on social media. No reported arrests have been made at this time.

Is this also the fault of federal officers surging into Oakland -- which hasn't happened? Perhaps the city's left-wing mayor, who has everything "under control" according to Lucas, is too busy investigating fake hate crimes to handle other, actual problems. In his Sunday interview Mayor Lucas chalked up these criminal acts to an "exciting political issue" hyped by the GOP, chiding the Oregon and Washington Republican Party for noticing and pointing out the rampant lawlessness in areas "governed" by Democrats. Before you go, read this wild thread about the priorities of the radical progressives running Seattle. I'll leave you with a taste of the madness:

The plan to close the jails is explicitly predicated on the idea that the "government [is] responsible for the problem" of crime and that criminal offenders are the true "rights holders" who must be "honor[ed] and celebrate[d]." pic.twitter.com/05h3PNzVMk
— Christopher F. Rufo (@realchrisrufo) July 25, 2020