[Dallas County DA John] Creuzot said his office will not prosecute theft cases where the value is under $750 unless the evidence shows the theft was for economic gain.I had to read that a few times. Are they actually telling people, in essence, that if they really need or want something, they're free to go steal it? How is promoting theft going to get people to "lead a law-abiding life"?
"Study after study shows that when we arrest, jail, and convict people for non-violent crimes committed out of necessity, we only prevent that person from gaining the stability necessary to lead a law-abiding life. Criminalizing poverty is counter-productive for our community’s health and safety," Creuzot said.
Poverty drives people to desperate acts. A classic French novel centers on that theme. It's right that justice be tempered with mercy. But mercy shouldn't be an automatic pass. What happens when the DA refuses to prosecute cases is that the cops then will refuse to arrest people. Why take the time to run someone down to the station, book them in, take them to the jail and do all that when the prosecutor's going to nolle the case?
So the owner of a local store in that neighborhood calls the cops on someone for stealing stuff, but the cops will do nothing. The store owner can then ban that person from the store, but if you’ve read the story, you'll see that Creuzot isn't going to prosecute charges of criminal trespass. Someone comes into a store and boosts a couple of packs of baby food, some milk, some bread and they can just walk out the door, smiling, knowing that there is not anyone who going to do anything about it. The store clerk isn't going to go all western on them.
One of two things will eventually happen. The simplest one will be that stores in lower income areas will just close. The complaints about poor areas being "food deserts" will grow more acute. The other outcome is that stores will revert to a pre-war service model: You step up to a counter, place your order and a clerk brings out your items. If you try to then steal them, there may be an element of robbery, not just shoplifting, and that'll probably still get you prison time. Naturally, a store where a clerk has to bring out everything will charge more for their stuff, which will make life even harder for people living in poverty.
Interesting the first couple of months of this haven’t caused the issues suggested. The crimes that he isn’t chasing were previous Class C misdemeanor citations, and the numbers so far don’t show a trend of concern. Certainly there will be some people trying to play the system, but if they find those people reselling stuff or such, they are arresting and prosecuting.
ReplyDeleteThis is just a continuation of similar plans across the country turning previously arrest eligible crimes into citations and diversion program. It’ll be interesting to see, and the next election will provide valuable feedback.
This is a much less stable and dangerous form of guaranteed minimum income. It's an incredibly stupid form of it.
ReplyDeleteLet's go with the real deal.
you'll gather 'round me, children,
ReplyDeleteA story I will tell
'Bout Pretty Boy Floyd, an outlaw,
Oklahoma knew him well.
It was in the town of Shawnee,
A Saturday afternoon,
His wife beside him in his wagon
As into town they rode.
There a deputy sheriff approached him
In a manner rather rude,
Vulgar words of anger,
An' his wife she overheard.
Pretty Boy grabbed a log chain,
And the deputy grabbed his gun;
In the fight that followed
He laid that deputy down.
Then he took to the trees and timber
Along the river shore,
Hiding on the river bottom
And he never come back no more.
Yes, he took to the trees and timber
To live a life of shame;
Every crime in Oklahoma
Was added to his name.
But a many a starvin' farmer
The same old story told
How the outlaw paid their mortgage
And saved their little homes.
Others tell you 'bout a stranger
That come to beg a meal,
Underneath his napkin
Left a thousand-dollar bill.
It was in Oklahoma City,
It was on a Christmas Day,
There was a whole car load of groceries
Come with a note to say:
"Well, you say that I'm an outlaw,
You say that I'm a thief.
Here's a Christmas dinner
For the families on relief."
Yes, as through this world I've wandered
I've seen lots of funny men;
Some will rob you with a six-gun,
And some with a fountain pen.
And as through your life you travel,
Yes, as through your life you roam,
You won't never see an outlaw
Drive a family from their home.
That's a nice , but none of it comports with the known facts about Pretty Boy Floyd.
ReplyDeleteOne of the cops present when Floyd went down claimed later that the FBI agents on scene executed Floyd as he laid on the ground. The FBI denies it.
Historians have speculated as to which officers were at the event, local or FBI; accounts document that local officers Robert "Pete" Pyle and George Curran were present at his fatal shooting and also at his embalming.[1]
ReplyDeleteWhen he robbed banks, he allegedly destroyed mortgage documents, but this has never been confirmed and may be myth.[citation needed] He was often protected by locals of Oklahoma who referred to him as "Robin Hood of the Cookson Hills".[11]
At least three accounts exist of the following events: one given by the FBI, one by other people in the area, and one by local law enforcement. The accounts agree that, after obtaining some food at a local pool hall owned by his friend Charles Joy, Floyd hitched a ride in an East Liverpool neighborhood on October 22, 1934. He was spotted by the team of lawmen, at which point he broke from the vehicle and fled towards a treeline. Local officer Chester Smith fired first, hitting Floyd in the right arm, knocking him to the ground. At this point, the three accounts diverge; the FBI agents later attempted to claim all the credit, denying local law enforcement were even present at the shooting.[21] According to the local police account, Floyd regained his footing and continued to run, at which point the entire team opened fire, knocking him to the ground.[citation needed] Floyd died from his wounds shortly thereafter.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pretty_Boy_Floyd
I'm with Nangleator, just give 'em some money. The rich wouldn't even notice the cost would be so minimal. But the rich have no soul. Like trumpites, the cruelty is the point.
ReplyDelete