Trump surges federal agents to Kansas City to combat murder, shootings
The Trump administration is surging 100 federal agents into Kansas City in an effort to combat a rising tide of violence there that liberal politicians want to hire social workers, not the police, to solve.
“U.S. Attorney General William Barr has directed agents from the FBI, the U.S. Marshals, Drug Enforcement Administration and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to be on the ground in Kansas City in the next 10 days to help local and state authorities,” says local KMBC Kansas City.
The operation dubbed “Legend” is named after LeGend Taliferro, a four-year-old boy who was shot while sleeping in his family’s home and later died of his wounds. Police say the apartment was deliberately targeted. Like many cities around the country, Kansas City has seen an uptick in violent crimes, especially shootings, this year.
“The city has recorded 100 homicides so far in 2020, which is a 40% increase over last year,” said KMBC.
Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas, in response to the White House announcement, said he really didn’t know much about the White House effort but promised to use other tools “such as mental health treatment and restorative justice, in addressing violent crime, ” rather than police.
That might be why the White House bypassed the mayor and went directly to the family of the slain child to start the investigation and get permission to use LeGend’s name in the operation.
“My son didn’t even get to make it to kindergarten,” LeGend’s mother Charron Powell told KCTV5.
“They need more people on the ground to help us solve murders,” she added.
Previously, LeGend had survived heart surgery to treat a defect and was waiting for another operation.
“President Trump has made clear: the federal government stands ready and willing to assist any of our state and local law enforcement partners across the nation responding to violent crime,” said Attorney General Bill Barr in announcing the operation.
“Operation Legend will combine federal and local resources to combat the disturbing uptick in violence by surging federal agents and other federal assets into cities like Kansas City, a city currently experiencing its worst homicide rate in its history.”
President Trump has long castigated big city, liberal mayors and progressive governors for being social justice activists while ignoring crime in their cities.
In June, Trump sent a letter to Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot saying, “Violence and death, which are disproportionately harming young African Americans, are tragic and unacceptable, particularly on such a shocking scale [as in Chicago].”
He called for the two to put partisan differences aside to combat growing crime in the city, saying that “the people of Chicago deserve better.”
Operation Legend, it seems, will put Kansas City first in line for getting better treatment, at least, by President Trump.
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