I guess you think the reason the US is a global leader in incarceration rates is that we have a uniquely criminal populace and we just need to set new records to fix crime.
People like you don’t want to address crime. “Criminal Justice Reform” has largely failed. You’re part of that segment of progressives who will tolerate crime.
Normally I'd clamp down on this as "policy talk," but I realize that we're in a weird situation where an election is literally policy.
But c'mon folks, if you want to debate the issue, then engage with the issue. Hostil snark is really not about shedding light but only scoring points. And no one is scoring any points right now.
Let's be good to one another—this is Day One of the new site, after all!
Yeah, you don’t need the aggravation today, I’d probably have disengaged after the first tit for tat without you saying something, but I’ll definitely do so now.
First of all, the shoplifting and smash-and-grab panic has been greatly blown up by the national and local media, because fear gets eyeballs.
Many states have a higher threshold for felony theft. Texas is over $2,000. Our current level of $950 is actually surprisingly low. I personally do not want people to get locked up years for dumb, minor offenses.
The real problem in the state is a lot of conservative DAs refusing to prosecute crimes because they only want to pursue charges that give people big sentences. Those DAs absolutely could set up systems or programs to prosecute lower level offenders, but they choose not to. The problem is the DAs in some of our biggest counties, many of whom are actually still Republicans or ex-Republicans.
California DAs are using current law to address the problem, and Republicans/Fox News are misstating the problem to try to win elections for county attorney and swing districts. Unfortunately, I think Republicans might succeed in LA county. I like Ben am a Californian and will use my better judgment to vote against the proposition.
As a fellow Californian, and specifically a SF resident - I just don't agree with you. The amounts of, granted, anecdotal examples and stories I have of people getting robbed, their cars broken into, etc. is absolutely insane.
I don't think the current system is working, and the fake, but very believable, sign that made headlines earlier this year - which was placed in Union Square and read “stolen goods must remain under $950,” kind of encapsulates it.
So does the fact that if I want to buy toothpaste, ice cream and pepto-bismol, I gotta call the poor worker, who's already busy ringing up people at the counter and stocking the shelves, 3 different times. It just isn't like that - not only in Europe or Asia - but also in many other places in the United States.
At least they finally closed the locked door loophole...
The reason for the increase in crimes you're referring to is in a large part because of pervasive psychology from the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior to the pandemic, these problems weren't as much of an issue. However, the problems you're referring to do not need criminal justice reform in order to happen.
This is why Mayor London Breed is failing and why Mayoral Candidates like Aaron Peskin are gaining in traction. The broader sense is that communities are becoming distant from San Francisco City Government and this particularly applies to the response rate of police and security officers.
If I lived in CA, I’d vote for Proposition 36.
I do live in CA, and won’t be voting for Prop 36.
I guess you like shoplifting and stealing. There’s some segment of progressives who are comfortable with crimes like that.
I guess you think the reason the US is a global leader in incarceration rates is that we have a uniquely criminal populace and we just need to set new records to fix crime.
People like you don’t want to address crime. “Criminal Justice Reform” has largely failed. You’re part of that segment of progressives who will tolerate crime.
Really? Then why is it that criminal justice reform was passed into Congress with the help of Senators Cory Booker and Rand Paul?
Normally I'd clamp down on this as "policy talk," but I realize that we're in a weird situation where an election is literally policy.
But c'mon folks, if you want to debate the issue, then engage with the issue. Hostil snark is really not about shedding light but only scoring points. And no one is scoring any points right now.
Let's be good to one another—this is Day One of the new site, after all!
Yeah, you don’t need the aggravation today, I’d probably have disengaged after the first tit for tat without you saying something, but I’ll definitely do so now.
Appreciate you, Ben.
First of all, the shoplifting and smash-and-grab panic has been greatly blown up by the national and local media, because fear gets eyeballs.
Many states have a higher threshold for felony theft. Texas is over $2,000. Our current level of $950 is actually surprisingly low. I personally do not want people to get locked up years for dumb, minor offenses.
The real problem in the state is a lot of conservative DAs refusing to prosecute crimes because they only want to pursue charges that give people big sentences. Those DAs absolutely could set up systems or programs to prosecute lower level offenders, but they choose not to. The problem is the DAs in some of our biggest counties, many of whom are actually still Republicans or ex-Republicans.
California DAs are using current law to address the problem, and Republicans/Fox News are misstating the problem to try to win elections for county attorney and swing districts. Unfortunately, I think Republicans might succeed in LA county. I like Ben am a Californian and will use my better judgment to vote against the proposition.
As a fellow Californian, and specifically a SF resident - I just don't agree with you. The amounts of, granted, anecdotal examples and stories I have of people getting robbed, their cars broken into, etc. is absolutely insane.
I don't think the current system is working, and the fake, but very believable, sign that made headlines earlier this year - which was placed in Union Square and read “stolen goods must remain under $950,” kind of encapsulates it.
So does the fact that if I want to buy toothpaste, ice cream and pepto-bismol, I gotta call the poor worker, who's already busy ringing up people at the counter and stocking the shelves, 3 different times. It just isn't like that - not only in Europe or Asia - but also in many other places in the United States.
At least they finally closed the locked door loophole...
Exactly!
The reason for the increase in crimes you're referring to is in a large part because of pervasive psychology from the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior to the pandemic, these problems weren't as much of an issue. However, the problems you're referring to do not need criminal justice reform in order to happen.
This is why Mayor London Breed is failing and why Mayoral Candidates like Aaron Peskin are gaining in traction. The broader sense is that communities are becoming distant from San Francisco City Government and this particularly applies to the response rate of police and security officers.