Are we surprised crime is skyrocketing across Los Angeles County? Follow-home robberies, shootings, burglaries, thefts and unprovoked violent assaults are the new normal for Los Angeles residents. However, no one should be surprised that this is the new normal. This was put in motion years earlier when voters in California voted to pass Proposition 47, which reclassified many crimes as misdemeanors.
Then voters took it a step further to vote in George Gascón as the district attorney of L.A. County, who, not surprisingly, co-authored Proposition 47. Unfortunately, Gascón has proven to be a far-left radical DA who is soft on crime. The policies Gascón implemented within the DA’s office have given criminals the green light to commit criminal acts, as there will be little to no punishment if caught. In addition, Gascón has decided that he will not prosecute certain crimes even though they were voted on in the past and solidified as law.
I speak from experience, being a police officer for approximately 10 years in Southern California. I have seen how criminals are arrested and released hours later, only to commit the same crime again. The people committing criminal acts know there are little to no consequences for their crimes, and this essentially encourages these individuals to continue committing these crimes.
It is time for the residents of L.A. County to realize their vote matters. Propositions and politicians do affect crime. The experiment with soft-on-crime policies and propositions needs to end, as they have all proven to be an utter failure and ruined the great state of California.
The only way to solve the current mess we find ourselves in is to once again become tough on crime and punish those infringing on our inalienable rights to life, liberty and property. Our government was created by the consent of the people to protect these rights; however, as of late, the politicians have forgotten this basic concept and instead look to protect those individuals who violate these rights.
Alexander Duncan
Newhall
