Burning city

If you’ve tuned into the news recently, you may have noticed that seemingly every single city has, at once, experienced an epidemic of crime, illegal immigration, and corruption. The president deployed the National Guard to DC, with 19 more states to follow so far. Mayor Wu is in a standoff with Attorney General Bondi over the fate of the militarization of Boston.

On a given day, check how many of the Boston Herald’s headlines are related to crime, or how many times per day MassDailyNews, a new right-wing Boston e-tabloid, rehashes these stories juxtaposed with Mayor Wu’s statement about Boston’s safety.

(Or, don’t, because these stories are weaving a narrative based on fear-mongering and national culture war motifs to lull Americans into ceding their cities to federal control, and they don’t need more clicks.)

Boston’s record

To set the record straight:

  • In 2024, Boston’s homicide count dropped to historic lows
  • Boston’s 2025 homicide rate has jumped 143% in 2025–but only by a total of 17 homicides
  • Overall, Boston is safer than most other major cities in America, even taking into account the increase in violent crime this year

The accusation that Boston is a crime-ridden hellhole is simply unfounded. While violent crime is on the rise, it’s on the heels of historic lows, making it look worse than it is. A problem to be solved to be sure, but not nearly the crisis it’s made out to be.

Manufacturing emergencies

Over the past eight months, we’ve seen a steady erosion of our rights by the executive branch under the guise of being “tough on crime” or “fighting harmful speech”. A few examples I’ve covered:

These actions follow a simple three step process to entice the population to hand its rights over to the government:

  1. Manufacture a crisis: Blast the airwaves with an idea that there is suddenly a problem which affects everyone and needs to be solved now.
  2. Pin a phrase to it: If you support this measure, you’re “tough on crime” or “love America”. “Logically”, if you oppose it, you must be “soft on crime” or “hate America”.
  3. Repeat: Supporters will echo the party line as a show of loyalty, allowing the GOP to set their sights on the next “emergency” while the population argues with itself.

Steps to take

There are actions we can all take on a small scale, other than shaking our heads and waiting for the inevitable:

  1. Correct the record: When you see people in your circles sharing “crime wave” stories, push back with facts. Link to actual crime stats and context. Don’t just say “that’s wrong”, show how the numbers tell a different story, like by using Boston’s crime dashboard.
  2. Amplify local non-force successes: Point out where Boston’s policies have worked—community programs, youth outreach, violence interruption. Policies, not soldiers, reduce violence.
  3. Stay loud about rights: Militarization of cities, censorship under the guise of “safety,” and unconstitutional power grabs happen more easily when people stay silent. Write your representatives, attend council meetings, and submit public comments. These moves lose steam when the pushback is visible and consistent.
  4. Control your attention: Outrage clicks are the oxygen for this narrative wildfire. Be selective about what you engage with and what you amplify. Starve bad-faith outlets of traffic and attention.

Violence is real, but it’s solvable through policy. The more we normalize saying that loudly, backed with numbers, the weaker the “endless emergency” playbook becomes.