Democrat Alvin Bragg, likely to become Manhattan District Attorney in New York City, New York, has vowed not to prosecute a series of crimes, including trespassing, prostitution, and resisting arrest for non-violent offenses.
Bragg, the presumptive Democrat nominee in the Manhattan District Attorney race, is running on a platform to stop prosecuting a series of what he calls “minor offenses” despite surges in crime across New York City.
“I strongly reject any notion that prosecutions for low-level offenses should be used as a proxy for addressing serious and violent crimes,” Bragg states on his campaign website. “We will not deter serious and violent crime through arrests for petty offenses.”
Specifically, Bragg has vowed not to prosecute suspects for marijuana misdemeanors, turnstile jumping, trespassing, driving with a suspended license, prostitution, resisting arrest for non-criminal offenses, and obstructing the work of the New York City Police Department (NYPD).
“From smoking marijuana to jumping a turnstile, our criminal courts spend far too much time treating minor offenses with the same blunt instruments used to address homicides and other violent crimes,” Bragg states.
In addition, Bragg has said that to reduce “mass incarceration,” he will recommend no more than 20-year maximum sentences “absent exceptional circumstances” in cases where the Manhattan District Attorney does recommend incarceration.
Most notably, perhaps, Bragg plans to ensure that every suspect accused of a crime in Manhattan is released from jail before trial except in cases involving homicide, assault with a deadly weapon, and felony sex crimes.
Bragg’s agenda comes as New York City experiences an ongoing crime wave as a result of its Gov. Andrew Cuomo-backed “bail reform” policy that almost immediately sets free from jail suspects arrested for a host of crimes, including second-degree manslaughter, aggravated vehicular assault, third-degree assault, promoting an obscene sexual performance by a child, criminally negligent homicide, or aggravated vehicular homicide.
The latest NYPD data reveals that murder, rape, felony assault, grand larceny, grand larceny auto, various sex crimes, shootings, and hate crimes have all increased year-to-date compared to 2020 crime levels.
John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at jbinder@breitbart.com. Follow him on Twitter here.