'The Five' react to Democrats, such as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, downplaying crime
'The Five' panel react to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Lori Lightfoot downplaying crime
The co-hosts of "The Five" said Wednesday the alleged arson attack on a Christmas tree outside Fox News' New York City headquarters reflects a wider trend of rising crime in Democratic cities nationwide.
Fox News' All-American Christmas Tree was seriously damaged in a fire early Wednesday. The suspect, identified as Craig Tamanaha, 49, had three prior arrests: two for drug possession and one for public intoxication. He was said to be homeless with a last known address in Brooklyn.
The tree, which reached a height of 50 feet, took 21 hours to assemble and was adorned with 10,000 glass ornaments and 100,000 lights. The attack was symbolic on multiple levels, the co-hosts of "The Five" said.
"The tree basically represents the kind of random violence that is fueled by mental illness that has become pretty much part of everyday city life," Greg Gutfeld said.
FDNY firefighters managed to get the fire under control and there were no reported injuries. (Fox)
"There are criminally deranged people living on our streets, and we're merely … part of some weird experiment where progressives had never really thought about what happens when you allow unstable and dangerous people into the general public. Well, they assault women … [and] there's lots of property damage, and now you see a tree getting burned down."
"[When] you walk up and down the streets of New York, you see the consequences of Mayor de Blasio's utter failure in dealing with the mentally ill," Gutfeld continued. "Innocent civilians, tourists, people in Times Square in broad daylight are … getting bludgeoned. They're getting murdered by people who do not belong in the street. And we want to get them off the street because they're a danger to themselves as well. But we have a grotesque … ghoulish mayor who doesn't give a flying F."
New York's Mayor Bill de Blasio makes declarations at a mass vaccination site at Yankee Stadium amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic in the Bronx borough of New York City, New York, U.S., February 5, 2021. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri (REUTERS/Carlo Allegri)
FOX SQUARE'S ALL-AMERICAN CHRISTMAS TREE BURNED IN FIRE, SUSPECT ARRESTED
Judge Jeanine Pirro said that writing most criminal offenses off as an outcome of mental illness is wrong.
"We don't know that this guy [Fox News Christmas tree arson suspect] was mentally ill," she said. "Everybody wants to say, 'Oh, they're mentally ill, they're crazy.' I think they're evil … there's a big difference … There's nothing that indicates he's necessarily mentally ill. Maybe he's off his rocker – I wouldn't climb up that tree. But you know, that's just me."
MANHATTAN, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES - 2019/12/20: News Corporation Building, Fox News Headquarters in NYC. (Photo by Erik McGregor/LightRocket via Getty Images)
While she was working as a judge in New York, Pirro said her job was keeping "those who are dangerous" off the streets.
"As a judge, my power always stemmed from the ability to take someone out of society who I thought was a danger to himself or others," she said. "Then you can send it to Bellevue, and then they can sit there for a while and be analyzed."
Pirro added she is "sick and tired" of being told by Democrats to be concerned with criminals instead of the victims of those crimes, saying, "I want to worry about the innocent victims."
The left is "lying" about why violence is on the rise, Pirro said, calling out Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot.
Right: Judge Jeanine Pirro speaks about crime on ‘The Five.’ Left: Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot speaks during a science initiative event at the University of Chicago in Chicago, Illinois, U.S. July 23, 2020. REUTERS/Kamil Krzaczynski/File Photo (LEFT: Fox News RIGHT: REUTERS/Kamil Krzaczynski/File Photo)
On Monday, Lightfoot appeared to blame retail stores for the mass thefts that have been occurring in the city.
"We still have retailers that won't institute plans like having security officers in their stores, making sure that they've got cameras that are actually operational, locking up their merchandise at night, chaining high-end bags," she said. "These purses can be something that is attracting a lot of organized retail theft units."
Pirro said Democratic leaders like Lightfoot are deflecting blame.
"The bottom line here is the left is lying to us, and that's why this is happening," she said. "Well, Lori Lightfoot comes out, and she says there is no crime here – you're full of crap. The people who own the stores, pay taxes, and you're defunding the police. You're telling the police to stand down. It's you, Lori Lightfoot!"
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