A single photo often tells a more compelling story than all the statistics in the world.
Monday on the social media platform X, reporter Nick Minock of WJLA in Washington, D.C., posted a photo of a note taped to a car window in the nation’s capital.
“There is nothing of value in this car,” the note read. “Only restaurant supplies + broken dreams. Plz don’t break the windows for the fifth time.”
????Spotted in DC: Someone put a note on their car window asking for their car not to be broken into a FIFTH time.
The person writes, “There is nothing of value in this car. Only restaurant supplies + broken dreams. Plz don’t break the windows for the fifth time.” @7NewsDC pic.twitter.com/2j6ZH1WD9G
— Nick Minock (@NickMinock) August 11, 2025
Imagine: residents pleading with criminals. Talk about a microcosm of life in modern, Democrat-run cities.
Minock’s post occurred on the same day that President Donald Trump announced a federal takeover of Washington, D.C.
“Under the authorities vested in me as the president of the United States, I’m officially invoking Section 740 of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act … and placing the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department under direct federal control,” Trump said.
To justify the takeover, the president cited the sort of vehicle-related crimes that the note’s author apparently experienced.
“The number of car thefts has doubled over the past five years, and the number of carjackings has more than tripled,” Trump said.
The president also announced that he will deploy 800 members of the D.C. National Guard to restore order in the capital.
One of the city’s top law enforcement officials endorsed Trump’s move.
“We completely agree with the president that the crime in the District of Columbia is out of control and something needs to be done,” Washington, D.C., Metropolitan Police Union Chairman Greggory Pemberton told Fox News on Monday.
Meanwhile, X users marveled at the pleading note left on the alleged four-time victim’s vehicle.
One user, in fact, called it the “strongest argument to federalize DC I’ve ever seen.”
This is the strongest argument to federalize DC I’ve ever seen.
If citizens resort to writing the CRIMINALS instead of the POLICE to fix crime…
…you know you’ve got a society that is totally backwards
We have to end this madness.
— Matt Van Swol (@matt_vanswol) August 11, 2025
Another X user asked the most pertinent question: “Who wants to live like this?”
Who wants to live like this?
— Jammles (@jammles9) August 11, 2025
Who indeed?
Of course, thanks to Trump, D.C. residents and their families will no longer need to worry about rampant crime.
To justify his decision, the president used everything from statistics to anecdotes, but he really only needed one photo.
Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. Advertise Today.