Reply to DC criminal code overhaul is ghastly

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Most misdemeanors plead out anyway now, jury trial or not. Not sure how this changes anything. [/quote]

There is truth in the history of over criminalizing young Black men for petty stuff like loitering, small amounts of marijuana, etc.    And those charges often do get dropped.

But there is a need to address the decline in quality of life caused by the pervasiveness of these petty infractions.   They really do damage communities.   Someone has to stop it when asked.  And police do, and often the only tool any of government has is arrest.   You can throw as many mental health workers and homelessness counselors at the problem as you want.   But you can't force a person to accept housing.  And there is a small but significant portion of the homeless community who wants nothing to do with housing.  Same with trying to treat mental illness.   So many people don't want treatment.  And same with substance misuse.

So where are our society's priorities when one person's rights infringe on another's?    It's not an easy problem to solve.    I personally want to continue to protect the quality of life for law abiding residents who are just trying to live their lives. [/quote]

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