The rapidly rising crime rate in Washington, DC is the reason behind the decision of the NBA’s Washington Wizards and the NHL’s Washington Capitals to relocate their franchises from the district’s downtown core to Virginia, Breitbart reports.

The announcement which will see the teams moving to the other side of the Potomac River was made by Virginia Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Sears.

And there was no attempt to hide the real reason for the move by those familiar with what was happening.

“Washington, DC, losing the Washington Capitals and Wizards franchises to Virginia is the ultimate indictment of incompetent Mayor Muriel Bowser and corrupt Democrats on the city council who let crime take over the nation’s capital,” Television commentator Ben Domenech explained in a recent column.

The move will result in the district losing $25 million in tax revenue.

Ultimately, the blame falls squarely on the shoulders of the city’s elected politicians, who have defunded and demonized the police and gone soft on crime.

This has turned Washington, DC’s downtown core into what many describe as a war zone, resulting in:

• 89% increase in carjackings;
• 69% increase in robberies; and
• 40% increase in violent crimes.