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The protests have continued in Portland, entering their third consecutive month in September.
The Trump administration has named three cities that are slated to lose federal funding after the White House accused them of tolerating the crime.
New York City, Portland and Seattle are on the list of “anarchist cities” that Trump officials say have failed to stop crime related to a summer of protests.
A memo from Trump earlier this month follows, threatening the move.
City mayors have vowed to sue, calling Trump’s move a political stunt.
A statement from the Justice Department on Monday laid out recent crime rates in cities and how police responded.
“We cannot allow federal tax dollars to go to waste when the safety of citizenship is at stake,” Attorney General William Barr said in the statement.
He also called on Portland, Seattle, and New York City to “change course and get serious about performing the basic function of government and begin to protect their own citizens.”
All three cities have seen major protests since the death of unarmed black man George Floyd in May.
It’s unclear what federal funding can be cut from cities.
Violent crime has generally declined in American cities since the 1990s, but has risen sharply over the past year in several cities, including Philadelphia, Chicago, and New York.
- Trump’s fact-check on crime in ‘democratic cities’
- Are America’s cities experiencing an increase in violent crime?
What is happening in those cities?
The move comes amid a summer of unrest sparked by protests against the police killing of black Americans. Some of the protests have led to major police reforms across the country.
In New York City, the shooting and murder rate has skyrocketed as youth programs and other social organizations have been suspended due to the pandemic. Cases of looting and vandalism have also made national news, as protests for racial justice have sometimes turned violent.
Reacting to the Justice Department’s announcement on Monday, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio called the decision “another of President Trump’s games,” adding: “It is an insult to the people of the United States. New York City and its [Mr Trump’s] The effort to withhold our funding is unconstitutional. ”
Seattle allowed the establishment of the so-called “autonomous zone,” where protesters barred police from entering six blocks from downtown for nearly a month. The area was torn down in early July after several shootings. The nightly protests have continued ever since.
Portland, Oregon, has often been invoked by Trump as a “Democratic-run” city that has allegedly allowed violence. The protests have continued there every night for more than 100 consecutive days, and have at times escalated into acts of violence and vandalism as protesters fight with the police.
Explanation of Trump’s crackdown on Portland protests
