Five years ago, citizens of St. George, a mostly white area in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, voted to separate from Baton Rouge because the city government was unwilling to address myriad governing failures, especially in the schools, where violence was out of control. The goal was more safety for everyone, in the schools and on the streets.
Baton Rouge’s predominantly black city government had long ignored these concerns. Thanks to the election and a Louisiana Supreme Court ruling, those concerned citizens have their own city, where the citizens take responsibility for their children’s safety and education.
Before St. George was founded, Baton Rouge’s population was about 220,000, of which only 35% were white. The new city of St. George is approximately 90,000, of which only 18% are black.
The sole reason for the new city was the parents’ desire to give their children the best possible public education. It took 13 years and $1 million in legal fees, along with thousands of volunteers, for the new city to become a reality.
Homelessness in downtown San Francisco. YouTube screen grab.
Baton Rouge is one example of many revealing how leftist black management shows itself unable to build or sustain desirable communities. These blacks seem to believe that if black constituents are willing to accept crime, ignorance, and poverty, whites should accept them, too.
In Baton Rouge, the black leadership was content with a school system that failed to meet all children’s needs, regardless of color. This is also true in New Orleans, another majority black city in Louisiana. These two cities have the worst schools in Louisiana, helping to make Louisiana the worst state in America for education.
The problem for Baton Rouge is that, with the white residents gone, the city has lost much of its tax base. It is easy to see Baton Rouge descending into chaos. Of course, the only thing Democrats know how to do is raise taxes. The result will likely mean more people will move out of Baton Rouge and into St. George.
Rather than viewing what happened as a learning moment about how not to govern, the usual suspects are crying racism. That means nothing will be done to help the black children still trapped in Baton Rouge.
The problem of failed black leadership is not just in Baton Rouge. It is seen in communities throughout the nation.
I visited San Francisco in the 1980s and thought it was the most beautiful city in America. Not today! Rampant crime, and excessive taxation at both the state and local levels, combined with “Californication” style regulation have caused businesses to close and citizens to flee. It’s very expensive to rent a U-Haul out of California and very cheap to rent one going back.
A study released by the San Francisco Standard (2019-mid 2023) indicates a sharp decline in retail operations. In Union Square, once a tourist mecca, open stores declined from 207 to 107. There are more than 31 million square feet of empty office space in the city, a staggering number equating to an approximate vacancy factor of 36%. It is almost unbelievable. However, the good news is that since 2018, San Francisco has a black mayor—London Breed.
This is a sampling of the major companies that have left San Francisco:
1. Meta
2. X
3. Snap
4. PayPal
5. Airbnb
6. Slack
7. Salesforce
8. Block
9. Autodesk
10. Chime
In mid-2023, Carl DeMaio, chairman of Reform California, shared why large and small companies were leaving the City by the Bay:
The overwhelming facts prove business and residents are fleeing San Francisco due to the crime wave and a spike in homelessness. And you can blame liberal politicians in San Francisco for enacting fatally flawed laws that enable crime and promote homelessness.
While her predecessors created the existing problems, Mayor Breed failed to address the city’s decline. Apparently, she’s been trying to change policies to combat crime and homelessness within the last year, but it’s unclear if the changes are real or cosmetic. As with many government reports, numbers can be massaged for the desired result. For example, there were similar reports from nearby Oakland that were exposed as bogus. Instead, from 2019 to mid-2023, homelessness increased 35%.
In Chicago, two successive black mayors have brought the city to its knees. Lori Lightfoot was mayor from May 2019 to May 2023 and presided over a massive corporate exodus. The explanation is simple: Crime. The city has become unlivable for those who can afford to not be there.
For example, in 2022, billionaire hedge fund manager Ken Griffin announced that, after 30 years in the Windy City, Citadel would be moving to Miami. Griffin said at the time:
Miami is a vibrant, growing metropolis that embodies the American Dream. I am excited to have recently moved to Miami with my family and look forward to rapidly expanding Citadel in a city so rich in diversity and abounding with energy.
In another interview, Griffin said:
But he had said in other forums that rising crime has made it harder to attract top talent… “I’ve had multiple colleagues mugged at gunpoint. I’ve had a colleague stabbed on the way to work. Countless issues of burglary. I mean, that’s a really difficult backdrop with which to draw talent…”
Mayor Brandon Johnson has picked up where his failed predecessor left off. Violent crime in Chicago continues at a frenetic pace. From a March 12, 2024, press release at the Illinois Policy Institute:
Violent crime up 18%, arrests down 43% in Chicago over 10 years. In 2023 violent crime was 11.5 % higher than in 2022. Two the largest factors in contributing to the rise in crime came from a decade-high 30,501 vehicle thefts and carjackings and 22,569 cases of assault in 2023.
A stunning example of Mayor Johnson’s ignorance was casting the deciding vote concerning a city council resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. How about a ceasefire in Chicago? Does it get any more ridiculous?
The situation is out of control! In addition to Citadel’s leaving Chicago, other notable companies have left since 2020:
1. Caterpillar
2. Boeing
3. Tyson Foods
4. TTX
5. Tenneco
6. Schumacher Electric
7. Stellantis
8. United Airlines
9. Beam Suntory
10. Great Lake Dredge and Dock
11. Blue Pallet
12. ExtoNet Systems
Even asking why it is so hard for many black leaders to understand that human assets are what make these businesses run raises charges of racism. But these questions must be asked if we are to find a solution.
I have used three major urban centers to illustrate my point. It would not have mattered if I chose Los Angeles, Baltimore or New York City. The stories from cities with black leadership are sadly similar. Some may argue that this view is racist, but a hard look tells you that simply ascribing this situation to liberalism run amok is not the explanation.
Daniel Patrick Moynihan once spoke of the “soft racism” of lowered expectations: Ask less, and you get less. The black community has been treated like a pampered celebrity with the same bad consequences. They have been indulged in every way and the result is a society that excels at making excuses.
For many urban cities, the St. George/Baton Rouge split could be the future.
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