Crime wave turns US cities into ‘warzones’ as locals flee New York and California in ‘mass exodus’

The crime wave, which is also seeing retailers adapt to combat an increase in shoplifting, is now believed to be playing a significant role in Americans relocating from major cities.

The shift is heightening fears about safety and with extortionate living costs many people are now moving from blue areas to red ones.

WATCH HERE: Adam Goodman explains crime wave in US

Grand Old Party strategist Adam Goodman suggested crime is now becoming normalised as criminals take “precedent” over victims.

He told GB News: “It’s a very complicated answer. You can glibly say ‘look there’s been a lot of liberal leadership in American cities for a very long time and a lot of American cities are taking it on the chin right now'. ‘So why wouldn’t you just change that out?'

“The second thing is crime is way up in a lot of American cities, I know places like San Francisco where it’s almost accepted that you can shoplift pretty much at your leisure and your pleasure.

“Parts of Seattle, I spent a lot of my own life in Washington state, have become like a warzone where lots of people are scared to walk to work, or walk anywhere. That was not in play five years ago, 10 years ago, it is now.”

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Goodman, who warned young people could soon join the ongoing exodus in their droves, added: “At some point I think the American cities are going to be in trouble when they start bleeding population, until they decide to do things they are not doing.

“It seems to be a time where criminals are taking precedence over victims.

“Unless that mentality changes at the very top of leadership you can’t expect anything to change in those cities on any kind of measures.”

Homelessness, which Goodman described as an “epidemic”, is also supposedly contributing to internal migration trends.

“You can’t walk in an American city right now without being confronted face-to-face with that,” he said.

There are nearly 600,000 rough sleepers across cities and towns in America.

The figure has soared from around 380,000 in 2021 when Covid restrictions brought additional disruption.

But internal migration trends could now constitute a “mass exodus” as New Yorkers switch higher taxes, soaring property prices and gloomy weather for no state income tax, expanding portfolios and tropical conditions.

There are also reportedly a number of people moving from true blue California to the neighbouring state of Utah.

Goodman concluded: “When people move not just with their minds but with their feet, they uproot and go somewhere completely different, that says that where they are is not keeping them very happy.”