Montgomery County police responded to a report of an armed carjacking in the 4900 block of Hampden Lane in downtown Bethesda at 7:33 PM on September 29, 2022. Multiple units were dispatched to an apartment building, and to the Huntington Learning Center, on Hampden. Radio communications indicated two black males in hoodies were last seen heading toward Wisconsin Avenue. Officers spent quite a bit of time carefully collecting evidence from an SUV parked in front of the Hampden Row condominiums.
72 comments:
This is horrifying. These criminals obviously felt they could commit a crime like this in the heart of Downtown Bethesda on a busy street during a weeknight, so they went ahead and did it.
If you aren't currently carrying a firearm in MoCo, you should seriously consider getting the proper training/certification and then doing so after practicing regularly. The MoCo Council just isn't interested in giving the police the necessary funding and staffing to prevent crimes like this from happening. The MoCo Prosecutors just aren't interested in locking these criminals away when caught and preventing them from continuing to be a menace to the public. It's on you to protect yourself now because the people you're depending on to won't or can't.
If you voted for Elrich last time and are considering voting for Elrich again, this is a preview of what's only going to get worse because he just won't do what's necessary to put a stop to it.
Can't get carjacked if you don't have a car. Take public transit instead and avoid the hassle.
- MoCo Council
Defund and demoralize the police. DA's and judges soft on criminals that do make it to court or giving them a revolving door right out of county lock up just to repeat crime again. People in this county are going to get what they recently paid for with Elrich because this will get worse. We do have maybe the most consequential vote ever in our county's history. Equity and diversity are important? Everything this county does and says must be filtered through that lens? Ok but will Sully Reardon, a black man running as a Republican, even get close? That's where we are because we all know the answer to that. Carrying a firearm is a huge responsibility but it's looking more and more necessary. Neve in my life have I ever seen this and I'm a multi-generational native. I am just shocked to see this every week.
Now they're trying to steal (or stealing) cars with people in them. Congratulations.
This crime was brought to you by Marc Elrich and the letter I for indifferent.
6:44 - Well done. Almost a CC of my comment @6:52.
This is a matter of priorities. Elrich & Co have spent zero time on the crime situation yet throw tons of public money toward increasing access to abortion. He of course had plenty of time recently, as shown on another local news site, to give host a press event with full cameras announcing his abortion grant program. Abortion is back on the ballot. We get that.
But isn't the out of control crime situation way more worrisome and pressing of our elected officials time? I didn't vote the any of these fools but you did. Elrich will be reelected. Now, we can see, just how scary that vote is going to be should he win. Liberal Dems, many of whom live in lower and affluent MoCo, need to get car jacked at gun point before considering Sully Reardon. It's crazy land folks. It really is.
@6:52 AM: Well said.
Given the substantial number of MD Wear & Carry permit holders that have been approved since MD became "Shall Issue" and which are currently in the application queue, it's inevitable that these criminals will encounter someone who's legally carrying at some point. I'm one of those people who currently carries in MD and I'm mad that the MoCo leadership has failed to ensure my personal safety and the safety of so many others. I wish I didn't have to resort to carrying a firearm here, but I am not willing to risk my personal safety because of the unwillingness of the MoCo leadership to take the necessary actions to crack down on violent crimes like this.
@7:39 AM: You're absolutely right. There is no bottom here.
Stolen cars without people in them aren't enough to change people's votes away from Elrich. Unfortunately, I don't think stolen cars with people in them will be enough either. They're wedded to a leftist ideology that they just won't give up on.
As 6:44 AM said, these criminals felt they could commit this crime, in that specific place and at that specific time... so what explains that?
Elrich and the MoCo Council have created an environment which is permissive to crime and indifferent to its victims. What we see from MoCo leadership is radical compassion for criminals. There aren't enough police on the street. Criminals aren't being charged and they aren't being locked away. What we have instead is a revolving door that just puts them back on the street where they go on to commit other crimes. Even worse, it incentivizes other criminals to commit the same crimes with the knowledge that they won't be caught or that they'll be put back on the street.
This is an uncomfortable fact for leftists, but a criminal who just robbed someone can't rob anyone else when they're in prison.
@7:29 AM: Thanks! I've accepted the reality for what it is and that's why I carry. I don't see how this gets any better without new leadership.
This video is out of Portland, Oregon: https://twitter.com/mrandyngo/status/1576389523210088448
The woman being asked the question about police staffing and crime would fit right in on the current MoCo Council. That's exactly how they see it.
Someone is eventually going to get killed in one of these carjackings. It's going to happen.
The absolute indifference of Elrich and the MoCo Council to the victims of these crimes is so upsetting.
They've betrayed the safety of the public. Shameful.
If it's gotten to the point where you can get carjacked living in Downtown Bethesda, you might as well save some money and live in Downtown Silver Spring instead.
9:02 - Yeah, you're welcome. I would like you to comment on the fact that MD does not have a Stand Your Ground law. I know you wear and carry and are trained and permitted. As someone mentioned last week I think, does the crazy fact that MD does not have "stand your ground" conflict or make wear and carry an issue? If that makes sense? Thanks!
9:48 - Agree. But as I have said many times, it's not the politicians who are at fault but rather the voters that elect them. Does that make sense? They are going to do what they are going to do and elections do have consequences. MoCo is no different than many other areas both small and large. Look at CA. Look at New Orleans or Philly. You would think that smart and often affluent voters would wake up and realize that voting this way isn't working. Yet, Elrich still won the primary and a black man running as a Republican is no match in the general coming up. Oh, this will get worse. Correct.
If Elrich, the MoCo County Council and the Police aren't going to take the steps needed to keep people safe from carjackings and other violent crimes, it's inevitable that people will resort to legally carried firearms and other weapons to defend themselves. You are going to see shootings in self-defense. It will happen.
Ask your average Elrich voter whether they prefer having enough police to address violent crime or whether it's preferable to them to have residents forced to defend themselves with legally carried firearms and other weapons because of insufficient police. Then watch them glitch out trying to answer that without betraying the Party line.
Some of the buildings on that block (Hampden Row, The Lauren) have a number of million and multi-million dollar condo residences. Many of the residents have expensive vehicles. This area was specifically targeted by the criminals. It's going to happen again.
It's maddening how dangerous Montgomery County has become during Elrich's tenure. We're now at the stage where criminals are actually carjacking vehicles in Downtown Bethesda and it's only going to get worse the longer this is allowed to continue. These criminals do it because there isn't enough of a police deterrent on the street and there isn't enough of a justice/prison sentence deterrent from the prosecutors and the courts. So in the absence of Elrich's and the Council's willingness to enforce the law and sufficiently protect the residents of the County, it now falls to the average resident with a Wear & Carry Permit to become the deterrent to the crime. As others here have said, it's only a matter of time before a legal firearm carrier in MoCo is forced to defend themselves against a carjacking because of the failure of the County leadership to protect them as they were elected and sworn to do. I'm saddened it has come to that, but I've done what I've had to do: I've gotten my carry permits and practiced.
Sullivan should be holding a press conference on Hampden Lane about this.
It's absolutely frightening to imagine being a victim of this crime. There you are going about your weekday evening in Downtown Bethesda, perhaps coming back to your vehicle from a nice dinner or you're picking up/dropping off a friend at home, and all of the sudden two armed criminals come up and carjack you. If they decided to, and even if you complied, they could kill you in an instant for any reason at all. This is pure sociopathic evil, and it happened right here in Downtown Bethesda.
Your average Elrich voter just isn't willing to face the fact that MoCo has become a dangerous place under Elrich's leadership. They obviously didn't care about cars being stolen without people in them when they voted for him in the Primary, so why would they care about cars being jacked with people in them now.
@9:02 AM: Good question.
In Maryland, a homicide other than felony murder, is justified on the ground of self-defense if the following criteria are satisfied:
(1) The accused must have had reasonable grounds to believe himself in apparent imminent or immediate danger of death or serious bodily harm from his assailant or potential assailant;
(2) The accused must have in fact believed himself in this danger;
(3) The accused claiming the right of self defense must not have been the aggressor or provoked the conflict;
(4) The force used must have not been unreasonable and excessive, that is, the force must not have been more force than the exigency demanded.
As you mentioned: Maryland also provides that you have a "duty to retreat" when outside your home before using deadly force in self-defense in such a way that is within your power and consistent with your safety.
You are not required to retreat in such a way that would endanger yourself, nor are you required to retreat in the face of an imminent threat that is upon you which gives you no ready avenue of escape.
Everything is fact-specific. If you are entering/exiting your vehicle in a confined parking area with the assailants 20-30 feet away but advancing on you with the intent to commit serious bodily harm by evidence of visible weapons etc. that to me would constitute an imminent threat and I would have no hesitation on drawing my firearm in such a case. I hope that alone would be enough to make them run off. It's not my job to say "freeze" or detain anyone. I'm not the police. My firearm is for self-defense. If they continue advancing on me and constitute an imminent threat without giving me a means of escape, I would then be fully justified in firing for self-defense to neutralize the threat.
IMHO, Wear and Carry without a "stand your ground" law doesn't present a real issue for me and I don't think it should prevent anyone who plans to get the proper training from safely carrying in MD. Be smart. Avoid problems if you can and leave the area if you're able to safely. Call the police. It's not your job to be a hero. If you're left with no other option in the face of imminent and serious bodily harm to you, you have your firearm, and it'll only work if you practice.
1:43 - I emailed his campaign today and suggested they film a new campaign ad from Hamden Lane. That would be compelling.
I was carjacked stop gun point in downtown bethesda this past June. I can’t even be near a parking garage anymore or I have a panic attack. I refuse to vote for Elrich. He is the reason this happened to me.
Big city, big city crime. Get used to it. Bethesda begged for the opportunity to become a magnet for high-density, high-income living. Do you honestly think criminals from the bowels of DC aren't going to make the 20 minute ride from S.E. to prey on some of the richest people in the country, thousands of potential victims, flush with cash --or expensive cars-- living on top of each other in apartment buildings jammed cheek to jowl on every available lot in the area? What police-to-citizen ratio would be sufficient to stop the flow of bandits, when every block of Bethesda is rife with opportunity for a mugging, a car jacking? How many cops are enough to stop it, or is this just the unseemly result of the build, build, build mantra, of the endless hyping of the area as among the ten richest in America? Show me the robber who ISN'T going to be drawn by the lure of easy money in Bethesda, be it with the current fleet of cops, or twice the number, or thrice. There's too much potential to score here, too many restaurants packed with rich folk, (many of them tottering back to their cars after a bottle of wine;) too many up-&-comers preoccupied with their cell phones to pay attention to their surroundings. It sucks, it's a blight, it's a plague. It's also the consequence of a whole lot of pretty rich people, comparatively speaking, living in proximity to really poor people, many of whom are adept at violent, criminal behavior.
No public statement on this from Elrich. Figures.
If it hasn't sunk in for you already, you're on your own until the police get there, if they're even called in the first place. Do what you need to do to defend yourself until help arrives, and yeah, we're at the point where you should strongly consider carrying a firearm after getting the proper training.
As one commenter said here, Elrich has indeed created a permissive crime environment. He's not losing a moment of sleep over this crime or any other. He doesn't see it as a failure on his part because enough people keep voting for him to put him in office.
Keep that in mind when you go about your day. You could lose everything you care about, everything you've worked for or leave everyone behind that you care about in an instant. That's worth defending yourself as best you can. I refuse to put the absolute last resort of my life in the hands of this failure of a man and that's why I carry.
@1:43 PM: Where is Sullivan on this? Nothing on his Twitter Feed: https://twitter.com/SullyMoco
98 Followers? That's just sad.
@4:31 PM: Oh good. I couldn't find a contact email on his website. Did I miss seeing it there or did you find it somewhere else? Reardon needs to come out strong on public safety and show how Elrich's policies have made MoCo unsafe.
@6:29 PM: That must have been absolutely terrifying. I'm so sorry. You should consider reaching out to Reardon Sullivan's campaign to tell your story, and have them share it. I'm sure it could be done while masking your face/voice to protect your identity.
6:29 - That's a Sully Reardon campaign ad right there. So awful that happened to you. Pepper spray, non-lethal weapon or a wear and carry permit for a pistol are all on the table and viable options. It's just crazy.
Found the contact email address for the Sullivan Campaign on Maryland's State Board of Elections website: https://elections.maryland.gov/elections/2022/general_candidates/gen_cand_lists_2022_1_by_county_16.html
@10:26 PM: I refuse to shrug my shoulders on this like you're suggesting and accept this level of violent crime as the cost for a Bethesda which is vibrant and fun to live/work/play in. Not every high-income/high-density area has the crime problem that Bethesda does, which tells us that it's a failure of Montgomery County leadership. A lot more police are needed in Bethesda to address the crime, period.
Seriously, you sound like her: https://twitter.com/mrandyngo/status/1576389523210088448
More police, combined with effective policing and a non-revolving door Court system prevent, respond to and solve crimes. Many other areas in the country have neighboring dangerous areas. That doesn't mean that they suffer from crime like Bethesda does. It's a failure of leadership to implement a strong and coherent public safety policy that's grounded in reality and not the abstract.
I want enough police to get these criminals off the street. It doesn't matter to me whether these individuals decide to stay home and don't commit the crime in the first place because they see a strong visible police presence around or whether they get caught when nearby police are able to respond to the crime-in-progress because there's sufficient staffing and resources.
The crimes are happening, so the question you should really be asking yourself is whether: Do you prefer that people rely on their own means of self-defense (including carrying a firearm) in the absence of an adequate police presence to protect them or do you prefer that there are more police around to deter and respond to crime so that people don't have to resort to doing that?
One of those is going to happen, so make your choice and let me know.
@9:13 AM: Absolutely right. Agreed. It's terrible how that happened to 6:29 PM. If they're in the mental/emotional place to do it, it could help them work through their trauma to share their story with the Sullivan campaign. Entirely their decision of course.
The reality is that the crime is happening. It's an absolute certainty that legal firearm carriers will be forced to defend themselves against their armed assailants on the streets of Downtown Bethesda. That's where this is headed now and the only thing which will prevent that from happening here will be new leadership at the County level that implements an effective public safety strategy. I can specifically speak to this because I'm one of those people who routinely carries a firearm in MoCo and when I'm in Downtown Bethesda. I hope I'm never put in the position where I have to draw my firearm, but the reality is that I could very well be if this isn't addressed and solved by the leadership at the County level.
@10:57 AM - "The crimes are happening, so the question you should really be asking yourself is whether: Do you prefer that people rely on their own means of self-defense (including carrying a firearm) in the absence of an adequate police presence to protect them or do you prefer that there are more police around to deter and respond to crime so that people don't have to resort to doing that?" Sure, this is really going to reduce crime. A cop on every block, just standing around consuming donuts. Your living in La La Land.
@10:57, Again I ask, how many police are enough? When there are potential victims on virtually every block of Bethesda, how many cops are enough to suffocate the threat? I'm not shrugging my shoulders, I'm asking a legitimate question. When you reach that number, include how you propose to pay for them. This is written not as an opponent to better/more police and policing, but as a practical matter. Are you prepared to pay the increased costs that come with increased public services?
I'll thank you not to tell me what I "should really be asking," especially when linked to such facile choices as you offer.
Think this is only Bethesda? It's all over the county. Read this: Three 14-year-old boys from Washington, D.C., were charged in connection with an attempted armed carjacking Monday in Rockville, according to Montgomery County police.
When you release repeat criminals into your cities:
https://tennesseestar.com/2020/06/26/democrats-run-americas-top-20-crime-ridden-cities/
Much like NY democrat Tiffany Caban's tweet:
https://twitter.com/CabanD22/status/1574416545131945985
Meanwhile: https://nypost.com/2022/04/16/nyc-subway-crime-skyrocketing-with-robberies-up-72/
Out of touch and like all democrats these days, out of their minds while crime spikes across the nation and we have essentially no borders, they're busy making sure we're all using proper pronouns.
Get over yourself, 4:34. It's Democratic- AND Republican-controlled areas. I know you haven't seen or read that, because Fox and OAN would never dream betray the home team, but that's the facts, stats-wise.
@1:33 PM: Another one who sounds just like her (https://twitter.com/mrandyngo/status/1576389523210088448) too. Even her challenger speaks the truth on it.
You go ahead and be the first to commit a crime in the presence of a police officer. Show us how it's done and let us know how it goes for you.
Some interesting reading, with a wealth of information beyond just crime stats, including issues surrounding sworn officer resource allocation, officer retirements, resignations, & recruitment:
1/18/2022
"Today the [Montgomery County] Council will receive a briefing on calendar 2021 crime statistics, including information on trends in violent crime."
https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/council/Resources/Files/agenda/col/2022/20220118/20220118_14.pdf
2/22/2021
Briefing: Police Department Staffing
"Today the Committee will receive a briefing on Police Department staffing"
https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/council/Resources/Files/agenda/cm/2021/20210225/20210225_PS2.pdf
@2:37 PM: "How many police are enough?" You're right that it's a legitimate question.
More than we have now. Substantially more than we have now. Enough so that potential criminals cruising here see them on the street and decide to go home instead because they see they'll get caught.
You're asking me how we pay for them. The same way we find money and pay for everything else in this County. Plenty of MoCo programs in are readily funded even though they have a terrible Return on Investment or no Return on Investment. No one bats an eye at those programs, even if they're visibly failing to achieve anything close to what they promised to do. Somehow the County is able to find money for everything but public safety, to the point where the County actually disbanded the MoCo Police Auto Theft Unit in the middle of stolen car wave due to FY 2021 budget cuts (https://wtop.com/montgomery-county/2021/10/police-maryland-mans-decision-to-track-and-recover-his-stolen-car-wasnt-smart-move/).
Crime is extremely expensive for everyone. It costs the victims money. It costs the County money, which in turn costs its residents money since the County's money is our money. People can get hurt or killed due to crime, and people are irreplaceable for any amount of money. If people are hurt, there are often substantial medical costs associated with recovering, which either the people or the county have to pay for.
Public safety is an investment which pays for itself multiple times over. I would gladly pay what it costs to live in a safe community because I know that investment will more than pay for itself over time and enable lower taxes in the future due to increased revenues. People don't want to move to, live, work, play or spend money in a community which they consider unsafe. When they don't come here because it's unsafe, that affects businesses and residential home values. It also affects tax revenue for the County because fewer businesses will locate here and people won't feel safe coming here. When that drop-off happens, the tax burden on current County residents actually increases in an attempt to make up for the lost revenue to cover the fixed costs of the County.
I asked you a very legitimate question that you didn't want to answer the first time, so I'll try asking again, and I have standing to do so since I legally carry a firearm here: Would you prefer that I carry a firearm for self-defense because there are not enough police or would you prefer having enough police so that I didn't have to carry a firearm for self-defense?
I'll go first: I wish there were enough police here so that I didn't have to carry a firearm for self-defense.
Your turn.
@3:24 PM: Unbelievable. 14 Years Old. They weren't born as criminals, so who failed them so early in their lives. I blame the parents or other family members who neglected them or watched them run with a bad crowd over time. Nobody stepped in to discipline them at any point, and so now it falls to the County to spend the money (which is our money) to process and discipline them. Will going to prison reform these kids? I'm hopeful they'll change their ways, but no I don't think it will. I feel these kids are at the very beginning of a criminal career that could eventually have them using a real gun in another crime and hurting or killing someone with it.
It pains me to think how much must have gone wrong in their lives and what they've been surrounded with for them to try something like this. Multiple people in their lives failed them for it to get to this point because what these kids show is the absence of a soul or conscience. That missing piece comes from abuse, neglect and indifference which preceded this incident by and over many years.
@4:34 PM: You can't depend on these people for your safety. They are so lost in their virtue signaling to each other that they don't realize or care how dangerous their policies have made the communities they serve.
You could transplant MoCo's ineffective leadership and policies to any county in the country and it would result in the crime problems which occur here to occur there. If you took the leadership and policies of a safe county and transplanted it here, you'd have the safety here.
The only people this doesn't make sense to are democrats.
2:37 PM: As 11:25 AM said --> "Ask your average Elrich voter whether they prefer having enough police to address violent crime or whether it's preferable to them to have residents forced to defend themselves with legally carried firearms and other weapons because of insufficient police. Then watch them glitch out trying to answer that without betraying the Party line."
You glitched out.
2:37 PM: Everyone on any block is a potential crime victim. What point are you trying to make here? Crime is at an unacceptably high level in Montgomery County, and places like Bethesda have become target destinations for criminals. Now it's escalated to having violent crimes like armed carjackings which can turn deadly in a second. I can say with confidence that an armed carjacking is very unlikely to occur in front of a uniformed police officer. Work backwards from that concept and you'll have achieved an acceptable level of public safety when there are enough of them.
If that's not appealing to you for some reason, you could always politely ask the criminals to stop committing crimes.
@11:14 AM: Yup, that absolutely makes sense and the recent stats on stolen vehicles in Montgomery County further prove your point:
In 2019, there were 914 Motor Vehicle Thefts in MoCo.
In 2020, there were 1,178 Motor Vehicle Thefts in MoCo.
In 2021, there were 1,444 Motor Vehicle Thefts in MoCo.
For 2022: "As of June 6, there have been 511 auto thefts in the county this year, according to police spokesperson Carlos Cortes-Vazquez." (https://bethesdamagazine.com/2022/06/10/county-police-launch-program-to-help-decrease-auto-thefts/)
Elrich defeated Blair, who ran on a strong public safety and equity platform in the Primary, by 32 votes.
So you were completely spot-on in your comment: a lot of Elrich voters had their cars stolen in the past few years and they simply didn't care. Having a car stolen (or a friend's/family member's car being stolen, or the threat of the car being stolen) wasn't enough to make Elrich voters vote for someone different in their own party's Primary and reject the policy failures of the incumbent which created the permissive environment for these crimes to occur. You're also probably right that it won't be enough to make them vote for a public safety focused Republican in the General either. Oh well.
@7:08 PM: Very interesting reading. Thanks.
My favorite section from the January 2022 Document (Pages 6-7):
"Police Staffing: A primary consideration is adequate staffing that affords MCPD with the flexibility to implement best crime suppression tactics.5 MCPD currently has an authorized complement of 1,271 officers, which is 1.3 officers per 1,000 residents. This is significantly lower than the average 2.8 officers per capita reported for counties, or the 2.5 officers per capita reported for suburban areas.6"
--> @2:37 PM: Like I said, Montgomery County is under-policed and needs substantially more officers on the force.
Visible police presence or hot spot policing is strongly correlated with violent crime reduction.7 It does not necessarily result in more arrests since much of its impact is to deter crime from ever occurring.
--> @2:37 PM: Yup. Just I said earlier. More police need to be visible on the streets.
There is also no evidence of spill over into other neighborhoods. Additionally, there is a strong association between additional police officers and reducing homicides.8 This protective effect is even stronger for reducing homicides of African American residents -- “in per capita terms, effects are twice as large for Black versus white victims.”9 This is particularly important given the demographic break-down of homicide victims here in the County.
When building back staffing after the great recession, former Chief Manger prioritized the creation of District Community Action Teams (DCAT), highly proactive and flexible teams that conduct targeted enforcement operations in response to identified crime increases and crime trends. These teams engage residents and businesses in community policing efforts to sustain improvements achieved through joint partnership efforts. The Department formed one DCAT team for each of the six police districts. During last year’s budget cuts and departmental reorganization, the DCAT teams in 1D (Rockville) and 2D (Bethesda) were abolished. The Council may wish to ask how the loss of these two DCAT teams has impacted violent crime suppression.
--> That would be a great question for the Council to ask wouldn't it. I wonder if they ever bothered to ask it.
6:14 PM: Stop trying to move the goalposts. We're talking about Montgomery County, MD which is a one-party Democrat-ruled County, and how that leadership has failed on public safety given the number of crimes which have been occurring. Republicans have no elected say in County affairs. Do I really have to explain this further?
Very well said 7:29 PM. Very well said. Too many bad choices were made for these kids. They never had a chance. What a shame. Put the family members who failed them in the neighboring cell.
@6:14 Keep telling yourself that liberal policies aren't the problem. When a liberal says its "both sides", this is just another rationalization that their actions aren't responsible. Even CNN can't hold back the tidal wave of crime democrats were trying to defend by manipulating statistics saying crime is down and leftist threatened a boycott. The border must be secure as well, right?
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/restoring-america/fairness-justice/democrats-earned-soft-on-crime-reputation
11:52, get it right: if you want to shout about goalposts getting moved, aim your fire at 4:34, who was commenting about crime around the country. THAT'S who 6:14 was responding to.
Hate to rain on the Arm-up/MAGAfest, but auto thefts are up across the country, not just in Democratic hellhole Montgomery County, MD. They began their ascent in 2019 and have been climbing since.
https://crime-data-explorer.app.cloud.gov/pages/explorer/crime/crime-trend
6:14 PM: As 11:52 PM said, If you were really a Democrat Team Player, you'd be boasting about your party's great success and virtue in MoCo. Instead, your attempt at a "it's happening on both sides" argument here shows that you don't actually believe a word that you're saying. It's all a virtue signal front and pivot by you to mask the complete and utter failure of MoCo's ruling democrat leadership on crime, which does not have a single republican that makes or enforces any of those policies here. Your party runs MoCo. Your party ruined MoCo. Your party owns MoCo's rampant crime problem. I realize that may be an uncomfortable fact for you to accept, but it's embarrassing watching you try to spin your way out of this. Just own your party line position and be a proud Elrich supporter without attempting to blame a party that's not in office here for the crime problem you created.
7:29 PM: That was beautifully stated. These kids must have been raised in absolute hell to turn out like this so young. I can only imagine the abuse and violence they must have been surrounded with in order to morph them into the soulless youth they became to commit this violent crime. They were never taught to respect society. They never developed a conscience to. Maybe there's a chance they can be saved and contribute to society in some productive way, but it's a vicious cycle of abusive or neglectful parents which create these sociopaths, who then may have children of their own which they abuse or neglect, which perpetuates the cycle. This is a generational problem with no end in sight.
Right where the "Fine Arts" festival is going to be staged!
People like 6:01 really do live in a different world where logic and facts don't apply. Entitled to your own opinions but sorry to say no one is entitled to their own facts, (even if MSNBC told you so).
@7:48, (and 11:52) your logic is lousy. When two different systems fail simultaneously, the cause must be an element common to both.
If your water pressure drops at the same time it does for everyone else in your neighborhood, it isn't because *you* flushed the toilet. The problem lies in something that affects the water pressure for *all* the houses. Equally, as crime is rising everywhere, in both get-out-of-jail-free Democratic- and in lock-'em-up-&-throw-away-the-key Republican-controlled jurisdictions, ipso facto the problem can't be something that is unique to one system.
Chew on that while you oil your guns.
So apparently, October is Energy Awareness month focusing on electric vehicles, etc. Priorities. Shouldn't there be a Tough on Crime Awareness month? That Tesla won't help you when it gets jacked at gunpoint coming out of Black's Bar and Grill. Just like Biden, their boss, MoCo is not going to do a damn thing about this unprecedented level of violent crime we're now seeing. Time to get your Wear and Carry permit and train, train, train. The good guys are coming but they'll often be too late. Elections have consequences. Sully Reardon, I hope your people are reading most of the comments here.
@5:30 Busy carrying water for the democrats as the cities they rule descend into the hellholes. The 10 most violent cities per-capita have only one republican mayor, (Stockton, CA). Of course leftists are listening to the worst governor, (Newsome), in the country by looking at the states and ignoring the cities themselves.
Rattle off any BS liberal rants you want but rational people and even MSM can no longer ignore the crime problem encouraged by democrat policies.
Hey 2:42. *I* linked to statistics to support my position. What documentation do *you* bring to the table to support yours? None. Zero. The empty set. The cold, dark vacuum of space.
The irony and projection of your comment are profound. That you, who write without providing a scintilla of documentation or evidence to back up your contention, would have the --is it gall or simply profound naivete?-- to actually write "Entitled to your own opinions but sorry to say no one is entitled to their own facts." What you wrote is 100%, entirely, precisely, exactly what you yourself are guilty of having done. Your dismissing the information at 6:01 does not, absent your providing any documentation to support your contention, diminish or discount the veracity of the 6:01 linked-to information. Your saying you don't believe the facts doesn't make them any less valid, real, or truthful. You may not *like* the truth, but reality isn't going to alter itself to suit your insecurities and prejudices. Facts, as they say, are facts, and you have provided none to contest the facts presented at 6:01. Your saying you don't believe the information is an opinion, nothing more. You have done *zip* to prove the facts and figures linked to are wrong/inaccurate. You have waved your hand and pronounced it so, much like a failed ex-president announcing national security documents are magically de-classified. You want to know what doesn't make something so? Standing there, stamping your little feet, pouting, and demanding the world accede to your tantrum. You may not like the linked-to facts because they undercut your beliefs, but squeezing your eyes shut and wishing them away with your *opinions* does nothing to diminish their veracity.
It's time for you to put your big-boy pants on and learn how to practice what you preach.
@5:30 PM: I'm focused on the crime problem in Montgomery County, MD, which is where we are and what we experience daily. I know you'd like change the conversation to another framing and terrain to make yourself more comfortable about it or to excuse it as a "national" phenomenon to absolve MoCo's one-party Democrat leadership of its specific failures in this County, but no I won't let you do that. Criminals who are locked in prison aren't on the street to commit additional crimes for the duration they're there and potential criminals will reconsider committing a crime in the midst of a strong and visible police presence because of the deterrent factor. This isn't complicated.
Maybe you need to reread the briefing that the Montgomery County Council received on calendar 2021 crime statistics, including information on trends in violent crime (1/18/2022): https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/council/Resources/Files/agenda/col/2022/20220118/20220118_14.pdf
Especially this statement: "Visible police presence or hot spot policing is strongly correlated with violent crime reduction."
I'm relying on my legal guns to keep me safe because the County leadership is failing in its elected obligation to all us to do that. This is also because the MoCo Police Department is understaffed for the population of the County per the Report:
"Police Staffing: A primary consideration is adequate staffing that affords MCPD with the flexibility to implement best crime suppression tactics.5 MCPD currently has an authorized complement of 1,271 officers, which is 1.3 officers per 1,000 residents. This is significantly lower than the average 2.8 officers per capita reported for counties, or the 2.5 officers per capita reported for suburban areas.6"
By the way, it's important to use cleaner before you oil. Otherwise, you're just lubricating soot which can then accumulate in the mechanisms and affect reliable function.
7:49 I didn't change the subject; I replied to someone else who DID change the subject. Is that concept clear enough for you and your like-minded brethren to grasp? 4:34 brought up crime in other jurisdictions, so at 6:14 I replied to him. He opened the door, I just walked through it. OOPS! Another of your talking points deflated. Sorrr-reeee.
PS: I don't need to re-read the report; I'm the one who posted it here in the first place.
@6:21am -- Since eight of the ten most violent states in the country are governed by Republicans, (FBI Uniform Crime Statistics,) there is legitimate reason to include this statistic. True, it does undercut your contention the crime problems rest in ideas and policies of Democrats. Ah well. As I understand it, state laws supersede city laws. If Democratic-governed urban areas in these states were the *actual* reason these violent GOP-led states were getting such terrible crime numbers, *surely* the GOP state houses and governors would enforce state laws to bring the lawless DEM cities to heel, wouldn't they? What sane GOP governor would allow metropolitan Dems to ride roughshod over the entire state? Or are those governors just feckless, spineless?
You wrote, "rational people and even MSM can no longer ignore the crime problem encouraged by democrat policies." Clearly, GOP governors of these crime-infested states --Alaska, Tennessee, Arkansas, Arizona, Missouri, South Carolina, and South Dakota, to be precise-- are ignoring *something* to have made the Top 10 Most Violent States list. Are you suggesting these governors are actually employing Democratic policies? Are they somehow powerless to enforce state laws to counteract laws passed by city councils? You write with the conviction of certainty, and yet the actual logic of your post falls apart in very short order, since, [inconveniently for your argument] GOP-controlled areas have high crime rates, too.
In syllogistic terms it looks like this:
High crime is caused by Democratic policies.
GOP areas suffer high crime.
Therefore, GOP areas are governed by Democratic policies.
Clearly, that makes no sense. And if you're thinking about saying it's all President Biden's fault, save your breath and your typing. Crime began rising in 2019, while Mar-A-Lago Man was still in the White House.
Thanks very much for the opportunity to demonstrate how easily your theory is disproven.
2:56 Suffers from acute rationalization syndrome in which democrat DA's in cities that release repeat offenders is the fault of the the state. Some states allow the governor to exercise great authority over the cities like Louisiana but some do not, like Pennsylvania and Maryland.
Unfortunately, democrats have a long history of not taking responsibility for policies they impose. Hogan has no power over Elrich/MC council and who does Bowser have to blame? Can't even handle a couple hundred illegals without calling for the military to help her out while Texas border towns see more than that in a couple of hours.
Democrats are simply rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic.
The next story 2:56 is going to recite is that fuel prices are not Brandon's fault because the MSM told them so regardless of the hockey stick graph and policies. Everything is Trump's fault because he lives rent-free in liberal minds.
I’m so sick of democrats screaming about abortion climate change and race.
I’m so sick of lemmings who don’t open their eyes
The only thing that will wake up liberals is when their 2 million homes go by the way of Detroit and start losing value
Who wants to live on a crime ridden elrich run city of CRIME
I can’t send my kids to downtown Bethesda for an I’ve cream cone or to Montgomery mall to get a pair of shoes without thinking some criminal fromSW gonna carjack them or shoot them
Might as well be living in crime infested NYC bc that’s where Bethesda is headed
Self described progressive Larry Krasner thinks Philadelphia no-bail policy is going well.
Marilyn Mosby, another idiot progressive handing out get-oit-of-jail-free cards also thinks things are going well in Baltimore, (as she prepares her defense for Federal perjury and mortgage fraud).
Not including DC, NYC, Chicago, Detroit, New Orleans, LA, Memphis San Francisco etal. How bad does it have to get before glad-handing liberal grifters have an epiphany? The answer is always when it affects them directly, until then the rest of us can go fish.
Use received Elrich update this morning. Things most pressing to MC residents:
1) Flu Shot
2) "Enery Action Month"
3) SS street closure for "Indigenous People's Day"
4) Bicycle donations event
5) Free Covid tests & masks
6) Rocky Horror Picture Show at NW Branch, (should be MC Council horror show because we do nothing to stop criminals except set them free asking them politely not to commit more crime).
7,8,9 is just more filler
10) Public Safety Career Fair to hire 100+ 18 and up applicants for over 11 different positions including police officers, (10 out of 11 on the list), only because they've demoralized the current force who are leaving or taking early retirement).
11,12 & 13 is just more filler.
No where on the list or newsletter do they discuss crime. Pathetic avoidance of what's happening in Montgomery County.
@4:46 PM: Exactly right. 2:56 PM is willing to excuse Elrich's failure, no matter how great it is or how many people are endangered.
Elrich intentionally specifically decided to make Montgomery County a Sanctuary County. Of course, that wound up creating an environment which resulted in a series of sexual assaults and other crimes by illegal immigrants here. We were supposed to overlook all this in the name of "compassion". It also endangered police and ICE officers because they were not allowed to transfer custody of the person in a secure section of the jail. So you wound up having ICE waiting outside in the parking lot which unnecessarily endangered the public.
@6:12 PM: We're being gaslit to believe that fuel prices going down is because of Brandon but fuel prices going up is not because of Brandon. It's not about what the facts are on their face. It's about contorting the facts to advance power and the Democrat Party has no shame about doing that.
@10:16 PM: We've gone from stolen cars in Bethesda to armed carjackings in Bethesda. What comes next is home invasion robberies in Bethesda. Maybe that will be enough to get MoCo leftists to stop voting for the Democrats who allow it to happen. It hasn't been so far. For the number of people out on Bethesda Row, there should be a permanent police presence stationed there.
@5:48 AM: The most powerful tool of propaganda is the power to ignore.
548.- Interesting to note as well that another local site that has a glossy magazine to match does not have one article about any of this crime. This is a familiar tactic isn't it? Don't print it, don't talk about it and everyone thinks all is well. Well, it isn't clearly.
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