Left Wing Terrorism

[Derec]

This time, in my neck of the woods. Literally.

The City of Atlanta wants to build a training center at a wooded property owned by the city but just outside the city limits.

Atlanta City Council Approves Controversial “Cop City” Police Training Center

A lot of far left extremists have been trying to stop the project from going forward, and some have resorted to violence.

In May, they have attacked the offices of a contractor on the project.

'Drop Cop City or Else' | $80,000 in damage caused at offices of contractor for new Atlanta police training center

This is an AJC article from last August:
‘Forest defenders’ use extreme tactics in fight over training center - Activists say vandalism, violence justified to halt Atlanta training center

The tow truck was ultimately abandoned in what used to be DeKalb County parkland, its operator scared off with flying rocks and cans of sparkling water. Its tires slashed, windows smashed.

Pointed messages — “stop cop city” and an acronym calling “all cops” an expletive — were scrawled along the truck’s shiny white exterior in green spray paint. It was stripped for parts and other useful gear, its doors removed and added to a makeshift barricade set up nearby.
The rest was burned.

Very peaceful. Not to mention that setting vehicles on fire and using spray cans of paint are not exactly environmentally conscious acts.

“The tow truck is no more,” those claiming responsibility later wrote in an anonymous online missive. “& we hope this serves as a warning to other tow trucks & various machines thinking about entering the forest to evict or destroy the woods, that you will inevitably suffer the same fate.”

Making terroristic threats.

In December, five of them have been arrested on domestic terrorism charges. Many were from out of state. Professional troublemakers.

The 85-acre (35-hectare) property is owned by the city of Atlanta but is located just outside the city limits in unincorporated DeKalb County, and includes a former state prison farm.
Prior to Tuesday’s arrests, police had arrested several people in recent months because of “ongoing criminal activity” at the site, including carjacking, destruction of property, arson and attacks on public safety officials, the GBI said.
Just as an attempt was made to remove barricades blocking entrances to the site, firefighters and police officers were attacked with rocks and incendiary weapons, Boston said. Once the area was cleared, police found explosive devices, gasoline and road flairs, the GBI said.

5 protesters arrested at Atlanta police training center
Violence for a political purpose sounds like terrorism to me.

This past Wednesday, the issue has come to a head with one of the extremists shot at a police officer, severely injuring him. Officers returned fire, killing him. He was identified as one Manuel Teran, who goes by the nom de guerre Tortugita.
GBI: Ballistic analysis shows projectile recovered from trooper’s wound matches gun in protester's possession

The shooting happened Jan. 18. According to the GBI, law enforcement officers were moving through the property where the future training facility will be located when authorities found a person in a tent inside of the woods. The area is referred to as "Cop City" by protesters.
The GBI claims officers gave verbal commands to the person who was later identified as Teran. They said Teran did not comply and allegedly shot the trooper. They said other officers returned fire; the face sheet from GBI said that "multiple GSP Troopers discharged their firearms, striking Teran."
The bureau said they recovered a handgun and shell casings at the scene, which they later described the weapons as a Smith & Wesson M&P Shield 9mm.

More people were taken into custody as well.
7 charged with domestic terrorism after Atlanta police training site shootout, person killed identified

The GBI said about 25 campsites were located and removed Wednesday and that mortar-style fireworks, edged weapons, pellet rifles, gas masks and a blow torch were recovered.
Seven people were arrested and charged with domestic terrorism and criminal trespass with other charges pending, the GBI said. They range in age from 20 to 34 years, and none of them are Georgia residents.
GBI Director Mike Register said Wednesday that people are “illegally occupying” the area and are committing acts that endanger the community, including arson and using explosives. The “clearing operation” was conducted in the same area where a handful of people were arrested last month and also charged with domestic terrorism. Authorities said at the time that firefighters and police officers were attacked with rocks and weapons as they removed barricades blocking entrances to the site.

There have by now, of course, been written positive articles about Tortugita, the domestic terrorist and attempted murderer. This one, written by a Decatur writer David Peisner, is telling.
Little Turtle's War

But “Tortuguita,” as Teran explained the first time we met, was not just a cute name chosen at random. Spanish for “Little Turtle,” it was a nod to the Colonial-era indigenous military commander of the same name who led Native American forces to one of their most decisive victories against the then-nascent U.S. Army in 1791. Teran was reluctant to publicize this backstory because, as they told me, “That does not make us look like peaceful protesters. We are very peaceful people, I promise.”

Sure, Jen!

“The abolitionist mission isn’t done until every prison is empty,” Teran told me. “When there are no more cops, when the land has been given back, that’s when it’s over.” I must’ve shaken my head a little at the grandiosity of this statement because Teran immediately broke into a sheepish smile. “I don’t expect to live to see that day, necessarily. I mean, hope so. But I smoke.”

No prisons. No police. That's what people like Teran demand. There is no reasoning with people like that.
Since the shooting, the extremists have started rioting in the city itself.
Downtown Atlanta protest turns into riot, six arrested, police say

For about an hour, people dressed in black marched along Peachtree Street in downtown Atlanta demanding justice for ‘Tortuguita’.
them first.
"However, when that group arrived at the intersection of Ellis Street and Peachtree Street, a group inside that marching crowd decided to start committing illegal acts including breaking windows and attacking police cruisers that were in the area," [Atlanta Police Chief Darin] Schierbaum said. The chief said some of those individuals were actors who have participated in other protests in the past.
Mayor Dickens said some of them carried explosives.
"What I saw wasn't peaceful," a witness, David Abrohams told FOX 5, "Yeah, no, I mean blowing up cop cars and throwing fireworks at police officers is not peaceful."
[...]
"It doesn't take a rocket scientist or an attorney to tell you that breaking windows or setting fires is not protesting, that is terrorism," Schierbaum said in a press conference after the incident. "They will be charged accordingly, and they will find that this police department and the partnership is equally committed to stopping that activity."

Hopefully these creeps get prosecuted to the full extent of the law. Federal charges would also be possible, but Garland is useless when it comes to going after left-wing extremism and terrorism.

But I am sure posters on here will find a way to dismiss this behavior and pretend that these are "peaceful protesters", right?

 

[Swammerdami]

But I am sure posters on here will find a way to dismiss this behavior and pretend that these are "peaceful protesters", right?

Your own source shows that this "terrorism" was committed only by a small group (as few as six?) within the group of peaceful protestors. Were these criminals "left-wing"? Whatever that means in this context? Maybe.

But this thread isn't about them. It's about you, Derec.

Derec, what do you think about setting Planned Parenthood clinics on fire? What do you think about women afraid to get even legal abortions because of demonstrations by "right-wing terrorists"?

How do you compare the six "left-wing terrorists" in Atlanta with the hundreds of right-wing terrorists of 6 January 2021 who wanted to assassinate Mike Pence? The attempted assassin of Nancy Pelosi?

Recall that it was Donald Trump — leader of the Party of Right-Wing Terrorism — who incited the J6 treason. Is it your claim that Joe Biden or AOC incited the violence in Atlanta?

Answer these questions. Compare the burning of one (1) cop car in Atlanta with the attempted overthrow of the legitimate government of the U.S.A. Complete this assignment; then we can discuss the Atlanta incident.

 

[southernhybrid]

Derec probably knows that I live close to Atlanta and. I have read quite a lot about the protester who was shot by the police, after he supposedly threatened the police with a gun. I'm not saying what happened isn't true, but some of the protesters want an investigation into what happened as for some reason, the police weren't using their body cameras when the shooting happened, so there remains some skepticism regarding the police's version of the shooting.

Sadly, this controversy led to some violence by a small number of people. I agree what happened was wrong, but it certainly isn't an indication that left wing terrorism is a big problem just because a very small number of people have become outraged over the so called "cop city". These people did commit crimes so of course they should be prosecuted. This happened locally, so it doesn't make sense to me to compare it to right wing terrorism, which remains a problem in many areas of the country, even after what happened in January 2021.

 

[Juvenal]

Hopefully these creeps get prosecuted to the full extent of the law. Federal charges would also be possible, but Garland is useless when it comes to going after left-wing extremism and terrorism.

But I am sure posters on here will find a way to dismiss this behavior and pretend that these are "peaceful protesters", right?

What federal charges did you have in mind? What left-wing extremism or terrorism has Garland failed to pursue?

While those are real questions, the tone of the o/p suggests these are hand-wavings and will attract no meaningful response. I'd be surprised to find the o/p has any law enforcement experience, and gob-smacked if he has any prosecutorial experience. Neither do I expect either of these opinions to be based on opinions expressed by competent authorities.

But the last line about "peaceful protestors" attracts my interest.

Likely this is a reference to the protests following the murder of George Floyd that led to the largest civil rights demonstrations against police violence in the history of the country, bringing nearly 20 million people onto the streets at one point. An insignificant fraction of these protestors determined to engage in violence could have destroyed whole cities.

Or more particularly, considering the caution quotes, a reference to the disinformation from the right-wing media, famously including falsification of images.

More careful reporting from the main stream shows violence from protestors was primarily in response to acts of violence by the police responding to the protests. Wherever the police ceased their brutality, the protests subsided. Where police brutality increased, citizens resisted with increasing force.

More careful reporting was deliberately stymied by the police.

Amid Black Lives Matter protests, a crushing moment for journalists facing record attacks, arrests at the hands of law enforcement​

Journalists under attack while reporting on protests​

Journalists Targeted While Covering Protests: 328 Press Freedom Violations And Counting​

‘Unlike anything we’ve seen in modern history’: Attacks against journalists soar during Black Lives Matter protests​

‘The norms have broken down’: Shock as journalists are arrested, injured by police while trying to cover the story​

A Reporter’s Cry on Live TV: ‘I’m Getting Shot! I’m Getting Shot!’​

Unlike the "peaceful protestors," most of those engaging in these police riots were armed to the teeth. With main stream journalism swept from the field, citizen journalists stepped in to provide the missing coverage.

Activists Create Public Online Spreadsheet of Police Violence Videos​

In contrast to the endlessly repeated video of a few days of the worst of the protests in Minneapolis featured in right-wing media, more than 30 hours of video were carefully curated and archived at GeorgeFloyd Protest - police brutality videos on Twitter.

That said, it should be noted that smears should not be met by smears.

The police rioters were "mostly professional."

 

[TV and credit cards]

Any concerns about addressing the initial 17 hours of negative comments from the local citizenry before their elected officials voted 10-4 in favor of a public-private investment that had the backing of some deep-pocketed donors?
Nah. The media will focus on the sensationalistic crap.
PS: My heart goes out to the tow truck.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

Small group and note they attacked things, not people. Terrorism, but at a much lower level.

 

[Derec]

Small group and note they attacked things, not people. Terrorism, but at a much lower level.

It is usually relatively small groups that do most damage.
I would not dismiss property destruction. They were demolishing equipment, vandalizing neighboring property etc. to effect a political change - cancellation of the police training facility.

And of course Manuel Teran escalated when he shot a GSP officer. That is political violence against people, not things.

 

[Derec]

Your own source shows that this "terrorism" was committed only by a small group (as few as six?) within the group of peaceful protestors.

Six were arrested. Unknown how many of them participated in the violence, but it surely is more than six. The arrested are also all from out of state, which is also reminiscent of the activists who tried to stop construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline in 2016.

Note also all the violence leading up to all this, all the equipment damaged, neighbors threatened, Molotov cocktails thrown at police, etc.

The Forest for the Trees

“They wrote ‘Fuck Cop City’ on our community fence,” said Alison Clark, who lives in a neighborhood adjacent to the forest. “They tore up the cameras at the entrance to our neighborhood. We, as homeowners, paid for those. Every time someone comes near the land, including the rightful owners or the city, these bad actors light a fire or damage vehicles.”
[...]
But Clark said many of her neighbors have been intimidated into silence by the Defend the Forest movement. “It’s hard, because when you speak out, you get punished,” she said. She’s been widely criticized herself. “I have some neighbors who have so much to say but would never say it in public.” According to Clark, even some in her community who oppose the developments “have had enough with the bad actors.”
[...]
Ted Terry, a DeKalb County commissioner who has been critical of both the PSTC and the land swap, suggests the forest defenders may now be doing more harm than good for their cause. “Tree-sitters have the right to tree-sit,” he said. “That’s civil disobedience. But setting things on fire, property damage, becoming a menacing presence . . . I don’t think anyone’s life has been threatened, but it begs the question, could it escalate? Certainly, if I lived in the vicinity, I wouldn’t want people prompting police actions. I hate it when old ladies email me and say they’re fearful. When that happens, it’s just like, ‘All right, guys, you need to go home.’”

Were these criminals "left-wing"? Whatever that means in this context? Maybe.

Yes, they were. "Stop Cop City" is a left-wing action.
From the article above.

The community built in this forest is a hybrid forged, in part, from knowledge gained from previous encampments. Some forest defenders are veterans of pipeline protests or the Occupy movement, but many have simply absorbed their lessons, reading about them, watching YouTube videos, listening to podcasts, or attending information sessions. The community’s leaderless nature, its focus on direct action, as well as its anarchist and Marxist leanings, are, in part, an inheritance from the environmental activist group Earth First!
[...]
Protesters out here, who refer to themselves as forest defenders, live in tents, hammocks, or small treehouses called tree-sits, on both sides of Intrenchment Creek. A large “Black Lives Matter” flag was displayed outside the central meeting area, which everyone calls Space Camp. Inside the tarps was a white banner with the slogan “Defend the Forest,” a black flag with an anarchist symbol on it, and a whiteboard with a to-do list on it. A shelving unit in the sitting area contained multitudes: toilet paper, duct tape, medical supplies, a copy of The Communist Manifesto, bolt cutters, bug spray, an ax, a small drill, and a white Brasfield & Gorrie construction helmet. A vase filled with wildflowers sat at the center of the makeshift table, alongside candles, a tobacco pouch, two bongs, a machete, and a portable charger with phones plugged into it.

Antifa flag too.

But this thread isn't about them. It's about you, Derec.

It's actually against the rules to make things about the poster and not the issue being discussed.

Derec, what do you think about setting Planned Parenthood clinics on fire? What do you think about women afraid to get even legal abortions because of demonstrations by "right-wing terrorists"?

Both extremes are wrong. Throw the book at them as well. But that does not mean we should ignore left-wing terrorism.
So why are you derailing?

How do you compare the six "left-wing terrorists" in Atlanta

Plenty more than 6, and you know it. Six were the ones arrested at this particular riot. More were arrested previously, and an unknown number was able to escape without arrest.

with the hundreds of right-wing terrorists of 6 January 2021 who wanted to assassinate Mike Pence? The attempted assassin of Nancy Pelosi?

They are being prosecuted to the full extent of the law. Unlike 2020 rioters who occupied territory for weeks (Atlanta, Seattle) or months (Minneapolis), caused orders of magnitude more property damage, and yes, killed more people. Including an 8 year old girl.

Again, why are you derailing? For the last two years, January 6th has been talked about a lot, including on here. Some of you won't shut up about it. Do you have to derail every thread about left-wing violence with this?

Recall that it was Donald Trump

Blah blah. Not every thread is or should be about him. Take your hobby horsing to one of the myriad Trump threads.

Is it your claim that Joe Biden or AOC incited the violence in Atlanta?

I never claimed that. So what's with the straw man?
Although I would not be surprised if the jumped-up barmaid were to tweet something stupid about this.

then we can discuss the Atlanta incident.

No. The other issue has been discussed ad nauseam already.
This thread is not about your hobby horses.

And it's not one cop car either. It's months of left-wing political violence. It's the attempted murder of the GSP officer. Why are you ignoring that?

 

[Derec]

Derec probably knows that I live close to Atlanta and. I have read quite a lot about the protester who was shot by the police, after he supposedly threatened the police with a gun.

More than threatened. He shot the police officer in the lower abdomen. He is out of surgery and in stable condition, but no word yet of how much lasting damage to his organs there may be.

I'm not saying what happened isn't true, but some of the protesters want an investigation into what happened as for some reason, the police weren't using their body cameras when the shooting happened, so there remains some skepticism regarding the police's version of the shooting.

Apparently GSP officers are not equipped with body cameras. Too bad, but it is what it is. Of course there should be an investigation, but do you really think these radicals will accept any outcome that does not go their way?
By the way, the gun Manuel Teran had was matched to the bullet that shot the trooper.
GBI: Ballistic analysis shows projectile recovered from trooper’s wound matches gun in protester's possession
The gun in question:

By the way: for a bunch of people who are supposedly about defending the forest, they are real litterbugs. Reminds we of all the anti-DAPL activists.

Sadly, this controversy led to some violence by a small number of people. I agree what happened was wrong, but it certainly isn't an indication that left wing terrorism is a big problem just because a very small number of people have become outraged over the so called "cop city".

It's always a relatively small number of people causing the most trouble. On both sides.
Most pro-life demonstrators are also peaceful. But a small number attacks abortion clinics. Them being a small fraction of all pro-life activists does not mean we should ignore it. And neither should we ignore this.

And ATLPD does need a training facility. I hope we all agree that police should be well-trained (these far left activists don't - they believe all police should be abolished and all prisons emptied).
And it's not like the former prison farm is some virgin old-growth forest that merits protecting. The woodlands surrounding the 85 acre site, including the Intrenchment Creek Part, are a different issue. They have nothing to do with police or with Atlanta. They are subject to some sort of deal between DeKalb County and some move studio.

These people did commit crimes so of course they should be prosecuted. This happened locally, so it doesn't make sense to me to compare it to right wing terrorism, which remains a problem in many areas of the country, even after what happened in January 2021.

The left-wing riots of 2020 (as well as those starting in 2014 in Ferguson) caused a lot more destruction, both to people and property.
Is property damage only a big deal if it's Nancy Pelosi's lectern that is being damaged?

 

[Derec]

What federal charges did you have in mind?

Same ones originally levied against lawyers Colinford Mattis and Urooj Rahman who torched a NYPD vehicle with a Molotov cocktail.
N.Y. disbars lawyers who threw Molotov cocktail at police car during George Floyd protests
Both got sweetheart deals once Garland took over. They originally faced much stiffer sentences.
How two promising lawyers found themselves facing life in prison for alleged Molotov cocktail attack during protests in NY

What left-wing extremism or terrorism has Garland failed to pursue?

HIs prosecutors gave sweetheart deals to left-wingers charged in federal court with crimes relating to the 2020 violence.
Most egregious probably being the case of Montez Lee, a #BLM activists who burned down a pawn shop and killed a man in the process. One of Garland's prosecutors was basically acting as defense counsel, praising Montez' activism and saying that he should get a light sentence because the arson was committed because of his #BLM beliefs.
BLM protester who killed man in fire should get longer sentence: Cotton
Here is where the prosecutor argues for a lenient sentence due to Montez' left-wing activism that drove him to deadly arson.
He got 10 years, but that is half what federal guidelines say, and remember, he did kill a man.

And those are the few who got prosecuted. Most 2020 rioters got off scot free. Too many of them for all of them to be prosecuted federally, and most riots happened in cities with left-wing DAs who refused to bring charges against their political allies.

I'd be surprised to find the o/p has any law enforcement experience, and gob-smacked if he has any prosecutorial experience.

Do you?

But the last line about "peaceful protestors" attracts my interest.

It's about media and many posters on here pretending left-wingers are "peaceful protesters" even when they smash stores or burn down cars and buildings.

Likely this is a reference to the protests following the murder of George Floyd that led to the largest civil rights demonstrations against police violence in the history of the country,

You mean one of the largest series of deadly riots?

bringing nearly 20 million people onto the streets at one point. An insignificant fraction of these protestors determined to engage in violence could have destroyed whole cities.

They did destroy quite a bit, and they killed a number of people, including an 8 year old girl.

Or more particularly, considering the caution quotes, a reference to the disinformation from the right-wing media, famously including falsification of images.

Plenty of real images of this left-wing violence.
I snipped the rest of your derailing response. What do you have to say about your boy Manuel Teran shooting a GSP officer and his buddies being so mad that they rioted in the streets of Atlanta yet again?

 

[Derec]

Any concerns about addressing the initial 17 hours of negative comments from the local citizenry before their elected officials voted 10-4 in favor of a public-private investment that had the backing of some deep-pocketed donors?

Comments are not binding. I think ATLPD does need a training facility. Do you not think police should be well-trained?

Nah. The media will focus on the sensationalistic crap.

Shame on media for focusing on actual political violence - not just property damage but Molotovs thrown at police and culminating in actually shooting a trooper in the abdomen - more than on a city council meeting.

PS: My heart goes out to the tow truck.

Mine goes to the wounded officer. But the tow truck is far more innocent than the terrorist and attempted murderer Manuel Teran. So you are kinda right about feeling bad about the tow truck.

 

[Patooka]

Apparently GSP officers are not equipped with body cameras. Too bad, but it is what it is.

Kinda sums up this thread.

 

[TV and credit cards]

Any concerns about addressing the initial 17 hours of negative comments from the local citizenry before their elected officials voted 10-4 in favor of a public-private investment that had the backing of some deep-pocketed donors?

Comments are not binding. I think ATLPD does need a training facility. Do you not think police should be well-trained?

I think 17 hours of negative comments should get their due. Does this mean nothing to you? That the people spent 17 hours telling their elected officials no and the elected officials basically thumbed their noses at them. Who do they work for? The private investors?

I think the right police should be trained. One's who have taken a personality profile that weeds out aggressive personality types. I think the right training should be given. Training that constantly reinforces that the police are there to protect and to serve, not training in commando tactics.

And how about they set up a training facility on the north side of the city where the serious felons live.

 

[Patooka]

I think the right police should be trained. One's who have taken a personality profile that weeds out aggressive personality types. I think the right training should be given. Training that constantly reinforces that the police are there to protect and to serve, not training in commando tactics.

Too radical a thought. Police must spend every second on the job thinking they are storming the beaches at Normandy. How else can they stop antifa from smashing windows?

 

[lostone]

People who live in Portland claim the violence is much over-rated. Right Wingers exaggerate the dangers of living in and near cities. I live near Baltimore, and it is not nearly as dangerous as Right Wing zealots claim it to be. Cities, by their nature are dangerous in some areas. Tokyo has some rough areas, too, for example. OTOH, I once lived in a small town / rural area of NC, which was just as dangerous as most cities.

 

[Juvenal]

I snipped the rest of your derailing response.

Because you couldn't snip 33 hrs of video of police brutality.

 

[steve_bank]

Here in Seattle the riots were out of control. Exacebated by a wek progrssive maypr and city council.

A n area that came to be known as CHOP was declared by people to be autonmous. Police were pulled out of the precint building.

The CHOP zone was armed. A leader suppressed speech and reporters were beaten. Rape, assault, and murder. Homes ad business repeatedly damaged.

Our mayor lied it to the ;summer of love' in SF.

I watched from our roof deck as black 'protestors' marched into Chinatown attacking minority Asian business. I saw the aftermath. Many Asian businesses in the district still have windows covered.

The Batells drug store closed last year, windows continually being broken.

Th BLM quickly devolved into a leaderless mob.

In the 60s 70s it was the left. A Weathermen bomb factory in NYC blew up.

Every year since thr 90s WTO idiots dressed like Ninja show up dmaging busnes and trig to provde an excessive police response. Fire bombs.

The mainstream media and certainly progressive public TV and radio dismiss leftist groups like Black Block as not dangerous.


Today I am far more worried about what the left is doing than the right.

I'd have to lok up the name. A Weather Underground bomber was given a job teaching at a university. When asked about it he said he wish he done more violence.

 

[robnisch]

People who live in Portland claim the violence is much over-rated. Right Wingers exaggerate the dangers of living in and near cities. I live near Baltimore, and it is not nearly as dangerous as Right Wing zealots claim it to be. Cities, by their nature are dangerous in some areas. Tokyo has some rough areas, too, for example. OTOH, I once lived in a small town / rural area of NC, which was just as dangerous as most cities.

I have a niece in Portland. She hardly even noticed the riots. She never got inconvenient by it.

 

[Swammerdami]

Blah blah. Not every thread is or should be about him. Take your hobby horsing to one of the myriad Trump threads.

Is it your claim that Joe Biden or AOC incited the violence in Atlanta?

I never claimed that. So what's with the straw man?
Although I would not be surprised if the jumped-up barmaid were to tweet something stupid about this.

I've mentioned the time we had a Russell's Pit Viper inside our house and focused on evicting it. If someone had focused instead on a relatively harmless spider, I would have been confused and disappointed. And after such misplaced anxiety became a regular thing, I'd start to think the arachnophobe was more hindrance than help.

I notice you managed to make a dig at your "jumped-up barmaid" in a thread about "Left-Wing Terrorism." Congrats, I guess.

 

[laughing dog]

......
Today I am far more worried about what the left is doing than the right.

Why is that?

I ask because I have noticed you focus on your perceptions of the crime in your area. Your perceptions are based on news reporting. Crime stories sell - that is why all media run those stories. But that is a biased sample and leads the public to conclude that crime is more prevalent than it really is.