Police increase visibility at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda after robbery wave

Police were more visible at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda this past weekend, following a string of robberies at the popular retail center. In one instance, as seen above in the Dining Terrace food court, a uniformed police officer joined a mall security guard making the rounds of the property. Montgomery County police recently responded to three robberies in a nine-day period at the mall, on January 26 and 27, and on February 4. In the January 27 robbery, the victim was a business inside the mall.

Last year, assaults - not robberies - were the primary type of violent crime taking place at the mall. Eleven assaults were reported at the mall in 2024, up from five in 2023. The last assault was on November 12, 2024. A new leadership team was brought into the mall by parent company Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield ten days later. No assaults have been reported at Montgomery Mall so far in 2025. 

There's no question that a visible police presence can not only deter criminals, but also make mall patrons feel safer. A sense of lawlessness, such as thieves being permitted to escape with large armfuls or bags of merchandise, only attracts more serious criminals as word spreads of easy pickings. TV news reports of New York City Police Department officers on subway platforms and trains, as that city's mayor announced that at least two officers would patrol each train during overnight hours, would give passengers a high degree of confidence in riding the MTA system. 

The newly-deployed NYPD officers are in addition to the existing ones patrolling MTA stations and platforms. Meanwhile, back in Maryland, the Montgomery County Council has defunded the police since 2020. Heckuva job, Brownie!

The Jam closes at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

The Jam has closed at Westfield Montgomery Mall. An experimental art pop-up gallery and gift boutique by D.C.-area artist Maggie O'Neill, The Jam opened in the vacant Wentworth Gallery space outside of Nordstrom last October. The space has been cleared out, signage is gone, and the windows have been covered over. It will be interesting to see if the next tenant continues the art gallery streak, or if Westfield decides to go in another direction with this space.

Garage opening at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

Garage will open its first store in Montgomery County this summer at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. The women's apparel boutique is one of two brands founded by parent company GDI in Montreal in 1975. "We're a casual clothing brand for young women who are fun and effortlessly sexy," the company marketing spiel declares. When it opens, look for Garage in the former Aeropostale space on Level 1 of the mall, next to JD Sports.

Maryland lawfare crusade to eliminate gun shops targets Montgomery County first

Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown has joined a crusade that aims to use lawfare to ultimately drive all gun stores in the state out of business. The first three businesses in the crosshairs of the campaign are all located in Montgomery County. One of Brown's initial targets is a family-owned gun shop in Rockville operated by retired law enforcement professionals, United Gun Shop, whose owners have already been forced to shell out over $100,000 to defend themselves. Brown's partners in the lawfare effort are the Attorney General of the District of Columbia, and pro-gun-control organization Everytown Law. The other defendants in the civil suit filed last September 3 are Atlantic Guns and Engage Armament, which are also both located in Rockville.

Lawfare is the use of frivolous lawsuits designed to bankrupt political or business opponents either through victory with punitive damages in friendly courtroom venues, or through the cost of defense even if there is little or no chance of prevailing in court. It is often employed as a last resort, when such opponents are not violating criminal law, and their activities are legitimate and legal. You'll notice that Brown has not lodged criminal charges against the store owners.

While the shops are accused of selling guns to a "straw purchaser," the sales were legal. The shop owners have no way to know to whom a legal purchaser might sell a firearm after the transaction at their business. Brown, et al's civil suit argues that the shop owners should have known (through E.S.P., perhaps?) that his large number of legal purchases of firearms meant that he was selling them to criminals. 

The lawfare effort is only the latest attempt by Montgomery County and Maryland elected officials to prevent their constituents from exercising their 2nd Amendment rights. Maryland's gun laws, among the strictest in the nation, have failed to prevent an ongoing violent crime wave, shootings, and homicides. They also happen to be unconstitutional. A forced closure of all gun stores in the county - and, potentially, the state - will make it all the more difficult for residents to exercise their 2nd Amendment rights.

United Gun Shop's owners have started a GiveSendGo fundraising campaign to help defray the tremendous cost of defending themselves from this lawfare in court. While Everytown Law is at least using its own funds in the effort, Brown is using your own tax dollars to strip you of your 2nd Amendment rights.

3rd robbery in 9 days at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

Montgomery County police responded to a report of a robbery at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda Tuesday afternoon, February 4, 2025. The robbery was reported at the mall at 3:30 PM Tuesday. This was the third robbery at the busy retail center in nine days. The first two took place on January 26 and January 27. 

Proposed Maryland law would jail social media users for posting deepfake, AI, or altered media of political candidates

A new law proposed in the Maryland legislature would impinge on the 1st Amendment right to freedom of speech, and result in potential fines and jail sentences of up to 5 years for posting "deepfake," AI-created, or otherwise-altered media featuring candidates during elections. The text of MD House Bill 525 does not even distinguish between official posts or advertising by political campaigns against opponents, and social media posts by individuals. As currently written, the law would expose all citizens to a threat of fines up to $5000, and jail terms of up to 5 years. 

Censorship on social media was a significant issue in the 2024 election. It's surprising that the sponsors of this bill believe this is an opportune time to propose new restrictions on freedom of speech. The vague and broad language in the bill would have a chilling effect on negative political speech, and is clearly unconstitutional. If passed during the current legislative session, the new law would take effect on June 1, 2025.

Maryland Comptroller owes taxpayers a fine - with interest - for 1099-G data breach

Has an apology even gotten you out of paying your taxes, or fines, to the Internal Revenue Service or the Comptroller of Maryland? It's thought-provoking, then, that Maryland Comptroller Brooke Lierman believes that an apology is sufficient to cover a shocking data breach by her agency. "On February 4th, The Office of the Comptroller identified a printing malfunction that led to a limited batch of roughly 6,000 1099-G forms going to incorrect addresses," the Office of the Comptroller posted on its website yesterday. "The printing error did not impact other tax forms produced by the agency. There was no external data breach; this was an internal issue. Individuals who mistakenly received another person’s information should destroy the document immediately."

In other words, personal identification data and financial information of "roughly 6000" Maryland taxpayers was exposed to identity theft by the Office of the Comptroller. What is going to happen in terms of accountability? "We sincerely apologize for not catching the error and for any distress this incident may cause the affected individuals," the statement concluded. "We will be altering our process in the future on printing jobs to ensure this type of incident does not ever happen again." That's it?

Has that kind of response ever worked for you with federal or state tax authorities? Of course not. Has the Maryland legislature taken steps to hold Lierman accountable for the data breach in the last 48 hours? Negative on that front, as well.

Who does "public servant" refer to? Do our elected officials serve the public? Or is it the other way around? The latter seems to be the case virtually 100% of the time. Government believes it is entitled to an ever-increasing amount of the income you generate through your own labor and enterprise. Government cannot be held accountable, but it will bankrupt you, and throw you in prison for the same behavior.

The fact is, the Comptroller's office owes all Maryland taxpayers whose data was exposed a check. A fine, with interest added for each day that passes since February 4, 2025. Not surprisingly, the local lapdog media, and the Comptroller's elected friends in Annapolis, are not calling for this.