In a series of short interviews that turned out to be extremely entertaining, fired CNN anchor and current independent podcast host Don Lemon tried to get residents of the deep blue, crime-ridden city of Baltimore to attack Trump’s crackdown on crime in DC, but ended up being told by nearly all of them that they hoped he’d clean up their notoriously violent city too.
In fact, during the unintentionally funny interview that aired on Friday, September 5, the series of individuals that Don Lemon spoke to in a notoriously rough neighborhood of Baltimore said that they want to see troops deal with crime in their neighborhood like is happening in DC, and that they think a troop deployment would “straighten everything out.”
As background, Lemon’s tiresome hysterics and the Baltimore residents’ prudent commentary come as the Trump Administration cracks down on crime in DC by deploying National Guard troops and assuming oversight of the Metropolitan Police Department. Their efforts have led to a massive reduction in crime in the formerly quite dangerous city, including an 87% reduction in carjackings, and led to grudging approval from Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser.
Further, Trump has indicated that the Guard could be sent to Baltimore as well, saying, “Chicago is a hellhole right now. Baltimore is a hellhole right now. We have a right to do it because I have an obligation to do it to protect this country, and that includes Baltimore.”
In any case, like even more positive versions of Mayor Bowser, the Baltimore residents told a befuddled Don Lemon that they support a crackdown on crime. One elderly woman, for example, said that her husband had been murdered by a carjacker in front of their home, and the murderer never faced justice. “I want justice,” she said.
She also said, commenting on the idea of a National Guard deployment to her neighborhood, “I have been a resident of Maryland all my life, so I think it would help some.” When Lemon asked, “And you would like to see the troops here and the National Guard?” she told him, “Yes.”
In another incident, a male Baltimorean told Lemon that the crime situation has devolved to the point of being completely out of hand and dangerous. He said, “It’s getting out of hand, man.” Continuing, that resident told Lemon, “All these killings all the time. You know, the murder rate’s going higher and higher and all the drugs.”
Further, that resident told Lemon that sending in the troops to crack down on the criminals would help rebuild Baltimore to what it used to be, saying, “Send the troops to straighten everything out, you know what I mean? And then, like, you know, make Baltimore great again. Rebuild it back how it was a long time ago.”
Another man, this one a Muslim in Muslim garb, told Lemon that cracking down on crime with a National Guard deployment could clean up some of the neighborhoods in the city, saying, “I’m not opposed to it. I think it’ll be a good idea. Maybe we can clean up some of these crime-ridden neighborhoods.” He went on to note that crime in the city is absolutely “atrocious” and that a change in that status would be “a breath of fresh air.”
Watch those hilarious moments here:
Featured image: Screen shot from embedded video
