Reply to Ward 3 Crime Meeting w/CM Frumin, USAO Graves and AG Schwab 1/17 6pm Cleveland Park library

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Reply to "Ward 3 Crime Meeting w/CM Frumin, USAO Graves and AG Schwab 1/17 6pm Cleveland Park library"

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]We need to not just go with the easy "let's recall" we need electable alternatives. Consider running or helping to identify and support candidates in your Ward or at large. Some, like Mendo, Nadeau and Allen we are stuck with for a while, they were just elected. For the recall enthusiasts, you still need a candidate to run even in the unlikely event a recall is successful.[/quote]

I actually think that a recall campaign might be one of the best ways to get voters attention. The sad truth is that the vast majority of DC voters, across socioeconomic lines, are painfully ignorant and disinterested in local politics. You'd even be hard pressed to find people that know the name of all 13 councilmembers, much less the positions they hold.

When the few who bother to vote go to the polls, they usually vote for the incumbent by default unless there's been a major scandal that's gotten a lot of attention in the media. The last part is important - The Post is usually focused on national politics (though they occasionally some good local reporting), and outlets like The City Paper and DCist seem to be run by activist journalists.

Most people in the city don't realize that Graves has been dropping the vast majority of cases, that they've been giving people who attempted murder "assault with deadly weapon" plea deals of only a few months in the few cases they do prosecute, that activist judges have been throwing out cases and reducing the already low sentences, that there are people like the guy who assaulted the preschool teachers who continuously terrorize neighborhoods with the authorities refusing to do anything about it.

Most people don't know that Frumin has been refusing to answer correspondence from his constituents on crime, that he's generally avoided the issue, and that the only time he called for Graves to take action was calling for him to take action against a resident that shot a car thief. I've talked to people on Connecticut Avenue that know that things are falling apart in their building and are planning to move after decades, but don't know that this is because of specific D.C. government policies that are taking citizens money and using it to give free apartments to criminals and drug dealers. People don't realize that Frumin not only supports these policies, but wants to see it expanded.

A recall election might be the only way to wake people up, leading them to ask why it's happening, what's motivating people to do this, and what the sides are. A typical primary runs the risk of D.C. voters just defaulting to Frumin because no one cares enough to pay attention.[/quote]

I agree with all of this, and see how Baltimore has righted the ship with common sense, classic investigate and prosecute strategies. I don't see it happening here. Most people still won't care or they benefit from the status quo, even emotionally in the sense of wanting to fit with the crowd/NPR/SJW.

I've heard older people in FH and AU Park spout the platitudes about criminals carjacking bc needy family, etc., even when own safety is impacted. A building in FH had a recent intruder, let in, who threatened people and even older folks nattered on about him "need somewhere to go." Yes, that would be shelters, not the hallways, stairwells, etc. of a building that has $3k rent. It's not just the Petworth crowd that buys into DSA rhetoric, WP and NPR push it to a different demographic. [/quote]

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