A near majority of voters believe that cities have been “too soft” in responding to “riots and looting” that occurred after ex-officer Derek Chauvin killed George Floyd, according to a Harvard-Harris poll released this week.
The poll asked respondents: “Do you think that major cities were too harsh in their response to riots and looting, too soft in their response or handled things about right?”
A strong plurality (47 percent) said cities were “too soft” while 23 percent thought the response was “too harsh.” Another 29 percent believed the response was “just right.”
Broken down along party lines, 66 percent of Republicans, 31 percent of Democrats, and 49 percent of independents said major cities had been “too soft” in response to “riots and looting.”
The poll, which surveyed 1,886 registered voters and was conducted June 17-18, also found that 65 percent of Americans wanted Seattle to retake the autonomous zone while 35 percent wanted to “let protesters control” the area.
This week, after shootings in Seattle’s autonomous zone over weekend, Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkin said the autonomous zone will be dismantled.
After agitators started setting up a “Black House Autonomous Zone” near the White House this week while defacing the historic St. John’s Church, President Donald Trump, instead of mindlessly tweeting “LAW & ORDER,” said there will never be an “autonomous” zone in D.C. so long as he is president. T
Trump said agitators will be met with “serious force” if they even try to set up a permanent autonomous zone.