There have been many movements during our lifetimes that are very well-intentioned. Upon closer examination, however, many of those same ideas fall apart when shortsighted people attempt to bypass common sense and implement them. Several come to mind as I write, and I begin to wonder what people were thinking when they came up with these ideas. My writing today will focus on bail reform and the corollary damage which its hasty implementation has caused throughout our country, especially in our blue states and cities.
Let us harken back to the killing of George Floyd, not only a senseless misuse of police power, but a catalyst used by the woke left to create havoc, stoke hate and racial division, implement policies to defund police and law enforcement agencies and elect woke representatives to gut our criminal laws and our legal system. As a child, I was taught that if you do the crime, you do the time. Every action caused a reaction, and every act was followed by a consequence.
Born in Brooklyn in 1943, I have watched the deterioration of New York City not only as a resident of the New York City metropolitan area, but as a 37-year employee of the largest school system in the United states, the New York City Department of Education (formally Board of Education). In 1950 my parents purchased a house in Valley Stream, a community on Long Island just outside the New York City limits. Yes, it was culturally different from where we previously lived. The area was composed predominantly of Italian, Irish and Jewish families, and the population was growing rapidly in the post war years.
My parents were both educators in the New York City schools, and I listened to their stories every evening at the dinner table. As dedicated teachers and caring individuals, they did their best to provide education and impart human values to their students, many of whom lived under conditions which I had never experienced. These stories took on a whole new meaning when, in 1970, I began my teaching career in those same high schools. It was my good fortune to have had military training prior to my teaching career as one's presence very often paved the way for their working conditions, and an attitude of respect worked very well toward gaining respect in return. I developed a reputation of being fair, but tough when needed. This provided me with many rewards during my years in the system.
Some of my favorite students were the tough guys who lived at the edge of the law- it was my obligation, at least I assumed it was, to try and inculcate a sense of community and respect for the rule of law in their lives. I believe that for the most part I was successful, and I must admit that in a couple of cases my efforts were not enough. With the knowledge that I tried my best, I've accepted what I could not accomplish. This is life!
During all these years, I witnessed many advances in civil and human rights, and many failures, as well. Unfortunately, the worst is yet to come, and I base that opinion on the events of the past several years since the election of Barack Obama to the presidency. He was quite a convincing speaker, especially to those who were not able to read between the lines and who may have felt left aside by the rest of society. I believe that his win was a direct result of latent socioeconomic problems which had never been properly addressed by our nation. There was a lot of resentment as well in the aftermath of the Vietnam War- and the callous attitude of our federal government did little to create harmony among the people.
Fast forward to the George Floyd tragedy. Obama and a large number of his liberal/socialist cohort took advantage of this situation to create anger, division, hate and the antisocial actions throughout the country using Floyd's death as an excuse. These officials, rather than promoting calm and rational behavior, instead instigated riots, looting, arson- the list goes on. Just look at the situations in Minneapolis, Seattle, Philadelphia, New York City and even in our nation's capital. These government officials sowed the seeds of anarchy.
As if that wasn't enough, they then began to dismantle our criminal justice system. Although not perfect, it was a necessary system to have in place. A nation without laws is a lawless nation- no further explanation is needed. Yet these representatives have now emptied prisons, tied the hands of prosecutors and rendered them ineffective, have reduced funding for police departments and other law enforcement agencies and, in doing so, have given the term “turnstile justice” a whole new meaning. We knew that it occasionally happened- it is now commonplace.
The upending of our legal system has now created pockets of lawlessness, emboldened criminals and encouraged many who operate at the edge of the law to cross the line and commit hate crimes, robberies, looting and other criminal acts with full expectation that they will be given a pass, or not be charged at all, for committing these acts. This is an untenable situation, and the consequences are becoming more and more visible. The New York Post article cited here is a perfect example. Under our last mayor, Bill de Blasio, prisoners were released from New York City prisons and detention facilities and put back on the street. Perpetrators of crimes of both misdemeanor and felony levels were put back out in the street after a brief hearing. Many times all they received was an appearance ticket. Bail went out the window. In many cases, they were back on the street before the arresting officers even had time to fill out the paperwork. You can blame this on the likes of Alvin Bragg, a District Attorney who seems to have no regard for the law or its enforcement, despite having taken an ulcer to enforce the laws and having a contract of employment. And his boss and current mayor, Eric Adams, has abandoned his oath as a police officer and supervisor and only exacerbated the problem.
The predominant effect of these policies which have become commonplace in blue cities and blue states is that the police are demoralized due to the lack of support from these superiors and the collapsing legal system, and those who are eligible are retiring in droves to escape the lawlessness and the futility of having their hands tied by those who should be supporting them in the performance of their duties. Our police are understandably exiting this untenable situation, and no able-bodied person in his right mind is stepping forward to fill these vacancies. These vacancies are happening at every level- patrol level, precinct command, and all the way through supervision. No level is exempt.
Of course, there is a way out of this mess, and it all starts at the local level with the individual citizen who casts his votes for representation. It also means that those who have been living with blinders on, who keep voting the same way and getting the same lousy results, wake up from their insanity and learn that there is a better path forward. Perhaps that path is the red wave that we've seen developing over the past few years. How long can you bang your head against the wall before it begins to hurt. How many lives must be threatened or altered by violence before one is willing to create this change at the ballot box. Reveille has sounded, and the time has come to open the windows, rouse the voters, and take back our cities, our towns and our country. Failure to do so during the next two election cycles spells doom for our way of life and will certainly create an open door to anarchy. I don't believe I have to tell you who to vote for, but something must be done differently if we are to expect a different outcome.