Washington’s Union Station shows what happens when lawlessness is ignored
John Faso
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While serving in Congress, I had the pleasure of visiting and attending events at Union Station in Washington, D.C. Union Station is a historical landmark in our nation’s capital, and before the pandemic, it was a safe place to eat, shop, or catch a train along the East Coast.
Sadly, the city of Washington is run by a liberal mayor and so-called progressive prosecutors who refuse to enforce our laws as they are written. They have allowed Union Station to become a haven for drugs, violence, and lawlessness.
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That’s why I am proud to serve on the board of Protecting Americans Action Fund, whose mission is to elect prosecutors who will enforce the law as written instead of allowing these so-called progressive prosecutors like Manhattan’s Alvin Bragg and former San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin, who was recalled this past summer, to single-handedly determine which laws to enforce.
The effect of not enforcing our laws at Union Station, which includes allowing homeless tent communities, the use of illicit drugs, and enabling retail theft to fester, has driven both corporate and small business owners away.
For example, Starbucks was forced to close 16 stores because of safety issues, including drug use and other disruptive behaviors, that threatened staff. One of those locations was in Union Station in Washington, of course. Over half of the commercial space is now empty inside Union Station, and the Washington Post reports that crime continues to rise there and across Capitol Hill.
What has occurred at Union Station mirrors what we see in our cities, suburbs, and rural communities across the country. That’s why Protecting Americans Action Fund is committed to electing prosecutors who understand their role is to follow the law, not revise it unilaterally.
Whether you are a Republican, a Democrat, or somewhere in the middle, enforcing our laws should not be a polarizing topic. If done correctly, it will make us all safer.
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John J. Faso formerly served in the U.S. Congress and the New York State legislature.