CLEVELAND, Ohio — Republican Congressman Max Miller’s call to send the National Guard into Cleveland hinges on a grim narrative of the city that doesn’t square with reality.
His recent Washington Times op-ed described a community spiraling out of control, even as crime numbers show the opposite.
On cleveland.com’s “Today in Ohio” podcast, hosts Leila Atassi, Courtney Astolfi, Laura Johnston and Lisa Garvin ripped apart Miller’s dystopian framing, pointing out that violent crime in Cleveland is falling sharply and suggesting the congressman’s real goal is to score political points with Donald Trump.
Miller, who represents Bay Village, painted a grim picture of Cleveland, claiming the city of his childhood is “unrecognizable” and asserting that families “no longer feel safe walking down the street.” He went further, insisting his suburban constituents are afraid to venture into Cleveland and that small businesses are “being boarded up” throughout the city.
There’s just one problem: the facts tell a different story.
Astolfi explained that Cleveland’s violent crime rates are actually falling, not rising. The city has seen a 17% decrease in homicides year over year, with 71 homicides through this week compared to 86 during the same period last year – already lower than previous years.
Atassi offered a pointed reframing of Miller’s “unrecognizable” claim: “Well, so it’s not surprising to me that Miller is misrepresenting Cleveland to score political points with Trump. When he says that the city of his childhood is unrecognizable, I’d say he’s right. But that’s because it’s far better than it was in the ‘90s when downtown wasn’t even a destination.”
The podcast discussion revealed that today’s downtown Cleveland is more vibrant and connected than in decades past, with revitalized entertainment districts and improved safety. Rather than the ghost town Miller describes, Cleveland has become a city where people comfortably walk between the Warehouse District and East 4th Street on summer evenings.
Laura Johnston put the final nail in the coffin of Miller’s argument, dismissing the National Guard demand outright: “Yeah, but it won’t happen, and he knows it’s not going to happen, so it’s just a dog whistle. It’s just beating your chest for your base.”
Listen to the complete discussion here.
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