At the Democratic National Committee’s summer meeting this week, a prominent speaker stunned many attendees by suggesting that violent crimes like carjackings “don’t matter to that many Americans” — a comment that immediately sparked backlash and raised questions about how in touch Democratic leadership is with public concerns.
Insha Rahman, Vice President for Advocacy and Partnerships at the Vera Institute of Justice, made the controversial remark during a panel addressing how Democrats should respond to rising crime rates and President Trump’s federal crime crackdown in Washington, D.C.
“You want to talk about the crime issues voters care about,” Rahman said, referencing a poll conducted by Vera’s political arm. “Don’t take the bait and talk about migrant crime or carjackings or the things that actually don’t matter to that many Americans.”
Instead, she urged Democrats to focus on broader systemic issues such as mental health and homelessness. “Most Americans are more worried about how we are going to address mental health issues, the visible homelessness that we see on streets, and how do we deal with mental health and other issues that drive the sort of random incidents that scare all of us – that’s what you should be talking about,” she said.
Rahman framed Trump’s crime crackdown in D.C. as a “huge opportunity” for Democrats to pivot away from what she characterized as fear-mongering about street crime. However, many critics argue her remarks reflect a dangerous detachment from the daily realities faced by residents in cities plagued by lawlessness.
Carjackings have become a serious issue in Washington, D.C. in recent years, with the city logging record-high rates in 2023. Residents and even members of Congress have voiced concerns over the lack of public safety and called for greater enforcement.
For Rahman to dismiss these incidents as unimportant strikes many as tone-deaf, especially as Democrats struggle with public perception that their policies have enabled a rise in urban crime.
As Mike LaChance of the New York Post pointed out, “Every time that these Democrats have an opportunity to show that they are not out of step with the American people, they fail spectacularly.”
If the party follows the advice of think tank consultants like Rahman, they may face even greater political consequences heading into the 2026 midterms, especially among voters who are living through the consequences of unchecked urban crime.
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