The Cost of Crime Strikes Again
Today, the owners of the Washington Wizards and the Washington Capitals, alongside Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin, declared a bold move: the teams and their headquarters are crossing the river to Alexandria, VA, bidding farewell to their longtime homes in Washington, D.C.
The $2 billion undertaking will rake in revenue for northern Virginia communities and create a projected 30,000 Virginia jobs—while also dealing a blow to D.C.’s already struggling downtown scene.
While this move away from D.C. may come as a surprise for folks outside the Beltway, those who live in the district know this was a long time coming—the cost of crime has become all too high for businesses and residents alike to make staying in D.C. worthwhile.
See below for CNBC’s breakdown of the news and some previous reporting from the Washington Post forecasting this move.
Word on the Street via CNBC:
- “The National Hockey League’s Washington Capitals and the National Basketball Association’s Washington Wizards are slated to move to Alexandria, Virginia, as part of a $2 billion entertainment complex effort, the state’s Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced Wednesday.”
- “The development, about 8 miles south of Washington, D.C., will house the new global headquarters for Monumental Sports & Entertainment, which owns the Capitals and Wizards, as well as the new home arena for the teams. The 9 million square foot district will also feature mixed-use retail, hotel and conference spaces.”
- “This is the most visionary sports and entertainment development in the world. The Commonwealth will now be home to two professional sports teams, a new corporate headquarters, and over 30,000 new jobs — this is monumental,’ Youngkin said in a statement.”
- “The $2 billion investment will come from bond sales as well as a $403 million contribution from Monumental Sports & Entertainment.”
Via Washington Post:
- “Shootings. Thefts. Robberies. Then people police arrest are spotted back on the streets in the area full of bars and businesses ‘committing these same crimes over and over again,’ the chairman of the neighborhood’s advisory commission said.”
- “Residents, shopkeepers and an executive from Monumental Sports & Entertainment — which owns Capital One Arena and its two principal tenants, the Washington Capitals and Wizards — confronted police, prosecutors and other officials at a packed community meeting Thursday to express frustration over what they characterized as the deterioration of the core of the city’s downtown.”
- “Our revolving door and lack of prosecution has had a negative effect on the community,’ said Crispus Gordon III, director of government relations and community affairs for Monumental Sports & Entertainment.”
- “In June, company representatives met with the chairman of the D.C. Council to discuss the city funding upgrades to the 20,000-seat arena, and they have separately raised the idea of moving the professional basketball and hockey teams to Northern Virginia, officials told The Washington Post at the time.”
- “Gordon did not address those discussions on Thursday, and he stressed that ‘we love this neighborhood.’ But he also described ‘open-air drug transactions” and said “issues surrounding public safety are concerns of employees and guests.’ He asserted an employee was recently assaulted ‘in broad daylight,’ and the person arrested was “released shortly thereafter.”
The Big Picture:
Earlier this year, the House Budget Committee highlighted the toll crime is taking on D.C. and Democrat run cities like it in our “The Cost Of…” series, which seeks to break down the budgetary impact of what’s driving our political discourse and give context and analysis of its impact on our exploding national debt.
By the numbers, crime in D.C. is shocking. 2022 was a record-breaking year for D.C. crime, and by comparison, 2023 is already worse.
- Homicide is up 37%
- Personal Theft is up 22%
- Robbery is up 70%
- Motor Vehicle Theft is up 103%
- • Arson is up 125%
The cost of crime in D.C. is truly STAGGERING. Using the RAND Corporation’s Cost of Crime Calculator, the Committee found that the aggregate cost of crime in D.C. is $3.2 billion annually—but clearly, that isn’t the whole story. D.C. stands to lose out on even more through missed opportunities from franchises like Monumental Sports that are sick and tired of investing in the city at the expense of the personal safety of venders and guests. And the problem has no end in sight. Even as total violent crime in D.C. has increased 40% in the last year alone, the D.C. council’s approved FY2024 budget for the Metropolitan Police Department cuts 20.2 million in funding from the organization, including –
- Patrol Services Bureau North and South CUT by $27.6 million
- Recruiting Division CUT by $1.9 million
- Youth and Family Engagement CUT by $1.4 million
- School and Safety Division CUT by $2.2 million
- Agency Management CUT by $5.8 million
Crime in D.C. is BAD, and, until something changes, it will only continue to get WORSE.
The Bottom Line:
You should not have to take your life in your hands to see your favorite team play, but unfortunately, due to D.C.’s soft-on-crime policies, that’s been the case for Washington Wizards and Caps fans. That reality is coming to an end, but in no thanks to D.C. policymakers. Because of Democrats’ soft on crime policies, D.C. crime will continue on while future fans will flock to northern VA.
House Republicans are trying to reverse the curse of the Democrat agenda, from pro-crime policies to their surmounting debt crisis. The Budget Committee is fighting for brighter days ahead for all Americans. See HERE for our FY24-33 Budget Resolution.
