Maher: ‘Crime Is Kind of out of Control’ and New York’s Justice System Is ‘a Turnstile’

On Friday’s broadcast of HBO’s “Real Time,” host Bill Maher stated that “It seems like crime is kind of out of control” and the crime situation in New York can’t be controlled unless they stop their justice system from being “a turnstile.”

Maher said, “It seems like crime is kind of out of control. I was reading that, in New York, a third of all the shoplifting cases are by 327 people, in a city of 8 million, because they keep getting returned to the streets, which has to be terrible for the morality — morale of the cops, that they keep arresting people and the same people — it’s Groundhog Day for them. I know they have — we have problems with the cops, I’ve certainly not been shy about talking about them on this show, but I don’t understand how we’re going to get this situation under control unless they feel like what they do has some meaning as opposed to just a turnstile.”

He added, “But why isn’t anyone ever talking to — like Chicago, most of the shootings are young black men killing other young black men, is that not correct? Okay, much more than what the cops do. Why doesn’t anybody talk about that? Why aren’t there a hundred giant black celebrities who would have the respect of those people saying, what are you doing to yourselves? Why are you killing each other? … I feel like it’s never addressed.”

Later, University of Washington Associate Professor in American Foreign Policy Daniel Bessner stated, “I think also attacking the problem would involve some sort of, again, material redistribution.”

Maher responded, “How would that actually change this? … Because we have spent trillions of dollars on the war on poverty.”

He added, “I also read this week in the paper, one in three children in America cannot read at a basic level of comprehension. 85% of black students lack proficiency in reading skills. We already spend a lot of money on schools, so you’re going to keep telling me more money will fix this? Because I feel like this is much more connected to the problems of — people who can’t read, yes, they’re going to have problems with gainful employment. And it seems like a lot of times the solutions that come from the left seem symbolic. They don’t seem like we’re actually addressing what really needs to be done, [which] is get kids learning, get them reading, get them able to have a job.”

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