“The Gates Are Open And They’re Going To Be Let Out Onto The Street”: Illinois Dems Abolish Cash Bail For Most Crimes
Dem politicians in Illinois committed political suicide in a late-night vote and will eliminate cash bail after the new year. Dem politicians like Lori Lightfoot, Kim Foxx, and J.B. Pritzker do not get the benefit of the doubt after their lax policies led to a surge in violent crime in Chicago, with most of the crimes committed by repeat offenders who should have been locked up.
In one famous case, Kim Foxx refused to charge anyone after a gun battle erupted in the streets of the city. She said they were mutual combatants so she couldn’t charge anyone. Carjackings are up, the citizens of Chicago are hiring private security to police their own neighborhoods and they want to double down on the radical policies?
Patrick Windhorst, former state’s attorney and current state representative for district 118, said: “I believe the elimination of cash bail, particularly as it’s written in the SAFE-T Act, will reduce public safety and lead to more crime particularly more violent crime in Illinois.
“I know that talking with prosecutors and law enforcement officers, they’re really concerned that the public is going to point the finger at them and say, ‘Why aren’t you doing more about these offenses?’
“And with this major change in the law, beginning January 1st, a lot of their ability to do their jobs has been restrained.
“So there are a whole list of violent crimes, burglary, robbery, arson, kidnapping, almost all drug offenses even drug distribution, DUI offenses, even DUI offenses that are involving a fatality, that do not qualify for detention under the Illinois Safety Act.
“To me, that’s going to mean a lot of individuals are committing crimes and being released immediately, if not within a couple of days,” he said.
Johnson County Sheriff Peter Sopczak said: “Anyone sitting in jail right now with all these pending charges, they’re going to be let out.
“The gates are open and they’re going to be let out onto the streets.”
“So it’s really taking the hands out of the police arresting people.
“We’re going to end up calling someone saying, ‘Can we arrest them?’
“Just because of liability if you take someone into custody and it doesn’t meet all the criteria, well, then you can get in trouble.”
DuPage County State’s Attorney Bob Berlin said:
“Yeah, they did change the law.
“And when a police officer can use deadly force under the new law, officers now have to evaluate each situation in light of the totality of the circumstances.
“In each case, which includes proximity in time to the use of force, to the commission of a force of a felony, and the reasonable feasibility of safely apprehending the subject at a later time.
“So in any emergency situation, a split second decision, an officer has to be thinking, am I able to reasonably apprehend this person at a later date?”
James Murphy III, a former office manager for Cook County State Attorney Km Foxx, criticized the SAFE-T Act, in his blistering resignation letter.
He wrote:
“I have been thinking about leaving for a while now. Really, the thoughts began back in January of 2021, when the ‘SAFE-T Act’ was passed.
“Seeing this administration’s involvement in that process was an eye-opening experience for me. To be clear, I am in support of eliminating cash bail – no person should sit in jail solely because they can’t afford to pay for bail.
“But I never understood the rush on an issue that was so important. I voiced my concerns at the time. And it was in that process that I began to realize that the administration’s ‘Mission Vision and Values’ was just a PR stunt, just words on a page.
“Fairness. Accountability. Integrity. Respect. Collaboration.
“Those words should mean something. They do to me. And I know that they do to you as well. Yet time after time after time this administration has shown that they don’t live the meaning of those words. Or they don’t care,” he said.
The SAFE-T Act:
— Keith Pekau (@KeithPekau) September 7, 2022
❌ Abolishes cash bail for almost every offense.
❌ Individuals on electronic monitoring must be in violation for 48 hours before law enforcement can act.
❌ Prohibits officers from removing trespassers from your residence or business. pic.twitter.com/ZX8tlQdelR
What a beautiful person, a school teacher singing to her students.
— Ryan James Girdusky (@RyanGirdusky) September 6, 2022
Eliza Fletcher was killed by a career criminal. Lives like hers are lost because we care more about criminals than law abiding citizens.
pic.twitter.com/hdVAXSJGDB