Seattle’s leaders have decided this is a perfect time to go even softer on crime.  Fatal shootings may be at a record pace, and a lot of officers may have resigned after the city defunded the police but, hey, it’s a perfect time to give dangerous juvenile and adult offenders who steal cars, sell drugs, and take guns to school a chance to stay out of jail.  Why?  Because the criminal justice system is racist, homophobic, and transphobic, you see. So the city figures it will be better to divert these cases out of the criminal justice system entirely and put them in front of a panel of left-wing activists who will show ‘understanding’ and ‘compassion’ and decide how, if at all, to hold the offenders accountable – kumbaya.  I can’t wait for the first time one of those activists gets mugged.  We’ll see what they think then.

Seattle’s leaders aren’t the only ones who have lost their minds.  Another Democrat, John Fetterman, Senate candidate in Pennsylvania, wants to let one-third of the people in prison out on the streets because, he says, everyone will be safer or better off that way.  Sure.  Two Democrats running for Congress in Colorado voted while in the state legislature to reduce the penalty for felony murder at the same time the homicide rate was spiking in Denver.  They also voted to lower the penalty for the possession of fentanyl and other hard drugs, and now opioid overdose deaths in the state are up 54 percent.  Way to go, Democrats!

Being soft on crime has other real consequences.  Starbucks closed 16 stores because, in the words of its CEO, “America has become unsafe.”  “Many more” store closures are coming, he said.  The Chicago Bears want to leave Chicago for the suburbs because of high crime in the city, despite being offered $2.2 billion in incentives to stay.  Chicago police are making fewer arrests in response to the increased level of dangerousness and the Woke vilification of their efforts.  Woke vilification is also a factor in police officers leaving the force faster than they can be replaced in other Democrat-run cities – Portland, Philadelphia, and L.A. – as well as New York City where suspects let out under the state’s no-bail law are often quickly rearrested.  That law has emboldened criminals in the Big Apple, with over $2 million in jewelry being taken in one recent smash-and-grab heist.  The no-bail law was adjusted this year to allow judges to consider repeat offenses in setting bail for some crimes.  New York City Mayor Eric Adams wants further reforms in cases where public safety is involved, but the state’s Governor is against it.

It’s time for your quiz.  How many times did I say the word ‘Democrat’ in today’s commentary?  What is it about Democrats and being soft on crime?  You might think from the information I’ve given you today that Democrats would come to their senses and strike a more appropriate balance between public safety and the rights of the accused.  You might also think Democrat politicians don’t know what they’re doing when it comes to crime.  I humbly submit to you they actually do know what they’re doing.  They know exactly what they’re doing.  They’re pandering to constituencies that, at least for the moment, are in the thrall of being Woke.  For Democrat politicians, it’s all about staying in power, no matter how many people get hurt or how many businesses leave.  Better King and Queen of a garbage dump than not being royalty at all. It’s despicable, but there it is.

Moral of the Story: If you want crime to go up, vote Democrat.  It surely will, as night follows day.

©Christopher Wright. All rights reserved.

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