The Rise and Fall of the Park Slope Panthers

A poignant tale of the suicidal empathy that prevails in the blue world—and how it causes Democrats to lose elections no matter how much money they spend

A recent article in The Free Press—“Crime Is a Construct: My Morning with the Park Slope Panthers”—captured a truly poignant tale, in fact, a dog tale, about the tragic death of a treasured pet.

The article recounts the chaotic formation of the Park Slope Panthers, a neighborhood safety group in Brooklyn’s affluent Park Slope, sparked by the brutal killing of a dog named Moose by a homeless man. Organizer Kristian Nammack, a self-described activist “left of Lenin,” proposed the group as a response to rising crime, suggesting it could mirror the Guardian Angels of the 1970s—just with “cool berets.”

The group’s first meeting drew a small and diverse crowd, including pet lovers, safety advocates, and skeptics. Tensions arose quickly when young activists disrupted the gathering, blasting music and challenging the group’s intentions. One accused Nammack of being a “vigilante,” while another argued, “Crime is an abstract term that means nothing in a lot of ways.” Others worried the group might unfairly target marginalized groups, with one young woman criticizing the name: “Using the Panthers as your group’s name is kind of abhorrent to me.”

Discussions veered from practical safety measures to philosophical debates about privilege, mental health, and systemic oppression. A homeless attendee, Minx, tearfully confronted the group: “The biggest threat that I feel is from people like you.”

Despite Nammack’s efforts to maintain order and move forward, internal disagreements persisted. Some advocated for self-defense tools like pepper spray, while others pushed for a “philosophy of safety” rooted in mutual aid rather than policing.

Nammack later reported frustration after meeting with city officials, who expressed concern for the homeless man’s welfare rather than prioritizing arrest. Meanwhile, resistance to the group escalated, culminating in graffiti outside Nammack’s home that read: “Don’t be a cop, Kris.”

The Panthers’ fate remains uncertain, caught between conflicting visions of community safety and activism.

A Real-Life Parable

Now, if the community’s reaction to this noble attempt to restore some semblance of law and order to a public park strikes you as righteous and just, you can stop reading right now. It sounds like you’re part of the problem. And I know from bitter experience that it’s virtually impossible to change hearts and minds that are so disposed.

However, if you’re someone with an open mind—someone distraught at the outcome of recent elections, as many are—there are great lessons to be learned from this real-life parable.

Lesson One: Even the Far-Left Wants Safety

First, even people “to the left of Lenin”—as the organizer of this noble attempt at public safety categorizes himself—have a problem with serial offenders beating them and killing their pets. They want the perpetrators of such outrages to be taken off the streets and put someplace—frankly, any place—that keeps them from continuing to persecute their fellow citizens.

Lesson Two: Ideological Extremes Lose Elections

Allowing the lunatic fringe—as portrayed in this story by the Greek chorus of young white liberals—free rein to claim that “crime is a social construct” is not good for your party’s election chances.

When your dog gets killed by a “social construct”—if that’s what you want to call it—the dog is just as dead as if he were killed by an actual raving lunatic. In addition, merely diagnosing the perpetrator as “neurodivergent” does not prevent said perpetrator from committing similar crimes over and over and over again.

Common sense dictates that we cannot allow the criminally insane to run amok in our parks, on our streets, or in our public transportation systems.

Urban Life Without Safety Doesn’t Work

This is particularly urgent in New York now that congestion pricing has been implemented in Manhattan—or certain portions thereof. I watched a smug, apparently well-meaning public official on CNBC today proclaiming with great moral superiority that New Yorkers would be perfectly happy to:

      1. Pay exorbitant fees to drive through Manhattan at certain times, or

      2. Cheerfully embrace public transportation because the fees would fund system upgrades.

But will those upgrades include fire extinguishers for hapless passengers set on fire by fellow travelers?

These officials refuse to admit they have a huge security problem, even with the enormous police presence deployed to stop turnstile jumpers. That alone is not enough. What’s really needed is a cop on every train car to stop the immolators and slashers from merrily slaying their fellow commuters.

And yet the city expects people to bravely descend into the subway—or pay through the nose to avoid it.

So common sense suggests two options:

      1. Solve the criminal problem.

      2. Let people protect themselves from criminals by staying in their cars—without penalty—and hope they don’t get carjacked.

The Bottom Line

There’s no way around it: if you want a growing, thriving urban environment, you must have law and order. It’s a prerequisite for prosperity.

Anyone with common sense knows this—regardless of race, color, creed, national origin, gender identity, or political party—except for the brain-addled progressives quoted in the article.

The trouble for Democrats is that these same people are running their policy apparatus and political operations. That’s why they’re losing elections.

People with common sense have had enough. Until Democrats get this through their thick skulls, they will continue to lose elections—and this is just one issue that splinters the party from the majority of the electorate.

Let Common Sense Reign

So that’s it for today, folks. I encourage you to subscribe so you can engage in dialogue—whether to tell me I’m spot on, or I don’t know what I’m talking about, or you’ve got a better idea.

Until next time, let common sense and the sensible center reign!