Thomas Crowder has perpetrated the ‘Great Pawnshop’ hoax and he’s gaining steam.

Two weeks ago, Crowder, Mayor Meeker’s bosom-ally, announced a legion of pawnshops is moving into Raleigh neighborhoods. The threat doesn’t exist. A city detective testified to Crowder’s committee that he couldn’t even recall a pawnshop opening in a neighborhood in the last five years. But that didn’t faze Crowder.

The News and Observer (4-11-07) reports he’s got the city council in a dither and he’s about to pass regulations to stop the invasion. Now, why is Crowder perpetrating this hoax? Here is a guess: There are only a handful of pawnshops in Raleigh but most of them are located downtown – right in the middle of Mayor Meeker’s version of Shangri-La. Crowder’s job is to send them into exile.

Except, politically, he’s botched it. If he had simply said he didn’t like pawnshops, since they’re unpopular anyway, no one would have objected to banning them. Except the poor owners. Instead Crowder went too far, created a phony threat and made himself and the Mayor look silly.

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