Deep-blue jurisdictions have experienced skyrocketing crime rates.
The consequences have been devastating for local businesses.
And George Soros-backed prosecutors have triggered a revolt over one issue.
Far-left prosecutors and activist organizations have pushed for pro-crime policies that make cities less safe.
The policies have been implemented in the name of so-called criminal justice reform, but the result has simply allowed for repeat offenders to get back on the streets quicker.
And law-abiding citizens are fed up.
That’s why 29 cities in Los Angeles County sued the county over its zero-bail policy that recently kicked in.
Just the News reported that “assault, stalking, domestic battery and violation of a protective order will still require cash bail, while human trafficking, battery on a peace officer and sex with a minor will trigger judicial review. However, most individuals arrested for most offenses will either be cited and released at the site of their arrest, or booked and released at the law enforcement office with orders to appear in court for arraignment on a set date.”
Many serious offenses would not require bail, but one obvious problem is theft.
Businesses have been forced to close down due to rampant shoplifting, after the punishment was lessened.
In the lawsuit, the cities argued that the zero-bail law does not “take into consideration the protection of the public, the safety of the victim, the seriousness of the offense charged, the previous criminal record of the defendant, and the probability of his or her appearing at the trial or hearing of the case.”
Meanwhile, Claire Simonich of the far-left Vera Institute of Justice countered, “The opponents are not only drowning out the factual data on the policy, but the years of research on not just Los Angeles County but in areas across the country that show ending money bail and ensuring public safety go hand in hand…A similar version of the policy has been in effect on and off for the last three years in Los Angeles County. Violent crime and property crime effectively dropped or remained unchanged compared to the two years before the policy was in place.”
But even socialist former New York Mayor Bill de Blasio regretted zero bail in his city.
After high recidivism from cashless bail grantees, de Blasio lamented, “It sort of stands out like a sore thumb that this is the single biggest new thing in the equation and we saw an extraordinary jump…Of course there’s always a possibility this is plain statistical variation, that happens sometimes…But I think it’s pretty clear that there’s only one new major piece in the equation.”
The police are obviously not happy about the change, as they are the ones consistently arresting the same criminals over and over.
LA County Sheriff Robert Luna said, “Our communities have not been shy about telling us how nervous they are about this change…Crime victims who see offenders immediately released from custody are left with little confidence in the criminal justice system. I understand the need to respect the constitutional rights of arrestees, but zero-bail can demoralize deputies and police officers who work hard to make arrests, only to watch the offender walk away with a citation as the victim looks on in disbelief.”
Deep-blue cities are flirting with disaster, and Los Angeles is leading the way.
