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“My son was murdered by a gang member and you had more sympathy for that gang member than for my son, who was murdered in front of my house.”
This is the testimony of Emma Rivas, a grieving mother whose son was murdered in Los Angeles, as she confronted Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascon over his refusal to do his most basic duty: prosecute criminals and protect the inocents.
Last year, during a four-hour public meeting in Los Angeles County, a small business owner told me about his store that was broken into four times in the span of a few months. He called the police each time, but nothing was done.
HUSBAND OF AMERICAN KILLED BY MEXICO CARTEL SAYS THEY FLEED FROM LOS ANGELES FOR CRIME
I spoke to some Los Angeles Sheriff's deputies at City Hall itself and they explained that, in addition to being severely understaffed and working countless overtime hours, their hands are largely tied by state and local laws that are soft on crime. . Simply put, they are prevented from holding criminals accountable.
Los Angeles police are searching for a suspect they say robbed two people at gunpoint in March 2023. (Los Angeles Police Department)
These types of stories are all too common for California families and businesses. It is crucial that we change course here in the Golden State, but it is also crucial that Congress does everything it can to ensure that this crime crisis does not spread even further across the country.
The fundamental function of our government is to ensure the safety of its citizens; those in the Oval Office and Sacramento fundamentally fail to fulfill that sacred duty.
Gascon continues to support the state's bail policy, which ensures that perpetrators of most crimes quickly return to the streets. Last month, after a suspect threatening a local school was arrested in possession of two stolen handguns, Gascon's office initially decided not to file charges against the suspect. He reversed this decision only after the local police chief demanded another review of the case.
Gascon also continues to support evil Propositions 47 and 57, two California laws that are soft on crime and perhaps more alarming to imagine on a national level.
Proposition 47 makes thefts of property valued at less than $950 an automatic misdemeanor, even if the stolen item was a gun. The measure also makes incarcerated offenders eligible for resentencing and release if their past crimes retroactively qualify as misdemeanors.
Proposition 57 increases opportunities for parole and “good behavior” for offenders convicted of a “nonviolent felony.” These so-called “non-violent” crimes include rape, hostage-taking, human trafficking, domestic violence and much more.
The American people don't want to live in this world – one where laws undermine police officers and aid criminals – and I ran for Congress so my country doesn't become what my home state has become. . There is still a way out, but this crisis demands immediate action.
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This is the path to safer streets across the country: learning from California's mistakes. The policy experiments of defunding the police and soft crime policies were a resounding and undeniable failure. Keeping our communities safe should not be partisan or political, and lawmakers in Washington must begin legislating and communicating accordingly.
Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon has been widely criticized for being soft on crime. (Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
In 2023, I introduced Sgt. Steve Owen Defend Our Defenders Act, named in honor of a CA-27 law enforcement hero who was killed in the line of duty, would make the murder of a state or local officer a federal crime punishable by life or death in prison. death. penalty fee.
This is just one example of legislative action that would better support our law enforcement and hold criminals accountable, and I am committed to doing everything in my power to do just that.
One of California's former governors, Ronald Reagan, once said: “Without respect for the law, the best laws cannot be effective. Without respect for law enforcement, laws cannot be implemented. We must respect, not not only the law, but also for the many who dedicate their lives to the protection of society through the application of the law.
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Gascon also continues to support evil Propositions 47 and 57, two California laws that are soft on crime and perhaps more alarming to imagine on a national level.
My stepfather was an officer with the Los Angeles Police Department. My neighbors and friends are law enforcement officers. And I am proud to represent a community that respects and appreciates our brave men and women in blue who risk their lives every day.
That's why I will continue to introduce and support common sense policies in Congress that support a common sense mission: uphold the law, support the good guys, and prosecute the bad guys. It sounds simple, but this is how we prevent America from becoming what California has become.
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