News/Commentary

Dem-run town in NC sees 200% jump in break-ins, one cop faults local DA: ‘There is no accountability’

February 5, 2023 | | Print Article

The leftist utopia of Asheville — North Carolina’s version of Portland, Oregon — has predictably turned into a criminal paradise. Surprise, surprise.

“According to the Asheville Police Department, officers responded to 41 break-ins in 2022. Just one month into 2023, they’ve already had 11 reports – a 200% + monthly increase,” local station WLOS reported last week.

Chris Faber, the owner of the Times Bar, is one victim.

“The first time, [they stole] about $700 or $800 in cash and about 10 or so bottles of whisky, or alcohol. The second time, there was no cash, but another 10, 12 bottles. [They] took our dirty rag hamper and dumped all the rags on the ground, and then used that to load up booze,” he told the station, describing two recent break-ins.

The same suspect later reportedly broke into the business next door.

“It’s wildly frustrating, and mostly for me it’s frustrating because I’m not comfortable leaving my bar by itself when it happens that frequently. We just don’t know what to do as a preventative measure, other than what we’re already doing,” Faber said.

Nearby business owner Chuckie McKelvey of the Asheville Yacht Club, a bar, feels Faber’s pain. Her business was hit on Jan. 18th.

“I feel like we’re all suffering the problem, but none of us really have a great solution. Of course, if more police presence were there, that would be a helpful deterrent. But I understand that that’s just not an option right now,” she told WLOS.

But it’s not just a police presence issue. It’s also a prosecution issue.

Speaking anonymously to The Carolina Journal back in September, one Asheville police officer blamed the upswing in crime on the local district attorney’s office.

“Crime will continue to rise when there is no accountability for subjects of a crime. Officers overlook so many things because they know that it will go nowhere in court,” the officer said.

The quote was published only days after a report emerged that Asheville had seen a 31 percent surge in violent crime per 100,000 people from 2016 to 2020.

“Asheville’s growth in violent crime is nearly double that of the national average and ranks among the highest in North Carolina, where violent crime has increased 13% statewide,” Fox News reported at the time.

“Asheville has so far seen 11 homicides in 2022, setting it on pace to surpass the homicide rate of 2021 and 2020. Rates of homelessness have increased 21% since 2021, according to data released in May. There is also evidence of increased Mexican drug cartel activity in the area,” according to Fox News.

Dovetailing back to the police presence issue, Asheville Police Department (APD) and the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office have reportedly been hemorrhaging officers left and right ever since 2020.

So much so, in fact, that two years ago the department announced that it would no longer be responding to certain calls as per their lack of officers.

“The department said it’s no longer responding to crimes including thefts under $1,000 where there is no suspect information, vehicle break ins where there is no suspect information, ‘minimal damage and/or graffiti’ where there is no suspect info, and reports of fraud, scams and identity theft,” station WSPA reported.

Is it any wonder that crime has been skyrocketing there?

It’s to the point that “some [business owners] have declined to even report [break-ins],” according to APD senior officer Robert Crume.

“They just report the loss to their insurance and move on. They’ve become so frustrated with the situation,” he told station WLOS.

Chef William Dissen, the owner of The Market Place restaurant, would know. According to WLOS, he said the damage his business incurred from recent acts of vandalism and theft “shut down his restaurant for a week while they worked to replace the fixtures and equipment.”

He’s now reportedly calling for action.

“I love Asheville. I’ve been here a long time, and I do my best in our business — we do our best — to support the community, but now it’s time to take our community back. We need the help from the city, we need the help from the politicians and our legislators to put appropriations into the safety of our town,” he said on Thursday.

But critics say the only way to fix Asheville is to scrap its entire leadership team — which is comprised of Democrats — and replace it with new leaders who know what the hell they’re doing.

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Vivek Saxena
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