Written by T. Logan Dayne
Over the past couple years, Californians have welcomed with warm embrace a series of progressive prosecutors to usher them into the bright future of criminal justice reform. They ran on leading with compassion and understanding. As Chesa Boudin stated, “Why do we need to take people to jail for non-violent offenses if what they really need is drug treatment or mental health services?” This narrative plays well to whom crime affects the least. The reality of the policies put out by the recently recalled District Attorney of San Francisco Chesa Boudin and Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón have been playing out in California to the result of a significant increase in robbery, homelessness, and even murder.
Chesa Boudin was raised by members of a radically progressive domestic terrorist group known as the Weather Underground. He brought some of those ideals with him when he took up the mantle of District Attorney in San Francisco. His policies did little to help businesses as he decriminalized many activities including theft, effectively driving businesses to close or relocate. His failure to help those who were hurt most by crime drove the successful recall effort but this may have yet further ramifications for the rest of California.
Last Tuesday, two Los Angeles police officers were gunned down by felon gang members out on parole. Instead of being in jail because of a domestic violence incident where one of these gang members had stabbed his ex-wife while on probation, he was free to roam L.A. as a direct consequence of George Gascón policies. Gascón now faces the chopping block as did Boudin as Los Angeles has finally received enough signatures to proceed through with the recall effort. Gascón has been quick to make plea deals with many repeat offenders putting them back on the streets. Even more, the Los Angeles Association of Deputy District Attorneys (ADDA) overwhelmingly supported his recall at 98% majority. Gascón, when invited by the ADDA, simply refused to defend or even explain his policies and how they help those in Los Angeles. The signatures gathered now exceed the 567,857 to proceed and will put his name up for recall on the November ballot.
Photo Cred: AFP via Getty Images
