Way back in 1982, James Q Wilson and George Kelling came up with a unique perspective regarding crime. It was called the “Broken Windows Theory.” They posited that the deterioration of a neighborhood contributed to an increase in crime. They were not advocating that the streets be paved with gold. What they were saying is that when the residents of a neighborhood perceived that it was unsafe to leave their homes and businesses, crime increased. Welcome to Seattle!
Wilson and Kelling took a different view. They saw serious crime as the final result of a lengthier chain of events, theorizing that crime emanated from disorder and that if disorder were eliminated, then serious crimes would not Their theory further posits that the prevalence of disorder creates fear in the minds of citizens who are convinced that the area is unsafe. This withdrawal from the community weakens social controls that previously kept criminals in check. Once this process begins, it feeds itself. Disorder causes crime, and crime causes further disorder and crime.
James Q Wilson and George Kelling, 1982 broken windows theory | Description & Results | Britannica
Pick a democrat run city, any city. City streets, sidewalks, and parks are there for the benefit of the community, at large. Except when they are not. Homeless encampments, skid row, and so-called people’s parks, are not created for all of the citizenry. Instead, they are reserved for the lame, lazy, drug addicted and crazy. In all of their wisdom liberals choose neighborhoods to be havens for the chaos such folks bring. Unsurprisingly, those areas never encompass the enclaves of those that make the policy.
I have a companion theory. I don’t think Wilson and Kelling went far enough. I would attach the blame on John Ford, Clint Eastwood, John Wayne and all the other Hollywood cowboy greats. Think back to the westerns. Consider the barren cityscapes that Eastwood’s man with no name inhabits. It’s just Eastwood and the bad guys as they shoot up downtown in the city of no-name. Where were the good citizens when John Wayne took on the cattle baron in “El Dorado?” In how many westerns did the citizens flee the streets when the sheriff stepped off the boardwalk to confront his nemesis? People have been conditioned to believe that they have no stake in their neighborhood.
In Seattle, it has apparently become government policy to cede control of sections of the city to those who would impose chaos. The citizens and businesses are apparently okay with it. I’d say let it burn, except for one fear. Those assholes will move to Texas. I’m not calling the thugs assholes, but the good citizens of Seattle who are complicit in the demise of their city.
