These Three Liberal-Controlled Cities Have Worst Post-COVID Downturn Rebounds

The progressive approach to law enforcement in certain major US cities, supported by George Soros and others, has been a complete failure as residents’ quality of life has collapsed. Soaring violent crime and controversial open-air drug markets plague the downtown areas of San Francisco, Cleveland, and Portland, transforming these areas into wastelands. 

A recent study commissioned by the Institute of Governmental Studies at the University of California Berkeley found that San Francisco’s downtown activity was only 31% this spring (between March and May) compared to pre-Covid levels. Cleveland was at 36%, and Portland was at 41%.

Meanwhile, after the pandemic, Salt Lake City, Utah, Bakersfield, California, and Columbus, Ohio, experienced the most massive booms in downtown activity.

Researchers used data from 18 million smartphone users traveling through America’s busiest metro areas to determine which downtown areas bounced back the most and least. 

What’s striking in the data is that the worst bouncebacks are in liberal-controlled metro areas that have either defunded the police or at least tried, allowed for open-air drug markets, and made shoplifting only a misdemeanor. 

The study’s results are no surprise to readers as disastrous progressive policies ignited a tsunami of violent crime in liberal-controlled cities, resulting in an exodus of the population with migration trends to metro areas where law and order were more stable (such as towns in Montana). 

The common denominator among the metropolises with the smallest downtown activity bouncebacks is controlled by Democrats who endlessly create havoc at the expense of law-abiding citizens. 

However, there is good news. People are waking up from their liberal amnesia and are ousting those who have made things worse for them. 

A perfect example is San Francisco’s chief prosecutor Chesa Boudin who was booted from office this summer. He was backed by Soros and came under fire for failed progressive criminal-justice reform policies that led to a sharp increase in drug overdose deaths, homelessness, and thefts, including smash-and-grab robberies, car burglaries, shoplifting, and other property crimes.

Third on the list is Portland, for the lowest bounceback in downtown activity. This liberal-controlled area is no stranger to readers as the metro area is plagued with soaring homelessness, drug overdoses, and surging violent crime after left-wing protests called for defunding the police. 

The progressive mismanagement of America’s cities has only accelerated post-Covid, resulting in a mass exodus of households and businesses fleeing these hellholes for ones that are safe and economically friendly. The exodus will continue, pushing some liberal cities to the proverbial financial edge as their tax base evaporates. 

America’s cities need a new generation of leaders who will be brave enough to counter decades of failed progressive leadership and inform voters their collapse in quality of life is due to bad policymaking.