Democrats Change Course on Policing, Amid Rising Pressure on Crime (original) (raw)
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Democrats Face Pressure on Crime From a New Front: Their Base
Not long ago, the party was focused on police reform, but rising fears of violence, especially among communities of color, have led candidates to change course.
Wes Moore, a Democratic candidate for Maryland governor, speaking during a rally in Baltimore in April.Credit...Sarahbeth Maney/The New York Times
June 3, 2022
BALTIMORE — A crowd of several hundred voters listened closely as Wes Moore, a Democratic candidate for governor of Maryland, unspooled a soaring peroration about bringing a spirit of unity to state government. Introduced by a sparkling drum line and a row of local dignitaries on a bright and windy Saturday, Mr. Moore promised to deliver a better quality of life for East Baltimore on issues from education to personal safety.
Listening from across a small park was Teresa Armwood, a resident of the neighborhood. Ms. Armwood, 75, said she liked Mr. Moore’s tone overall but had not yet picked a favorite from the throng of Democrats seeking to lead the state.
One subject was foremost in her mind: crime.
Gesturing to a block of low-rise brick homes a short distance from Mr. Moore’s bandstand, Ms. Armwood traced what she described as a perilous journey from her door to the nearest mass transit.
“I walk from over there to the bus stop, and from the bus stop back over there,” she said. “And hope I get that far.”
In Democratic strongholds like Maryland, a rise in violent crime has pushed the party’s candidates to address the issue of public safety in newly urgent terms. Even before the recent mass shootings in Buffalo and Uvalde, Texas, reignited the debate over gun control, day-to-day gun crimes and other acts of violence were rattling the American electorate.
Long seen as a political wedge for Republicans to use against Democrats, crime is increasingly a subject of concern within the Democratic Party and the big cities that make up much of its political base.
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