Has the city of Dallas turned into a liberal haven?
New Democrat DA John Creuzot is trying to make it happen.
Creuzot, who handily defeated his Republican opponent, wrote an open letter to the public this week promising to end mass incarceration with policies that will “make our community safer.”
Dallas Criminal Justice Reform
According to Creuzot, crime in the city is more about poverty than being criminal.
To address what he deems to be the problem, he is looking to lower high bail amounts and plans on letting first-time marijuana offenses and some misdemeanors slide.
Creuzot stated, “When I ran to become your district attorney, I promised you that I would bring changes to our criminal justice system.
“The changes that I promised will be a step forward to ending mass incarceration in Dallas County, and will make our community safer by ensuring that our limited resources are spent where they can do the most good.”
As part of his reform, his team will be asking for lower bail and shorter probation periods for convicted criminals.
In technical violations, such as not paying a fine, prosecutors will no longer ask for jail time.
Included in sentence reduction or elimination will be personal theft crimes of $750 or less, unless they are done for financial gain.
Opening the Floodgates
Creuzot can call this reform, but it sounds more like he is about to open the floodgates on petty crimes.
If criminals know they are not going to be prosecuted for specific crimes, what is going to stop them from carrying out these thefts?
Liberals will call this a victory, but conservatives see this as every ounce of common sense having left Creuzot.
The Liberal Swing
Believe it or not, Dallas has a long history of Democrat mayors.
In the entire history of the city’s mayoral elections, only four Republicans have won the office.
However, it is also important to note that a significant amount of the mayors in the city were not party affiliated, so conservatives were surely in that specific mix of mayors.
Mike Rawlings, a Democrat, is the current mayor, who took over Mayor Pro Tem Dwaine Carraway, another Democrat who is now embroiled in corruption charges.
Prior to that, four of the seven mayors were Republicans, with Mayor Annette Strauss not having a party affiliation.
Throughout the city’s history, though, Dallas was not necessarily considered a liberal town.
Democrats in the city tended to be more moderate than far-left liberals.
In recent years, however, Dallas has become more representative of other major cities in the country due the mass influx of residents from other cities.
It is now estimated that more than 600 people a day are moving into the DFW area, and that is a conservative estimate.
You are no longer guaranteed to hear that southern accent when you walk around town due to the tens of thousands of transplants that now live in the city.
Those transplants, though, are now residents of the city and making it far more difficult for conservatism to exist.
We see gun-free zones at local establishments and the overall vibe of the city is slowly shifting to a more liberal atmosphere.
This is something that I personally never thought I would see in this city.
Over the last year few years, Dallas has seen a considerable increase in violent crimes.
This move to lessen penalties for criminals is likely to increase them even further.
Crime rates per 100,000 residents from 2014 to 2017:
Murders have increased from 116 to 167.
Rapes have increased from 781 to 831.
Robberies have increased from 3,856 to 4,377.
Assaults have increased from 3.704 to 4,994.
All of this has occurred on Mike Rawlings watch, who first took office in 2011.
The new DA clearly believes loosening the penalties on petty crimes is actually going to make these more violent crime rates decrease.
One could easily make the argument, however, that petty crime is a gateway to more violent crime.
You are giving budding criminals a taste without penalizing them, providing no deterrent to more violent criminal behavior.
This is not a good sign or a good look for Dallas.
Will this new DA take the city in the direction of Chicago, Philadelphia, and New York?
If he continues down this path and his programs fail, which seems far more likely that success, he will be personally responsible for ruining one of the greatest cities in not just Texas, but in the entire country.
Crime stats via City-Data.com
Source: Dallas News
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