A police department in Asheville‚ North Carolina‚ has ramped up its use of police drones to fill in staffing gaps and monitor crimes committed by homeless people.The crimes‚ particularly drug use and trespassing‚ have reportedly caused outcry in the local community‚ with complaints from business owners.Local residents have reportedly asked the city of approximately 100‚000 to address downtown crime and homelessness‚ according to WLOS ABC 13.Asheville Police Chief David Zack told city council members that business owners want homeless people who are panhandling‚ using drugs‚ and camping to be held accountable and cited for their crimes.With tourism down an estimated 11% in 2023‚ police are now using drones to crack down on the aforementioned crimes.There are 15 police employees who have gained certification to fly drones while on duty‚ with the department owning six of the aerial vehicles. Employees take a 40-hour class at a nearby community college for just over $200. An additional eight hours of training is done‚ according to WUNC radio."We had one of the highest percentages of loss in the country when it came to police officer resignations‚" said Brandon Moore‚ captain of the Asheville police special services division.The department built a drone unit as a "force multiplier" due to losing more than one-third of a reported 238 officers."We needed something that could help tip the scale and quickly. Our hiring process is not quick. Replenishing officers is a slow‚ methodical thing‚" Moore added.In 2020‚ chief Zack attributed the police resignations to a lack of support and what he described as a "very vocal" opposition to law enforcement. The reaction was said to be in response to a black man dying while in police custody in Minnesota‚ which at the time caused a 13% drop in police numbers in Asheville.A spokesperson from Asheville Police reportedly said that the department has received positive feedback from local businesses after implementing its drone program.A homeless woman named Monica questioned why the punishment for panhandling would be a fine when "it's begging for money to start with."Eric Tars‚ legal director for the National Homelessness Law Center‚ said that ticketing homeless people is "prolonging the problem of encampments." Instead‚ Tars claimed‚ it should be looked at as a federal problem. "Homelessness started when the federal HUD budget was cut in half‚" the legal activist said."City leaders are getting the blame for what’s really a federal problem." He added that local jurisdictions are "getting blamed for the lack of federal leadership."According to Asheville PD's data‚ 64% of emergency calls for police in the city happened within the same three miles of a particular municipal building. At the same time‚ 44% happened within two miles.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

A large pro-Palestinian protest erupted at the University of Michigan campus Friday afternoon‚ with the authorities clashing with protesters. Those in attendance apparently demanded to speak with Santa Ono‚ the university president.The Detroit Free Press reported that the protest began around 3:00 p.m. on Friday‚ with students giving speeches before making their way to Ruthven Hall‚ the university's administration building. Though the police said that the building had been locked‚ the students managed to somehow gain entry‚ according to University of Michigan Division of Public Safety and Security Deputy Chief Melissa Overton. See on Instagram University spokesman Rick Fitzgerald said that the authorities managed to restore order around 8:00 p.m. MLive reported that several law enforcement agencies showed up to help‚ including Ann Arbor Police Department‚ Eastern Michigan University Police Department‚ Washtenaw County Sheriff's Office‚ Michigan State Police‚ and Pittsfield Department of Public Safety. The report noted that the size of the police response is not unusual for the number of people involved in the protest.The protesters apparently called for the university to stop giving money to Israel. Fitzgerald responded by noting the University of Michigan "has a long-standing policy of not using investments as political statements."Leaders of the protest claimed that there were about 40 people arrested‚ some of whom were slapped with citations and released. The protesters reportedly wanted to speak with Ono‚ with Salma Hamamy‚ president of Students Allied for Freedom and Equality saying: "It's been a lot of effort from our end to have a simple conversation with President Ono‚ who has absolutely refused to meet with us for so long‚ especially for such a pressing issue that is extremely concerning."The protesters occupied the building for around five hours‚ with several students gaining entrance into Ono's office. Ono was not in the office at the time of the protest. The protesters claimed that the authorities enacted violence against them‚ including removing one Muslim woman's hijab and bringing another student to the ground. Some of the students also claimed that they were refused water and restroom access during the protest. These claims have not been verified."The fact that the president and the Board of Regents of the university would rather brutalize their students through police force instead of meeting with the 55 student organizations that have been trying to reach out to them for weeks is extremely telling as to where their priorities are‚" Hamamy said.Though the group appeared to have much to say about Israel's dealings in Gaza‚ the protesters did not address the atrocities carried out by Hamas terrorists‚ which resulted in the death of 1‚200 Jews‚ many of whom were women and children.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

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