Equality before the law is our nation’s most fundamental principle. Victims of crime, no matter their background, income, or political affiliation, must be protected, and criminals, no matter who they are, must face the consequences of breaking the law.
Today, the scales of justice are slanted against victims, against the most vulnerable, and against the politically unfashionable. The rise of “Soros prosecutors,” lawless big-city mayors, and politically motivated prosecutions pose a dire danger to our people and our nation.
No threat to the rule of law is greater than the rise of so-called “progressive prosecutors,” or “Soros prosecutors.” These legal arsonists have seized control of district and state attorney’s offices across the country, transforming prosecutorial discretion into prosecutorial nullification. In many major cities, they categorically refuse to charge criminals for entire classes of misdemeanors, including shoplifting and vagrancy.
In Chicago, Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx allows theft under $1,000 to go unpunished, which has proven a great encouragement to thieves. In Philadelphia, District Attorney Larry Krasner releases drunk drivers and some burglars without bail. In Baltimore, State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby has unilaterally declared the war on drugs “over” in the midst of the deadliest drug crisis in history. In Los Angeles, District Attorney George Gascon even stopped enforcing laws against disturbing the peace, resisting arrest, and making criminal threats.
These left-wing ideologues masquerade as champions of the vulnerable while they allow criminals disproportionately to victimize the very people they pretend to protect. This creates an environment devoid of justice, which rewards crime, engenders hatred among citizens, and delegitimizes the legal system.
Every one of these radicals should be recalled, removed, and replaced. Unfortunately, many of these prosecutors find ample support from big-city mayors who share their warped ideology and partner with them to legalize disorder. Democratic mayors across the nation have deprioritized enforcement of quality-of-life laws and instilled an atmosphere of fear in police forces that ensures fewer arrests.
Tens of millions suffer the daily indignity of having their property vandalized, walking on needle-strewn sidewalks, and being denied safe access to parks and public places. Ignored noise complaints, unpoliced drug corners, and unaddressed property damage contribute to an urban pressure cooker that fosters criminality and creates new victims. Anti-enforcement policies, supposedly implemented to improve relations between the police and the community, instead result in greater anti-police sentiment as community members feel unprotected and unheard by the government.
A better approach to crime would task officers with preventing and punishing the quality-of-life crimes that community members identify as blights on their neighborhoods. This method of policing, called “broken windows” policing, consistently benefits the most vulnerable, who are the most likely to be the victims of most crimes the most often. Small things matter, and the enforcement of seemingly minor offenses shows that the police are listening to the concerns of the community and are intent on protecting them. An early arrest for a minor offense can also help dissuade repeat offenses and prevent criminals from escalating to more serious crimes.
The certainty of punishment is similarly essential in reducing crime. Yet, in the past several months, Senate Democrats have unleashed a flood of proposed legislation to reduce the sentences retroactively of gang members, crack cocaine dealers, and fentanyl traffickers. Unwise even in normal times, these changes are unfathomable in the midst of the worst drug crisis and murder surge in American history. These bills are also unfair to the communities and victims that have been terrorized by these criminals. When criminals are sent to jail, society promises victims that justice will be done. Democrats want to break that promise.
Our legal system is also afflicted with the metastasizing cancer of politically motivated prosecutions that poison trust in the justice system. The Left is increasingly embracing this strategy against conservatives, including former President Donald Trump and groups such as the National Rifle Association, while looking the other way when members of their party commit flagrant crimes.
Does anyone doubt that Hunter Biden is guilty of illegally possessing a firearm, soliciting prostitutes, using illegal drugs, and money laundering? Of course not. Yet the Democratic Party and its activist prosecutors have done nothing but spin and obscure the truth about his crimes. If Donald Trump Jr. was even accused of half of what Hunter Biden has admitted to doing, he would be in a federal penitentiary right now. A judge’s docket sheet should not have an “R” or a “D” next to a defendant’s name.
One of the starkest demonstrations of unequal justice due to politics has been the Democratic Party’s treatment of the Capitol Hill and White House rioters. Those who rioted and stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6 have been prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Yet, left-wing extremists who assaulted police, firebombed buildings, destroyed federal property, burned cars, and started a fire in a church outside the White House last summer received no such treatment. In fact, the Left attacked the police and prosecutors who tried to enforce the law. Both groups of rioters attacked symbols of our democracy. Both groups committed unacceptable crimes, but only one group is facing the consequences.
One of the greatest challenges we face as a country is restoring confidence and trust in our legal system. To do this, we must quickly, consistently, and reliably enforce the law against criminals of all kinds and protect victims of all backgrounds.
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