When we think of what defines a “third world” country, here is a partial a list of identifiers:

• High Levels of Violent Crime
• Governmental Dysfunction or Corruption
• Homelessness and Urban Encampments
• Public Health Breakdown
• Economic Decline and Loss of Middle Class
• Education Decline
• Declining or Failing Infrastructure

Overall Decline in American Cities

Here is a list of cities that are the most frequently cited as becoming like third world countries by federal government agencies, HUD, EPA, Urban Institute, Brookings Institution and major news media outlets (WSJ, NYT, LA Times, Reuters, etc.). They are listed not in terms of which is the worst, but in terms of how frequently it is compared to third world conditions:

1. Detroit, MI
2. Baltimore, MD
3. Jackson, MS
4. San Francisco, CA
5. Los Angeles, CA
6. Louis, MO
7. New Orleans, LA
8. Cleveland, OH
9. Flint, MI
10. Portland, OR

It should be noted that every one of these cities, in the year 2025, was led by a mayor who was aligned with the Democratic Party.

Most Violent Cities in the United States

Violent crime is typically defined as: Homicide, aggravated assault, robbery, and rape.

Here is a list of the most violent cities in the U.S. per capita (violent crime rate per 100,000 people):

1. Memphis, TN: 2,437 – 2,501 violent crimes per 100,000 people
   1. Leads the nation in aggravated assaults and carjackings.
2. Louis, MO: 1,860 – 2,141
   1. Highest homicide rate; high density of gang-related gun violence.
3. Detroit, MI: 1,781 – 2,085
   1. High rates of sexual assault and robbery, despite overall improvements.
4. Baltimore, MD: 1,606 – 1,931
   1. Significant gun crime and robbery; homicide rates are slowly declining.
5. Birmingham, AL: 1,680 – 1,710
   1. High rates of murder and aggravated assault per capita.
6. Little Rock, AR: 1,620 – 1,650
   1. Rising homicide rates and high property crime overlap.
7. Cleveland, OH: 1,557 – 1,610
   1. High robbery and assault rates linked to economic hardship.
8. Oakland, CA: 1,290 – 1,580
   1. High rates of robbery and motor vehicle theft.
9. Kansas City, MO: 1,450 – 1,520
   1. Persistent issues with homicide and gun-related assaults.
10. Milwaukee, WI: 1,320 – 1,410
    1. High rates of aggravated assault and gang-related incidents.

Depending on the studies, you may find slightly different rankings, but there is pretty universal consensus that these ten cites are all among the most violent places to live in the U.S.

It should be noted that all 10 of these cities were led by Democratic mayors in 2025.

Homelessness

New York City and Los Angeles, CA have the highest total numbers of homeless people, but here is a list of the top ten cities per capita (with over 100,000 citizens):

1. New York City, NY: 1,650 – 1,720 per 100,000 residents are homeless
2. Washington, DC: 800-825
3. San Francisco, CA: 780-810
4. Los Angeles, CA: 740-775
5. Seattle, WA: 710-745
6. Denver, CO: 685 – 715
7. Portland, OR: 650 – 680
8. San Jose, CA: 610 – 640
9. Oakland, CA: 590 – 625
10. Boston, MA: 560 – 590

Declining Government School Systems

The top ten worst public school systems in cities with a population of 1,000,000 or more are:

1. Phoenix, AZ
2. Dallas, TX
3. San Antonio, TX
4. Houston, TX
5. Philadelphia, PA
6. Memphis, TN
7. Baltimore, MD
8. Detroit, MI
9. Albuquerque, NM
10. Cleveland, OH

It should be noted that all these cities had Democratic mayors in 2025 (except for Dallas, who had a Democratic mayor who recently switched parties to identify as a Republican).

Top Cities for Civil Unrest and Protests (2025)

1. Los Angeles, CA
   1. Riots & Mass Protests: Large-scale June riots were triggered by ICE raids; state of emergency declared; National Guard was depoloyed.
2. Portland, OR
   1. Sustained Civil Unrest: Continuous 7-month protest cycle at ICE field offices; frequent clashes involving crowd control munitions.
3. Chicago, IL
   1. Mass Mobilization: Massive downtown marches and “No Kings” rallies; frequent blockages of immigration courts.
4. New York City, NY
   1. High-Volume Protests: Highest total number of individual protest events; major clashes at Foley Square and federal buildings.
5. Washington, D.C.
   1. Policy Resistance: Mass rallies at the National Mall; high-intensity security presence during the June “Army 250th” parade.
6. Seattle, WA
   1. Tactical Protests: Direct action protests against ICE raids; frequent “solidarity” marches linked to LA events.
7. Denver, CO
   1. Civil Disobedience: Major “May Day” and “No Kings” events; police used smoke/chemicals to disperse Capitol Hill crowds.
8. San Francisco, CA
   1. Direct Action: Extensive Bay Area “No Kings” rallies (100k+ people); notable vehicle-related protest injuries.
9. Atlanta, GA
   1. Roadway Obstruction: Frequent blockages of major corridors (e.g., Buford Highway); clashes with State Patrol.
10. Oakland, CA
    1. Militant Demonstrations: High-intensity protests targeting federal facilities; overlap with Alameda Coast Guard base incidents.

It should be noted that that all ten of these cities of unrest had mayors who were Democrats.

We could continue to go down the list of all of the cities deteriorating and careening towards self-destruction in many other areas. The one thing you will continue to see is that almost all of these cities are controlled by city councils and mayors who are aligned with the Democratic Party.

Is this mere correlation or causation? The more you research the data, the more convinced you will become that it is the policies of the Democratic Party that are causing these terrible outcomes.

What Can We Do?

The bottom line is, elections have consequences. If you are tired of seeing cities being taken over by blocks and blocks of tents and homeless camps, economic depression, failing schools, violent crime and civil unrest…you need to vote!

And don’t keep voting for the party that has turned some of our greatest cities into proverbial garbage cans.