Justin Bibb, Stop Deflecting Responsibility for Cleveland Violence

CLEVELAND—In the wake of yet another tragic shooting in Cleveland, Justin Bibb is reading from the same sheet of music being played by failed liberal mayors around the country. Cut police funding and blame law-abiding gun owners.

“Our hearts go out to the victims of this senseless crime, and it is sickening to see Mayor Bibb play politics rather than doing everything in his power to stop the violence in our city,” said Cuyahoga County GOP Chairman Lisa Stickan. “Elected Democratic leadership—including Mayor Bibb and the City Council—have a dangerously understaffed and under-supported police force, resulting in rising crime and dangerous conditions for residents and business owners. It is time for Mayor Bibb and the elected leadership to address these issues and take responsibility.”

Unfortunately, this tragedy is just another example of skyrocketing crime under Bibb’s watch. For the first four months of the year, felony assault is up 25%, sex offenses are up 22%, robbery is up 19% and theft is up 23%. Also, the number of stolen cars has more than doubled.

Despite the spike in crime, it appears Mayor Bibb is more focused on spending taxpayer dollars to promote himself than he is about fixing violence in his community.

Unfortunately, the out-of-touch policies being pushed by Ohio’s Democrat mayors are not unique to Cleveland. After a string of violence in Columbus, Democrat Mayor Andrew Ginther opted to attack small business owners, and unsuccessfully tried to blame food trucks.

“It is amazing that every time there is a tragedy involving a firearm, Democrat mayors who villainize law enforcement want to also remove families’ ability to defend themselves,” said Chairman Alex Triantafilou. “The soft on crime policies in New York, Chicago, and San Francisco have been a complete disaster, and Mayor Bibb should stop trying to emulate them.”

Bottom Line: It is past time for failed Democrat mayors to take responsibility for the violence in their cities, support law enforcement, and stop playing the blame game every time there is a tragedy.