CONGRATULATIONS, YOU GUYS, JOB
WELL DONE.
AMBER SMITH IS A FORMER IRAQ WAR
COMBAT PILOT.
A FORMER DEPUTY ASSISTANT TO THE
SECOND OF DEFENSE AND AUTHOR OF
THE BOOK "DANGER CLOSE" THE
CONTEXT OF BEING IN A THEATER OF
WAR IS VERY DIFFERENT THAN BEING
IN A DANGEROUS NEIGHBORHOOD IN A
CITY IN AMERICA.
BUT WHAT IS YOUR REACTION TO
THIS STUDY SHOWING IF YOU ARE 18
TO 29 AGE MALE IN THESE PLACES
YOUR CHANCE OF I DO SOMETHING
MUCH HIGHER THAN IF YOU WERE TO
BE DEPLOYED.
>> I THINK IT’S PRETTY
DEVASTATING STATISTIC THAT
AMERICANS ARE SAFER TO JOIN THE
MILITARY AND SERVE AND FIGHT IN
A COMBAT ZONE LIKE IRAQ AND
AFGHANISTAN THAN TO LIVE IN A
COUPLE OF THESE AMERICAN CITIES.
AND IT’S ABSOLUTELY TRUE.
CHICAGO IS A WAR ZONE.
PHILPHILADELPHIA IS A WAR ZONE I
REFLECTED IN THE WAY THAT
PEOPLE -- THERE’S MASS EXODUSES
IN THOSE CITIES RIGHT NOW.
PEOPLE DON’T WANT TO SEE THESE
CRIMINAL DAMAGES GANGS THAT ARE
OUT OF CONTROL AND SWARMING
VEHICLES AS THEY COME TO STOP
LIGHTS AND ARE ROBBED BY WEAPONS
IN BROAD DAYLIGHT, WHERE THERE
IS ESSENTIALLY A LAWLESS CITY.
I JUST THINK THAT THESE ARE THE
DIRECT REFLECTION OF THESE SOFT
ON CRIME POLICIES THAT WE’RE
SEEING AT THE VERY TOP AND THIS
VERY ANTI-POLICE RHETORIC THAT
WE ARE SEEING FROM SOME MEMBERS
OF CONGRESS LIKE AOC, THE SQUAD,
AND THE DEFUND THE POLICE
MOVEMENT.
THESE POLICIES AND THIS RHETORIC
IS WHAT IS PUSHING THIS RISE OF
CRIME THAT WE ARE SEEING IN
CITIES.
>> ANOTHER DISTINCTION IS THAT
WHEN YOU JOIN THE MILITARY AS
YOU KNOW AND YOU GO FIGHT FOR
YOUR COUNTRY OVERSEAS.
YOU ARE DOING IT FOR A PURPOSE.
DOING IT TO FIGHT AMERICANS AT
HOME FROM A FOREIGN THREAT.
IN DEFENSE OF THE COUNTRY.
THERE IS A PURPOSE TO IT.
HERE, IT’S LIKE THE PURPOSE IS
JUST TO BE PART OF A GANG AND TO
ENGAGE IN THIS VIOLENCE FOR THE
SAKE OF, WHAT, EXACTLY?
>> YEAH, EXACTLY.
I THINK IT DOES COME BACK TO
LACK OF POLICE SUPPORT.
WHEN I WAS SERVED IN THE
MILITARY WHEN WE HAD TO DEPLOY
TO A WAR ZONE.
I SERVED IN BOTH IRAQ AND
AFGHANISTAN.
WE HAD THE SUPPORT OF OUR CHAIN
OF COMMAND, WE HAD THE RESOURCES
WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO ACCOMPLISH
A MISSION.
WE HAD TOP RESOURCES, WEAPONS
AND AMMUNITION TO ENSURE THAT
THE TEAM MADE IT BACK SAFELY.
BUT, MOST IMPORTANTLY, WE HAD
THE BACKING OF THE AMERICAN
PEOPLE.
WE KNEW WE WERE SUPPORTED HERE
AT HOME AND IT MADE SUCH A
DIFFERENCE.
SO I THINK WITH THIS RISE IN
CRIME THAT WE ARE SEEING IN
THESE CITIES, THE POLICE ARE
ESSENTIALLY BEING OVERRUN.
THEY DON’T HAVE THE SUPPORT OF
THEIR ELECTED LEADERSHIP, OF
SOME OF THESE LIBERAL CITIES,
THEIR MAYORS, THESE DISTRICT
ATTORNEYS THAT ARE REFUSING TO
PROSECUTE CRIMINALS.
EVERYTHING FROM MISDEMEANORS ALL
THE WAY UP TO PEOPLE WHO ARE
RIOTING, THEFT, YOU NAME IT.
AND SO THEY DO NOT HAVE THE
SUPPORT, THE PEOPLE TO BACK THEM
UP AFTER THEY MAKE THESE ARRESTS
AND GET THESE CRIMINALS OFF THE
STREET.
THE D.A. IS SENDING THEM RIGHT
BACK TO THE STREET.
SO THEY’RE NOT INTERESTING THAT
SUPPORT THAT WE HAD FROM OUR
LEADERSHIP WHEN WE WERE IN THE
MILITARY SERVING IN COMBAT.
>> Katie: THE GUYS WHO WANT TO
GO IN A PROTECT PEOPLE FROM THIS
KIND OF BAD BEHAVIOR PROTECT
PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN THESE
NEIGHBORHOODS WHO AREN’T PART OF
THE GANGS ARE THE ONES WHO ARE
NOT BEING ABLE TO GET THAT AS A
RESULT OF THE LACK OF MORALE,
RIGHT?
IT SEEMS LIKE THERE IS THIS
CULTURAL ROT THAT’S OCCURRED AND
I DON’T REALLY KNOW WHERE WE GO
FROM HERE, GIVEN, AS YOU SAID,
PEOPLE ARE ABANDONING THE
CITIES.
POLICE DON’T HAVE THE SUPPORT
FROM THE PEOPLE WHO FUND THEM
AND GIVE THEM THE RESOURCES THAT
THEY NEED.
I JUST THINK IT’S GOING TO GET
WORSE.
>> IT IS -- WE ARE SEEING THE
NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF OVER TWO
YEARS OF THIS DEFUND THE POLICE
RHETORIC AND MOVEMENT WITH
PEOPLE PUSHING -- PEOPLE PUSHING
THIS WITHOUT THINKING OF THE
CONSEQUENCES.
AND WE’RE SADLY SEEING THE
MORALE BEING SIGNIFICANTLY
DAMAGED IN THE LAW ENFORCEMENT
CULTURE AND THINGS HAVE GOT TO
CHANGE.
SO THERE’S THIS -- THESE LAWLESS
CITIES COME TO AN END AND WE GET
SOME LAW AND ORDER BACK IN THEM
FOR THE SAFETY OF THE AMERICAN
PEOPLE.
>> Katie: IT’S SHOCKING THAT
YOUNG MEN IN THESE CITIES HAVE A
HIGHER LIKELIHOOD OF BEING SHOT
AND KILLED IN THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD
BY A FELLOW GANG MEMBER THAN
THEY DO IF THEY WERE TO JOIN THE
MILITARY FOR A LARGER PURPOSE
THAN THEMSELVES AND BE DEPLOYED
OVERSEAS.
IT’S OUTRAGEOUS AND DEVASTATING
AS YOU SAID.
AMBER SMITH THANKS SO MUCH FOR
COMING ON TONIGHT.