[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 183 (Monday, November 6, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Page S5348]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                                 Crime

  Madam President, on another matter, while the United States and our 
allies face terrorist and authoritarian violence abroad, the American 
people continue to face waves of unchecked violence here at home.
  Just last month, a member of our colleague Senator Britt's staff was 
robbed at gunpoint right outside of her apartment building. Thankfully, 
this young woman was not injured.
  But stories like hers have become all too common in our Nation's 
Capital. According to Washington Metropolitan Police, robbery in the 
city has increased by 70 percent this year--70 percent. Motor vehicle 
theft is up 101 percent.
  And, in the midst of rising violent crime, a particularly alarming 
spate of anti-Semitic violence has come to a head in the wake of 
October 7. In New York City, authorities have recorded 66 anti-Semitic 
hate crimes in just the last month.
  On October 14, exactly 1 week after Hamas's deadly attack, a 29-year-
old woman was beaten on the subway in Manhattan. The attacker 
reportedly told the victim that the reason for his attack was because 
``you are Jewish.''
  A Jewish deli in the city was vandalized with multiple images of the 
swastika symbol.
  And, of course, murderous threats against Jewish students at Cornell 
University have prompted an FBI investigation.
  In just the first 2 weeks after October 7, the threat of anti-Semitic 
violence against American Jews nearly quadrupled. The American left has 
gone out of its way to downplay the threats they face with everything 
from ``both sides'' statements to outright incitement.
  All Americans deserve to feel safe in their homes and in their 
communities. It is long past time for Democrats to take the historic 
waves of violence in America seriously.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The senior Senator from Illinois.