Free Republic

The House Subcommittee on Innovation, Data and Commerce hosted a hearing, headlined “Economic Danger Zone: How America Competes to Win the Future Versus China.” The problem? The witnesses consisted of a string of leftist-funded, Big Tech-backed organizations trying to push a dystopian artificial intelligence (AI) and autonomous vehicle (AV) scheme under the pretense of protecting American national security against China. The Feb. 1 subcommittee hearing, headed by subcommittee chairman Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) specifically placed emphasis on beating Communist China in the global race for AI and AV technology while also supposedly stifling the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) attempts to...

The pro-crime city of Oakland, California kept releasing a violent serial criminal named Romeo Lorenzo Parham again and again and again, because they wanted him to commit as many violent crimes as possible. The city got exactly what it wanted. He just punched a 91-year-old Asian woman with dementia, and knocked her into the concrete.By Daniel Alman (aka Dan from Squirrel Hill)January 30, 2023Romeo Lorenzo Parham is a violent serial criminal who lives in Oakland, California.This is his arrest record. Source: https://www.localcrimenews.com/welcome/detail/79823620/romeo-parham-arrest.htmlPrevious ArrestsRomeo Lorenzo ParhamViolation Parole: Felony 4/9/2022Battery w/Serious Bodily Injury 5/11/2017Robbery Violation of Probation 5/9/2017Battery w/Serious Bodily Injury, Assault...

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot has been slammed for cheerfully dancing in the streets during a Lunar New Year parade, as violent crime surges and major retailers abandon the Windy City’s main drag. Lightfoot, who is seeking re-election next month, was captured on video busting moves while surrounded by a drumline at Sunday’s parade. Her carefree dancing prompted one Chicago news outlet to blast her as “detached from reality.” “Since @chicagosmayor’s term began, Chicago has suffered 2,278 homicides and over 9,000 shot. Since January 1, the city has endured 41 homicides and 194 shot,” the Chicago Contrarian outlet said in a...

Right now, America is facing a level of lawlessness that is highly disconcerting. Everywhere we turn, we see the dismissal of what is supposed to be the law. Whether it is at the border, on our streets, in our courts, in our schools, or even in our homes, there is a dedicated, purposeful, and intentional desire to undermine the rule of law. Therefore, as we are in dire need of a discussion and understanding of the topic, it is pertinent to ask: what is the law? I recommend that we look to a French economist named Frederick Bastiat, who wrote...

A South Austin business owner says aggressive people experiencing homelessness and slow police response times make it hard to keep the business open.Laura North, the owner of Headspace Salon and Co-op, is calling for Austin police to respond quicker to active attacks and asking the City of Austin to move faster in finding housing for the homeless... "We have men hiding in the bushes waiting for us to leave work at night," North said. "We've been threatened with rape, with murder."There's a large homeless camp next to the salon, with tents scattered under the highway near Ben White Boulevard and...

George Soros is the most dangerous man in America. The investor is intent on remaking the country to his liberal image, from our foreign policy priorities to undermining our criminal justice system. ... To see just how much law and order has eroded under George Soros-backed “progressive prosecutors,” consider Loudoun County, Virginia.. Buta Biberaj .... Soros dumped $659,000 into the Loudoun County commonwealth attorney race backing Biberaj for the position, which she won by a slim 49.5% to 47.5% margin despite the massive cash advantage. ... Biberaj is just one of 75 prosecutors nationwide who were backed by Soros for...

A San Francisco tech executive has branded the downtown area 'dystopian' after she walked past 'hundreds' of homeless people. Michelle Tandler, 37, shared a picture from her Saturday night trip to a bar in the wilting Democrat-run city. She posted the image of a distressing scene that featured a group of homeless men surrounding by trash and graffiti.

Chase Bank says it has begun closing formerly 24/7 ATM vestibules at 5 p.m. or 6 p.m. in the New York City area as a result of the “rising crime and vagrancy” in the city. The U.S.-based national bank shared the news in response to a Twitter user’s question last week. “Our apologies. We decide to close several ATM vestibules at 5PM or 6PM, aligning the hours of service to that of the normal branch hours, due to rising crime and vagrancy that occurred in these previously 24/7 vestibules,” Chase Bank’s customer service team wrote in a tweet. In a...

BALTIMORE (WBFF) — The Juvenile Justice Reform Act, known previously as House Bill 459, does not allow anyone under 13 to be charged with certain crimes. As juvenile crime has plagued Baltimore City, it is also happening in Harford County. Harford County Sheriff Jeff Gahler says in January alone, 18 juveniles, who fall under the law, can't be charged with crimes. Some of those crimes involved thefts, burglaries, and much more. "Someone sent some pictures that they shouldn't have sent, which is a crime," said Gahler. Gahler feels lawmakers in Annapolis were not considering the right factors when passing the...

New York City kept letting this violent serial criminal out again and again and again, until he finally murdered a 61-year-old woman by repeatedly hitting her on the head with a rock. For this murder, he was only sentenced to 20 years. With parole, he could be out a lot sooner. I wonder how long it will be until he gets out and murders someone else. Every city gets exactly as much crime as it’s willing to tolerate.

Yesterday the Wall Street Journal had a story about a topic I’ve covered before, the hollowing out of American cities as a result of changes brought on by the pandemic. One symptom of those changes is the decline of mass transit in major cities on both coasts.While offices have largely reopened and travel has resumed, many commuters are only coming in a few days a week. That shift has left subways, buses and commuter trains operating at well below capacity—particularly on Mondays and Fridays…The ridership drop also has fueled an increase in transit crime, which in turn has pushed away...

Gun sales have crossed into new and 'historic' territory,... averaging over 16 million 'sold annually' as buyers who are concerned about violent crime arm up. According to the FBI, the last three years have recorded new highs in gun sales and background checks....Gun store representatives have told Secrets that concerns about safety and fears of violent political division in the nation are helping to drive sales. Also, record numbers are getting concealed carry permits, which typically precede gun purchases.

As a new year dawns, we can’t help but look back on recent changes, and wonder what changes are in store for us. The first thing that came to my mind, a downright surprising realization for me, as I look back on this Christmas season, is the realization that it was the first Christmas ever in which I did not set foot inside a mall. And I am not alone. The business pages have followed the ebb and flow of retail for decades. The huge department store has suffered; the small boutique chain has felt it too. The big mall...

On New Year’s Day, a dangerous but hilariously misnamed new law was set to take effect in Illinois. The “SAFE-T Act” was scheduled to alter the state’s handling of criminal prosecutions in ways that would make it much harder to prosecute and imprison criminals. One of the key facets of the bill would bring an end to cash bail in most cases, allowing even more suspects to be immediately put back out onto the streets after being detained. Prosecutors from across the state sued to prevent the rule from going into effect and last Wednesday a county judge found the...

Perhaps most outrageously, the bakery's industrial safe was taken, despite being screwed to the restaurant's basement floor. Meknassi told CBS Bay Area: 'I don't know what they did to unscrew it from the floor, but yeah. It's not like it's our first rodeo.' Le Marais Bakery was the victim of burglars for the sixth time on December 26 Burglars took iPads, materials from their sales counter and ripped out cables Owner Patrick Ascaso called out the area's liberal politicians after the theft Ascaso said: 'It happens over and over and nothing changes' A bakery in San Francisco has called out...

A nationwide shoplifting epidemic is crippling the finances of brick-and-mortar retailers, who warn that they may be forced to raise prices or even shutter stores in order to offset tens of billions of dollars in lost inventory. The National Retail Foundation is estimating that it lost $94.5 billion last year due to “shrink” — an industry term that means lost inventory — which is being blamed primarily on shoplifting, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Hundreds of Seattle businesses have applied for grants from the city to fix up storefronts damaged by rising crime in Washington state's largest city. According to a report by KING-TV, 430 businesses have applied to receive funds from Seattle’s Office of Economic Development which were made available to help business owners fix property damage that includes broken windows, broken doors, broken locks and etching on windows. Datza Tamane, who owns a yoga studio in Seattle’s East Lake neighborhood, told the outlet she is considering adding her name to the list of businesses after a recent early morning break-in that left...

Less than a month before those arrested in Illinois will no longer have the option of posting bail as a condition of release while awaiting trial, Gov. J.B. Pritzker quietly signed a package that makes significant changes to the law taking effect in January. In a press release Tuesday afternoon, Pritzker said the bill (HB1095) “addresses misinformation” and makes clarifications “that uphold the principle we fought to protect: to bring an end to a system where wealthy violent offenders can buy their way out of jail, while less fortunate nonviolent offenders wait in jail for trial.” The changes approved last...

Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón has ordered his prosecutors to avoid filing criminal charges against illegal immigrants - so that they don't get deported. Woke Gascón's new directive issued this week means prosecutors will have to weigh the effects of their charging decisions on the immigration status of the suspects. Instead, they will be encouraged to seek diversion programs to help avoid offenders, living in LA illegally, from being deported

Philadelphia's police force remains understaffed. According to the Philadelphia Police Department, there have been 478 murders so far this year. The odds of becoming a victim of a property crime in the city are 1 in 34. One North Philadelphia proprietor has had enough. No longer willing to leave his life, his livelihood, and his customers' well-being to chance, Neil Patel, who runs Karco gas station at Broad and Clearfield streets, has raised his own defense force. It is unclear, however, if elements of that force's past offenses will come back to jeopardize the initiative. Patel owns 22 gas stations...