We've been covering the carjacking crisis in Washington, DC for a number of years now. It's not just the story of a crime epidemic in our nation's capital, it's also emblematic of the decay so many major American cities have experienced under "progressive" leadership, especially since the disastrous 'defund the police' so-called "reckoning" of 2020. The Washington Post recently described the dramatic escalation of this particular category of crime: "D.C. reported about 140 carjackings in 2018, which jumped to 360 in 2020. By 2022, the number was 485." As of Monday, the 2023 year-to-date statistic was already sitting at 354, nearly three-quarters of which have involved guns. Only a fraction of the cases have been closed, according to the city's numbers.
Let's pause for a moment to recall that the DC city council voted earlier this year to significantly lessen criminal penalties for carjacking, amidst this explosion of carjackings. The new law was so radical and politically damaging that even the Biden White House ended up feeling forced to endorse Congressional Republicans' push to supersede DC home rule and reverse it -- embarrassing House Democrats, who'd voted overwhelmingly to back the insane council's move, in the process. The scourge of carjackings remains acute, to the point that the Post decided to publish a friendly guide for how innocent motorists in our nation's seat of power might attempt to more successfully avoid emboldened criminals' rampant, endless predations. Healthy stuff:
Where things are at: major newspaper (WaPo) running a "how not to get carjacked" feature in the paper. "Stick to center lane," "don't drive alone at night," etc. https://t.co/aZfqRaGGRN pic.twitter.com/AW5R09Plss
— Alec MacGillis (@AlecMacGillis) June 8, 2023
The 'center lane' advice is pretty wild, as is the admonition to avoid driving at night, "if possible." In the capital city of the United States of America. Due to the clear and present danger of carjacking. And if and when such an attack comes, "police recommend giving up" your car "to avoid personal injury." That may be depressingly sound advice, given the state of DC's murder rate:
'It is indeed a grim milestone.'https://t.co/WAguwpLgL0
— Peter Hermann (@phscoop) June 8, 2023
D.C. surpassed its 100th homicide last week, marking a grim milestone that city leaders say they are working to address. The District hasn’t seen 100 homicides by this time of year since 2003, and homicides have been up 19% since 2022. Compared to last year, other crimes have also increased — sex abuse cases are up 34% and robberies have increased by 25% since 2022.
The worst clip since 2003, with other serious crimes also up double digits. That story was published a few days ago. As of Monday, the homicide count had already jumped to 104. Elsewhere, evidently not content with actually trying to enforce the law (while filing politicized charges that align with certain partisans' and activists' demands), New York City's brain trust has thrown in its lot with the likes of Baltimore, blaming car manufacturers rather than car stealers:
New York City on Tuesday sued Hyundai Motor Co and Kia Corp, accusing the South Korean automakers of negligence and creating a public nuisance by selling vehicles that are too easy to steal. The most populous U.S. city joined several other major cities that have sued Hyundai and Kia over the thefts, including Baltimore, Cleveland, Milwaukee, San Diego and Seattle...The city said the number of reported stolen Hyundais and Kias doubled last year, followed by a "virtual explosion of thefts" in the first four months of 2023 with 977 reported thefts, up from 148 in the same period in 2022...The complaint seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages. Hyundai said in a statement that it made immobilizers standard on all vehicles in November 2021, and has taken steps including a software upgrade to reduce the threat of thefts. Kia in a statement also cited its anti-theft efforts, and said it is working with New York City law enforcement to combat car thefts. It also called the city's lawsuit "without merit."
An embarrassing admission of failure, and a blame-shift all-timer.
