Hug-and-release is a really bad policy for a D.A.

Sherman R. Frederick

Commentary

San Francisco’s Chesa Boudin may be America’s worst district attorney. 

Not because he’s corrupt or unqualified, but because at his core he’s a social reform warrior looking to change the justice system from the perspective of a defense attorney. In his view, there’s no bad guy who wouldn’t benefit from a sustained cuddle from society.

But if we’re being honest, that’s not what’s called for in the real world of crime and punishment. A percentage of people — perhaps a large percentage of people — arrested don’t need a hug and a second- third- or fourth-chance. They need immediate culling from the herd.

Case in point: Troy Ramon McAlister, a 45-year-old criminal released early from prison on April 10, 2020. He was in the joint for robbery.

Upon release he committed multiple crimes. (No one is quite sure how many times he went through Boudin’s revolving door. No paperwork can yet be found, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.) But we do know that Boudin declined to prosecute McAlister, instead referring him to his parole officer. But the parole system did not send McAlister back to prison because, they say, Boudin didn’t file charges. 

On Nov. 6, police arrested McAlister again for stealing a car. Boudin did nothing. And on Dec. 20, police nabbed McAlister again. He was hopped up on drugs in a stolen car. The D.A. did nothing.

And finally, on New Year’s Eve, McAlister, wasted on drugs and in a stolen car, mowed down and killed two pedestrians in the city.

Boudin’s a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Or, perhaps it’s the other way around. Whatever. The point is that his hug-and-release policy just doesn’t work. It makes it more dangerous to live and visit the city. He’s absolutely the wrong man in the wrong job. 

TRUMPTY DUMPTY

I never thought I’d see a day when Americans would riot and storm the Capitol at the urging of a president of the United States. The damage internally and externally is inestimable. 

Now lesser countries cite the riot to tear down our country. Consider these examples courtesy of the National Review: The president of Zimbabwe (Zimbabwe?) said “the United States has no moral right to punish another nation under the guise of upholding democracy.” The Chi-com media compared the chaos on Capitol Hill to the pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong. And Russian politicians say “the celebration of democracy is over. America no longer forges that path, and consequently has lost its right to define it. Much less force it on others.”

Thanks for that parting gift, Donald Trump. Your vanity knows no bounds. Don’t let the door hit you on the ass on your way out. 

FAIRFAX’S DILEMMA

Hat tip to Dick Spotswood of the Independent Journal for pointing out leaders in Fairfax complain about the splinter of Sir Francis Drake Boulevard while ignoring the log that is the man for which their cool berg is named. 

Leaders want to erase Drake’s name on the Boulevard which runs through Fairfax in the rush of post-George Floyd racial sensitivity. Drake was a young participant in his cousin’s  slave trade in the 1600s. In later life, he recanted and advocated against slavery.

But Charles Snowden Fairfax for whom Fairfax is named, as Spotswood put it, “benefited from humans held in chattel slaver.” He never recanted his legacy in slave ownership.

Will Fairfaxian justice warriors ignore this? I’m grabbing my popcorn and awaiting what should be an interesting show of back bending. Well done, Dick.

ONE MORE THING

— Amazon drivers should be trained to give the COVID-19 vaccine to households at every delivery. California would be immunized by Saturday next.

— With the advent of driverless cars, it’s only a matter of time before we hear a country-western song in which a cowboy’s truck leaves him. 

— Those who complain about stepping on a Lego have never heard about Jacks.

— Road construction in Marin sometimes feels like this.

And with that I’ll pick up my knitting and let myself. See you next week. In the meanwhile, be kind. Be safe. Wear a mask.

(Sherman R. Frederick is the founder of Battle Born Media, a newspaper company dedicated to the preservation of intensely local community newspapers. You can follow him on Facebook at facebook.com/sherm.frederick/. He may be reached at shermfrederick@gmail.com.)