AOC: This would be a great time to combat "excessive bail"

Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office via AP

The more we learn about Darrell Brooks and the path that led him to allegedly become the author of the Waukesha massacre, the worse the entire situation smells. It’s now been revealed that he had previously been arrested and released on “inappropriately low” bail amounts not once, but twice. They’ve finally managed to lock him up on $5 million in bail, but not until at least six people were dead and as many as five dozen others injured, some grievously. With that in mind, who on earth would possibly think that this would be the ideal time to come out in favor of even more “bail reform” measures to cut even more suspects of violent crimes loose on the streets? If your guess to that riddle was Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, give yourself a cookie because you are correct. Is this some sort of intentional baiting of the Waukesha victims and their families or just the most tone-deaf epic failure in the history of political messaging? Perhaps a combination of the two? (Free Beacon)

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Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D., N.Y.) on Monday called for a “federal intervention” against the use of “excessive bail” just one day after the horrific attack in Waukesha, Wis., allegedly committed by a felon who was out on an “inappropriately low bail amount.”

In a letter sent to five New York City district attorneys, Ocasio-Cortez, Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D., N.Y.), and Rep. Jamie Raskin (D., Md.) demanded details on the bail conditions used by prosecutors. They alleged that the use of cash bail contributes to overcrowding in New York’s correctional facilities, particularly Rikers Island.

“Condemning thousands of individuals to languish in an environment plagued by persistent overcrowding and mounting violence as they await trial is not acceptable, and risks violating the federal civil rights of these individuals,” the letter from the lawmakers reads. “If these conditions are not addressed, federal intervention may be necessary to protect detainees from additional harm.”

This is just incredible. Even John Chisholm (D), the ultra-liberal Milwaukee County District Attorney who predicted that his bail reform policies would result in someone being murdered, said he was “reviewing the inappropriately low bail amount” set for Brooks. And barely a day later, AOC is out there ringing the “bail reform” bell again?

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I also noticed that AOC and Maloney directed their poison pen letter to a group of District Attorneys in New York City. She was warning them of “federal intervention” if more such action isn’t taken. I’m not sure how often AOC checks the local news from her own city, but in the election that just took place only a few weeks ago, two County District Attorneys on Long Island, both Democrats, were booted from their offices by candidates promising to roll back those bail reform laws. It was virtually the only issue the victors ran on and they won by wide margins.

People were already waking up to the underlying reality of this issue before Brooks came along. These bail reform laws are what recently gave us a prisoner who had previously been convicted of stabbing a cop but was released without bail after attacking yet another police officer. Those same policies helped to secure the reputation of the new “real-life prince of thieves” right there in AOC’s hometown.

These policies are not popular with the American public, particularly as everyone nervously watches the crime rates steadily rising. It’s yet another policy area where progressive Democrats are grossly misreading the mood of the nation and the public desire for law and order far more than any leftist, feel-good initiative.

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Where are the cries of outrage from AOC’s own party members, particularly those representing the people of Wisconsin? Most of the media still seems to be doing its level best to portray Darrell Brooks in an entirely different light or simply avoid talking about him at all. But that wall of silence isn’t going to hold forever. The public is going to expect more from this tragedy than simply locking up a single perpetrator. They deserve to see a full examination of how he wound up back out on the street in the first place and what steps need to be taken to prevent the same thing from happening again.

As for AOC, she is apparently fire-proof in her home district, but that situation may not last forever. There is enough outrage brewing over this entire bail reform issue that things are already beginning to change. I’m not saying a Republican could actually win in her district next year, but judging by the results of this month’s elections on Long Island, she might find herself with a primary challenger who promises to restore law and order if elected. Wouldn’t that be an ironic end to AOC’s relatively brief spin in the national spotlight?

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Beege Welborn 5:00 PM | December 24, 2024
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