Times Standard (Eureka)

Cities across the US struggle with drug, crime problems

- Matthew Owen resides in Eureka and believes the First Amendment allows for free speech.

I agree with Tucker Carlson. Those five words rarely come out of my mouth. Just signed up for a $0.99 month-long trial membership to Fox Nation. I get to watch all the propaganda videos produced by Fox and Tucker. Joseph Goebbels is laughing from hell. However, the video “The Suicide of Los Angeles” depicts what happened when Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón changed the laws to favor the bad guys.

Los Angeles County, along with San Francisco, Portland and Seattle are no longer progressiv­e nirvanas. All four of these progressiv­e cities are now utopian hells with homeless, drugs and crime. Upon being voted into office, George Gascón made immediate drastic changes to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office by eliminatin­g the death penalty. “The reality is the death penalty does not make us safer, it is racist.” Gascón ended cash bail for misdemeano­r non-violent felony offenses and sentencing minors as adults. In his boldest move, Gascón removed sentencing enhancemen­ts for use of a gun in a crime or gangrelate­d activity. This was the stick the ADAs (Assistant District Attorneys) could use to get plea agreements as the enhancemen­t would add years to sentencing, if convicted. Now, if you were a 17-year-old gang member who shoots and kills two innocent people in a drive-by shooting, you’ll probably get sentenced to six months as a minor. In defense, Gascón has dismissed over 60,000 marijuanar­elated conviction­s.

Over in San Francisco County, Chesa Boudin was a 39-yearold Public Defender who had never prosecuted a case. Both of Boudin’s parents were convicted of the 1981 Weather Undergroun­d Brinks robbery that ended with three dead. Growing up with both parents in jail only fueled his beliefs in injustice and racism. (Note: Both of his parents are white and made horrible choices in life with a young child at home). In 2019, Boudin ran for San Francisco County District Attorney, promising prison sentencing as a last resort, attacking systemic racism and prosecutin­g police brutality. San Francisco ADAs no longer ask for cash bail. They stopped seeking gang or “three strikes” enhancemen­t charges, which dramatical­ly increases the length of prison sentences. Boudin has filed four homicide charges against San Francisco police officers.

Been to San Francisco lately? If so, you’ve dealt with homeless encampment­s outside of City Hall, stepping over homeless passed out on the sidewalks, drugs, drugs and more drugs, discarded used needles, human feces and mob shopliftin­g thieves. Why are things getting worse? There is no repercussi­on for drugs and non-violent crimes.

San Francisco voters voted out three progressiv­e members of the Board of Education for being woke. They wanted to remove historical names, such as George Washington, Abraham Lincoln and Sen. Dianne Feinstein from schools because of something bad in these great Americans’ past.

“Defund The Police” is probably the stupidest three words in the English language. While the woke progressiv­e socialists like to say this, in reality, all it does is win elections for Republican­s. The voters grew tired of this failed woke experiment. San Francisco County District Attorney Chesa Boudin is facing a recall this June. 80,000 voters signed the petition to recall Boudin and San Francisco only has 33,000 registered Republican­s in the city. You do the math. Down in Los Angeles County, District Attorney George Gascón is also facing a recall.

It’s tragic that it’s pitting Democratic mayors against woke progressiv­e socialist District Attorneys. New York Mayor Eric Adams is feuding with District Attorney Alvin Bragg. San Francisco Mayor London Breed is an outspoken critic of District Attorney Boudin. “This is not working,” said Breed on a recent New York Times podcast. Gov. Newsom was filmed in LA at scenes of crime run amuck. You can’t coddle career criminals because they had a rough childhood with high ACES (Adverse Childhood Experience­s Scores).

COVID only spurred on the light or no sentencing as law enforcemen­t didn’t want the local jails crowded during the pandemic. Unless you were a violent offender, you probably got a slap on the wrist. Look no further than the recent fentanyl overdose deaths here in Humboldt County. Since Los Angeles and San Francisco counties aren’t prosecutin­g drug crimes, it’s an open highway (literally) up and down the state for drug trafficker­s. Drugs are not victimless crimes. Just look at the dead overdosed bodies. Crime will be one of the biggest issues (along with inflation) with moderate suburban voters this November.

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