A New York City councilman has now announced that he intends to transfer from the Democratic Party to the Republican Party, in part to protest rising crime.
Ari Kagan, a Brooklyn city councilman representing the 47th district, announced his decision to switch parties on Monday, much to the chagrin of many liberals.
Kagan also declared his desire to run against Democrat Justin Brannan in the newly reconfigured district in the general election next year.
Kagan stated that one of the primary reasons he left the Democrats was the incredible increase in crime the city has witnessed in recent years.
Kagan clearly said that the city’s far-left criminal justice reforms and increased crime were the primary reasons he was changing parties.
He specifically mentioned Democratic policy suggestions such as banning solitary imprisonment and prohibiting landlords from conducting criminal background checks on potential renters.
According to NYPD crime data, burglary, grand larceny, and rape declined by 14%, but other crimes climbed.
Felony assaults climbed by 3%, robberies by 3.6%, auto thefts by 9.4%, and 30 killings were recorded in November, a 25% increase over the 25 murders reported in November 2021.
In November 2021, Kagan was elected to the New York City Council. His district includes the communities of Coney Island, Gravesend, and Sea Gate. Kagan arrived in the United States in 1993 as an immigrant from Belarus and the son of Holocaust survivors.
He attended Baruch College and worked for Comptroller John Liu and former Congressman Michael McMahon, as well as for Russian-language media in New York.
Kagan’s political conversion comes at a time when Republicans are making substantial advances in Brooklyn and throughout other parts of New York as well.
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