DOJ threatens “anarchist” cities with funding cuts

WASHINGTON—U.S. Attorney General William Barr on Monday accused New York City, Seattle, and Portland, Ore., of “permitting violence and destruction of property” while failing to support the police and protect their citizens. A memo President Donald Trump sent earlier this month would allow the federal government to designate the cities as “anarchist jurisdictions,” which could cost them federal grant money.

Why these cities? Barr noted that New York cut its police department budget by $1 billion despite a rise in shootings over the past three months. He also cited Portland’s refusal to accept federal law enforcement support during more than 100 days of violent protests and Seattle’s failure to quickly shut down the Capitol Hill Occupied Protest in June.

Dig deeper: Read Marvin Olasky’s analysis from this summer of how Christians should respond to peaceful and violent protests.