Jeff, are you best friends with Charles Allen or something? Does he monitor DCUM to make sure you're defending him? Can't you just tell him you don't have time to read all the political threads? Its okay to let go. |
To the best of my knowledge, I met Charles Allen once. He knew who I was from DCUM and was happy to meet me. That was at least 5 years ago and I am not aware of a single interaction since. As I said, "Charles Allen can speak for himself". I am not defending nor attacking him. I am simply stating what the legislation says. Sorry if that bothers you. |
Full agreement. Along with your point that it is its own soft racism of low expectations to just shrug and say "well they're poor and had a rough upbringing" as if that somehow excuses criminal behavior. |
If, as you say, the bill actually lengthens jail terms (which in your eyes doesn't work), then shouldn't you be against it? |
No, I accept that if you hold out for perfection, you end up with nothing. Because the Mayor and a few others decided perfection was necessary, we are all getting nothing. |
So this mess is all Bowser's fault now? The same Bowser that has been banned from the House floor or whatever cockamamie resolution the mouth-breather Republican chuds passed? Now they're doing Bowser a favor? You're gonna have to show your work there. The fact remains that the Council could have passed a bill that was 90-95 percent supported and simply not simply added every DC Justice Lab demand, which is *exactly* what happened (and anyone who shakes their fist at DFER for its shady funding should be extremely curious/furious about the DCJL's funding). Instead, we're back to square one because Charles Allen and his supporters on the Council forget every single rule about politics and now look like complete rubes. |
Democrats, including Biden, have been using Bowser's veto to justify the motion for disapproval. Here is Biden's statement (with bolding added):
Because, as you say, Bowser was not happy with 5% less than perfection, we get nothing. Moreover, Bowser was one of the leading voices in spreading a misleading understanding of the bill. |
The notion that the feds are doing Bowser's bidding is comically misinformed. Bad policy and inept politics got us here. |
The inept politics is entirely on Bowser's part. The Republicans are acting like Republicans. You can't expect more from them than that. But the Democrats believe they were given a green light by Bowser. Biden's own justification is that Bowser objected to the legislation . |
Considering she got the outcome she wanted, I would not be calling Bowser's politics "inept." It's hilarious that you clearly think Allen did a good job here. He's a dismal failure. |
Bowser opposed the bill but when Congress stepped in, she pivoted to "Congress needs to mind its own business and this is why DC needs home rule." Weird position to be in. Some posters have insinuated that the bill proposed some changes that would help prosecutors go after violent criminals and gun crimes, but haven't provided details. Maybe it's true, maybe it isn't. The people defending the bill have completely failed at giving a detailed, reasoned response. Meanwhile they are getting their lunch eaten over the glaring omission of mandatory minimums for violent and repeat offenders, along with the possibility that the courts may be overwhelmed with jury trials for misdemeanors. Why not just take another crack at it and fix those obvious flaws? |
You pretty much summed up the all of it. |
This was insanity. |
Not for 12 year old carjackers, though? Respectfully, you are wrong on this issue. Many of us moderate Democrats/crime concerned citizens and families will vote with our feet and move to the burbs, including my family. This will cause the city’s revenue to continue to plummet. I guess that’s all well and good with you? |
Totally. They’re already overwhelmed. And we’re supposed to believe that the bill would provide enough funding to hire new staff and manage this new deluge of cases? You all are from this area right? I am. I get called up for jury duty in dc every three years. The idea of sending all the package theft cases (which are never prosecuted or delt with anyway as is), or someone getting punched or a cvs getting robbed…no these would simply get dropped. There wouldn’t be the ability or staffing to handle this and that would make quality of life suffer as nisdeamenor crimes became defacto legalized. We are in such a weird era where no one wants to prosecute anyone unless it’s a serious violent crime. But all these folks living in their row houses in the city just trying to get by and go to work suffer. All the Racine’s, and Chesa Boudin’s and Charles Allen types trying to make it easier judicially and legally to not clamp down on crime are at fault. |