On Monday, September 21, it was reported by The New York Times that the Department of Justice has designated notably liberal cities New York, Seattle, and Portland as "anarchist jurisdictions," which may result in those cities losing federal funding.
The news was received as a fairly transparent attempt by the Trump administration to threaten and intimidate the Democratic leadership of the cities.
Though the DOJ claims New York has "permitted violence and destruction of property to persist and have refused to undertake reasonable measures to counteract criminal activities," New Yorkers online were quick to show this is not true.
Trump's Attorney General and frequent defender William Barr issued a statement, saying:
"When state and local leaders impede their own law enforcement officers and agencies from doing their jobs, it endangers innocent citizens who deserve to be protected, including those who are trying to peacefully assemble and protest."
"We cannot allow federal tax dollars to be wasted when the safety of the citizenry hangs in the balance. It is my hope that the cities identified by the Department of Justice today will reverse course and become serious about performing the basic function of government and start protecting their own citizens."
Many of New York's "citizenry" took to the internet to insist their safety was not "hanging in the balance."
If this is an "anarchist jurisdiction," perhaps they aren't so scary.
On Twitter, most New Yorkers seemed to understand that their federal government was trying to punish them for protesting, as well as for consistently voting Democrat.
New Yorkers are famous for their sass and quick wit, both of which came through with flying colors.
New York doesn't seem any more anarchist than usual.
The general sentiment on social media was that the federal government should not be used to punish citizens based on their political preferences.
Unless, of course, fascist dictatorship is your political ideology.
@huntichon/X
@bigugly/X
@JonCowboyBear/X
@TommyJerry4000/X