While Bragg brings bogus charges against Trump, his pro-criminal policies are destroying New York.
Bragg’s policies are so bad—and dangerous—that the new police commissioner—Keechant Sewell—felt compelled to warn about their dire consequences.
……Under Bragg’s scheme, the following crimes are to be watered down:
First-degree robbery must be charged as petty larceny. That’s required even in cases where force or threat of force is used and the criminal displays a dangerous weapon. As long as the criminal “does not create a genuine risk of physical harm,” the charge must be watered down to petty larceny. This means that the majority of robberies in commercial settings like stores and gas stations will be reduced to misdemeanors. And how will Bragg define “genuine risk of physical harm”? That terminology is not in the penal law. Or another possible scenario: Someone commits a robbery while brandishing a gun that, unbeknownst to the victim, is not loaded. Since the gun is not actually loaded, under Bragg’s policy, there would be no “genuine risk of physical harm,” even though the victim would be scared for her life. Robbery is a Class B violent felony, meaning that, if convicted, a felon would receive a minimum of five years in prison and a maximum of 25 years. Petty larceny is a Class A misdemeanor, with a maximum punishment of one year in jail, and is eligible for probation up to three years.
Residential burglary watered down. Theft of property from a home that is “not accessible to the living area” or a storage area, must not be charged as a first-degree felony, but watered down and charged as a second- or third degree felony. Under this scheme, if a person breaks into an enclosed attic from the roof and steals property, and the attic is not accessible from a living area, he can only be charged with third-degree burglary.
Commercial burglary watered down. A criminal who commits second-degree burglary (knowingly entering a building with intent to commit a crime therein) shall only be charged with a third-degree burglary. That’s the difference between a possible sentence of three and a half years to 15 years under second-degree burglary to a sentence of probation of seven years. This effectively means that almost all commercial burglaries will only be charged as a third-degree burglary, even if someone lives in an apartment in the commercial establishment.
Drug dealers get off easy. A so-called low-level agent of a seller shall be charged with misdemeanor possession in the seventh degree, instead of possession with the intent to distribute illegal drugs, which is a Class D felony. That’s the difference between a possible sentence exposure of probation to one year for simple possession versus up to seven years for the felony.
One of the more dangerous and despicable aspects of this radical movement is the elimination of pretrial detention. It loathes cash bail, claims that it is racist, and is content simply to let most arrested criminals roam free prior to trial.
Bragg is following suit. Now, according to his memo, there is a “presumption of pretrial non-incarceration” for the following cases:
Robbery.
Burglary.
Breaking and entering.
Carjacking.
Possession with intent to distribute any drug.
Witness tampering.
Domestic violence.
Arson.
Bribery.
Kidnapping.
Larceny.
Use of a child in sexual performance.
Criminal possession of a firearm.
Child endangerment.
Elder abuse.
Unlawful surveillance.
……Not only are Bragg’s prosecutors not allowed to ask for pretrial detention, they aren’t allowed to seek a sentence of imprisonment for most cases.
Violent crime is skyrocketing:
New Yorkers who survived the city during the pandemic remember the long months when Bragg’s office became a revolving door for career criminals who hit up the streets in broad daylight and had many residents fearing the subways.
While Bragg’s office was preparing to indict Trump, he let violent reoffenders continue to wreak havoc.
In August, Mayor Eric Adams revealed that the same 10 criminals made up nearly 500 crimes and that 60 percent of them were still roaming the streets at that time.
Adams, who promised New Yorkers he would crack down on crime that had risen during the pandemic, criticized him, as well as State Governor Kathy Hochul.
……As of August, Harold Gooding, 53, has been busted for dozens of larceny charges – including four heists in Target. The 53-year-old already has 15 convictions to his name, as well as 14 failures to show in court following his prolific crime spree. He has rocketed to number one on the NYPD’s list for repeat offenders following his torrent of thefts. He has more than 70 arrests just for theft alone.
Michelle Kelley, 41, allegedly confessed to authorities that she was a ‘professional booster.’ ‘Y’all are stopping my hustle’ she told police after her 97th arrest. Her favorite store was Manhattan’s Upper East Side Target store. Kelly kept her crimes to petit larceny, which is a non-jail-able offense after the law went into effect in 2020. She was finally held on $5,000 bail after her 101st arrest for second-degree assault after she allegedly kicked, bit, scratched and spit on two NYPD officers on July 30 during an attempt to swipe paper towels from a Duane Reade in Harlem.
Career criminal William Rolon had 30 years of crimes under his belt when decided to steal $2,000 worth of medication from a Duane Reade in January 2022. He allegedly filled a plastic garbage bag with medicine and other items inside a Lower East Side store. A female manager approached the career criminal before she saw him brandish a pocket knife. He was charged with first-degree robbery and criminal weapons possession but had the robbery charge dropped to two counts of petit larceny, a misdemeanor. A judge told him he should ‘feel lucky’ because of Bragg’s new policies. ‘I don’t know if anyone would ever feel lucky standing in front of me in a courtroom, but you might reasonably feel lucky today,’ the judge said. ‘Based on your record, you would have faced a long period of time in jail if convicted. The newly elected district attorney has new policies. You’re not charged with robbery; you’re charged with a misdemeanor here.’
Jamel Pringle is one of the most prolific criminals in the Big Apple, with 167 arrests on his record. Police had previously joked that, due to the controversial laws that only offered bail for serious offenses, Pringle had amassed ‘frequent flier miles’, according to the New York Post. A New York judge said in February 2022 that ‘it would take me all day to go through this rap sheet.’ He was arrested in February 2022 for stealing $430 worth of items from Rite Aid and was denied bail in August. Just weeks earlier, he was cited for swiping a tip jar at a 102nd Street café that had more than $40 in it, the second time he had committed the same crime. At the time, Pringle had one felony conviction, 88 misdemeanors and another 39 citations for failing to appear in court.
Rodney Johnson, 53, was give a slap-on-the-wrist punishment just last week after Bragg’s office knocked down his felony robbery charges to a misdemeanor, according to the New York Post. The DA’s Office cut him loose on a $1 bail, despite breaking the law for the past 35 years. He was charged with robbery after allegedly holding up a CVS and Walgreens, where he threatened workers with pepper spray when they approached him. He was originally charged with third-degree robbery, but those charges have since been dropped to a misdemeanor for menacing and petty larceny. Johnson also reportedly skipped out on his court-ordered intervention program three times for a 2021 felony robbery case. He has a large rap sheet, dating back to 2005 for domestic violence after he allegedly threatened to kill his ex-girlfriend’s daughter. He went to prison in 1994 for a robbery and in 1998 for grand larceny, state records report.
In October 2022, 32-year-old David Martin was randomly targeted and attacked by Lamale McRae at the Wyckoff Avenue and Myrtle Avenue subway. Martin was on his way to work at a Manhattan restaurant when he was attacked. Good Samaritans saved Martin’s life before an oncoming train could make contact with him. McRae was arrested and charged with attempted murder, assault, reckless endangerment and harassment. McRae has a length criminal history. In 1998, then 17, he was sentenced to 20 years in prison for his role in an attempted murder and robbery in the Bronx. McRae served his time at the Queensboro Correctional Facility.
Christian Jeffers had been arrested nearly 50 times and served six years in prison before he attacked an Asian man on the subway with a hammer. Jeffers was arrested in March 2022 on charges of assault, aggravated harassment and menacing as hate crimes, and one count of criminal possession of a weapon stemming from a brutal attack on a 29-year-old man that took place at the 14th Street subway station in Manhattan. Jeffers, wearing a black wig and purple lipstick, was caught on video smashing the stranger in the head with a hammer after the two bumped into each other and then exchanged words. Police said that Jeffers has a criminal record that stretches back to 2007 and includes charges of prostitution, grand larceny, public lewdness, theft of service and drug possession. Jeffers was released from prison in June 2021 after serving six years for second-degree robbery.
Bragg’s chief prosecutor brags about giving get-out-of-jail free cards to violent felons and murderers:
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg‘s chief prosecutor, Meg Reiss, bragged about letting violent criminals and felons off the hook – including a murderer – using her restorative justice approach to help them avoid incarceration, Fox News Digital found.
“We know incarceration doesn’t really solve any problems,” Reiss said during a Peace Institute event in May 2021. Fox News Digital has previously reported that Reiss said criminals are not “bad dudes” while simultaneously blasting juries for believing police officers facing misconduct allegations deserve the “benefit of the doubt.”
Reiss went on to describe how the Manhattan district attorney helped a murderer get out of jail time for a homicide victim who had very few relatives.
She said a man who was facing a manslaughter charge for killing another person during a violent altercation was able to leave without any prison time, calling it “extraordinary.”
“It was an incident between two people that knew each other very well. And it was sort of… a fight that ended up with one person dying and the person who was charged had substance misuse issues and other things. And going through the outcome in the case, it just seemed appropriate for restorative practice rather than a carceral sentence.”
AKA “Restorative justice”: empathy for murderous thugs rather than punishment. Reiss is likely behind the latest legal assault on President Trump.
Dem-controlled cities make a habit out of releasing felons out of custody without bail and refusing to prosecute.
And don’t dare defend yourself. Dems’ sympathies lie with criminals, not their victims. A NYC garage worker who wrestled a gun away from an armed robber and shot him in self defense, was initially charged with criminal possession of a weapon and attempted murder. After public outrage, the charges against him were dropped. Last year, 61-year-old Manhattan bodega worker Jose Alba also was famously charged in the stabbing death of Austin Simon, who was seen on video assaulting Alba behind the counter. It took public outrage to convince Bragg to drop those charges too.
Related articles:
https://townhall.com/tipsheet/miacathell/2023/04/02/alvin-bragg-double-standard-on-crime-n2621354
https://nypost.com/2022/11/26/convictions-plummet-downgraded-charges-surge-under-manhattan-da-bragg/