Saturday, October 28, 2023

WHY THERE IS SO MUCH CRIME IN D.C. - Meet Joe Biden’s D.C. Prosecutor Who Let 56% of Arrestees off the Hook in 2023

NAME AN AMERICAN CITY NOT IN MELTDOWN DUE TO BLACK CRIME!

Meet Joe Biden’s D.C. Prosecutor Who Let 56% of Arrestees off the Hook in 2023

WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 25: U.S. Attorney for DC Matthew Grav
Craig Hudson for The Washington Post via Getty Images

Fifty-six percent of those arrested by the Washington, DC, Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) in 2023 can thank U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Matthew Graves for being released back on the street, where many taxpayers fear for their lives.

Nominated to the position by President Joe Biden and confirmed by the Senate in 2021, Graves is Joe Biden’s handpicked Yale Law graduate to serve as both the local and the federal prosecutor for the nation’s capital. He is in charge of prosecuting crimes from misdemeanor drug possession to murders. He also has the capacity to prosecute federal crimes, such as financial fraud and terrorism.

Graves claims to be “committed to ensuring the fair and impartial administration of justice for all Americans,” but many taxpaying residents cannot walk their dog, enjoy a local park, or pick up groceries without fear of being stabbed, robbed, or gunned down in the District, a 68-square-mile area described as a “war zone” and “the most unsafe capital city anywhere in the World.” The District currently ranks 173 in safety on a list of 182 American cities, dropping 14 spots in just one year, according to a study recently released by WalletHub.

FIERY! Suspect Throws Molotov Cocktails at Cuban Embassy in Washington, DC

Cuban Embassy in US via Storyful

Much of the crime is carried out by juveniles. For instance, 65 percent of those arrested for carjacking are juveniles, according to police data. A total of 760 carjackings occurred in the first ten months of 2023.

Graves said in August his office would crack down on some crimes committed by juveniles, but his office generally does not prosecute them. Because the D.C. juvenile court maintains jurisdiction over delinquent acts, prosecutors in juvenile court must file a petition to transfer juveniles to criminal court for prosecution as an adult. The U.S. Attorney’s Office then prosecutes the juveniles in the adult system from a statutory list of serious crimes. Graves has the first right of refusal to accept the petitioned case.

Graves’ failure to crack down on juvenile crime is a snapshot of his broader soft-on-crime position. Joe Biden’s hand-selected prosecutor failed to prosecute 67 percent of those arrested by police in 2022. In 2023, Graves decided not to prosecute 56 percent of those arrested.

Graves’ track record in court prosecuting cases before the D.C. Court of Appeals is not much better, he admitted in October while blaming the court with a majority of Democrat-appointed justices. The D.C. Court of Appeals is made up of nine justices appointed by Democrat presidents and five appointed by Republican presidents. Joe Biden personally appointed three.

“We lost 75% of cases where the D.C. Court of Appeals were analyzing these sorts of issues of patting down individuals who were suspected of having firearms or otherwise asking them for their consent to search,” Graves told WUSA9:

I think the judges are interpreting the Constitution as they see it. I can tell you what we’re seeing in these opinions are … really thinking through what it looks like for someone to give meaningful consent to search, what it means for there to be suspicion that someone might have a firearm was enough for law enforcement to pat individuals down and what we’ve seen is that the bar has moved from where it was, certainly, when I was practicing in Superior Court on a day-to-day basis 15 to 20 years ago.

Whether Democrat-appointed Graves or judges are responsible for the District’s soft-on-crime position, former President Donald Trump vowed to restore law and order in the District if reelected. Sharing an exclusive Breitbart News report on Sunday titled “D.C. Residents Fear Crime Surge Turning Area into U.S. War Zone,” the former president called the town run by Democrats a “dirty, crime ridden death trap,” pledging reforms to be a part of his reelection platform.

“Washington(D.C.) has become a dirty, crime ridden death trap, that must be taken over and properly run by the Federal Government,” he posted on Truth Social. “It is, and will be, part of my Election Platform. We will clean it, renovate and rebuild it – and, most importantly, MAKE IT SAFE.”

“Right now it is probably the most unsafe capital city anywhere in the World,” he added.

Follow Wendell Husebø on Twitter @WendellHusebø. He is the author of Politics of Slave Morality.

Nolte: Reality Forces Democrat-Run D.C. to Fight Crime

FILE - District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser speaks during a news conference Nov. 9, 2022, in Washington. Amid rising crime rates and spiraling public tensions over gun violence, Bowser and the legislative branches are locked in a public dispute over the future of crime prevention in the nation's capital. …
AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File

Reality has forced Democrat Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser to fight crime in her imploding city.

Her proposed legislation is called the ACT Act and directs law enforcement to put a stop to organized shoplifting gangs, loitering, and the open-air drug markets that have been destroying her city for years.

WASHINGTON, DC – AUGUST 31: Shelves with specific products that tend to be shoplifted are stocked with the bare minimum as Giant Foods grocery is making some changes to their stores to address organized retail crime, in Washington, DC. (Photo by Bill O’Leary/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

Here are the pertinent excerpts from her statement this week:

Under the new law, it will be illegal for any person to organize a theft for profit scheme by recruiting or directing other individuals to commit organized retail theft. We are also reinstating the law that makes it unlawful for to wear a mask for the purpose of committing criminal acts or threatening people or causing fear. Obviously, our community’s relationship around wearing masks has changed significantly since 2020, and thank God for that.

The new legislation will allow MPD to limit loitering by reinstating the ability for the police chief to declare a drug free zone for up to 120 hours to disrupt and prohibit people from congregating on public space for the purchase, sale or use of illegal drug. The establishment of a temporary drug free zone will allow MPD and community members to work together to interrupt illegal activity and allow neighborhoods to reclaim our space.

Most importantly, the far-left mayor is backing off a bit with her abject hatred of the police:

MPD continues to be a leader in fair and constitutional policing across this nation. They continue to work every day to have and keep the trust of our city. And this legislation won’t change that. It will, however, support the department in dealing with some of the negative consequences of the Comprehensive Police Adjustment and Injustice Amendment Act. Some of the changes that were made just don’t match the daily practice of safe and effective policing. And whether that’s around incidental contact you can make with a person, or how officers can use their body worn camera footage to write reports or whether police are allowed to safely chase a criminal who’s right in front of them[.]”

U.S. Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger is sworn in to testify at a Senate Rules and Administration Committee oversight hearing on January 5, 2022 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Elizabeth Frantz-Pool/Getty Images)

The ACT Act?

Whatever.

The reality is this… Crime in D.C. soared by 23 percent at the beginning of the year — 23 percent!

Wanna know why? Because when criminals know they can get away with crime they 1) commit more crimes, and 2) move their criminality to where they are most likely to get away with it.

This explosion in crime happened just after the Democrat-run city council passed the Revised Criminal Code Act of 2022, which reduced punishment for certain crimes. One lunatic example: Instead of a mandatory three to 15-year sentence for possessing a firearm in commission of a violent crime, the mandatory three-year minimum was eliminated and the maximum set at just four years.

Only the insane pass such laws. We’re not talking about bouncing a check or stealing a loaf of bread. We’re talking about beating someone over the head with a gun while robbing them. People capable of such savage behavior belong in prison for a very long time — forever works for me.

So, in 2022, D.C. reduced punishment for violent crime, even as violent crime rates increased.

Naturally, black people are the disproportionate victims of this crime spree, but Democrats don’t care about black people and haven’t since the Civil War forced Democrats to free their slaves.

The thing about crime is this…

Out of 100 criminals, maybe 20 are committing 60 to 80 percent of the crimes. You have to go after those 20 and put them away forever. Fighting crime is that simple. Three strikes laws (three convicted felonies equals life in prison) are very effective. I agree with exempting drug possession and drug use from three strikes laws. That goes too far. But violence? No. You’re done. Throw away the key.

A former corrections officer sold a key to the women's jail to inmates.

A former corrections officer sold a key to the women’s jail to inmates.

Try to imagine yourself committing violence against someone. You’re not in a fight. You don’t even know the person. Imagine you pass some woman on the street. She’s all alone. You come up behind her with a knife. You wrap your arm around her neck. You steal her purse. You throw her to the ground. You kick her a few times — some helpless, innocent woman.

You can’t imagine that because decent people couldn’t live with doing such a thing. It would haunt us forever.

People capable of committing that kind of violence are different from you and I, and they need to be locked up forever.

America solved our violent crime problems in the 1990s straight through to 2020, when Democrats lost their minds over Trump and let the domestic terrorists in Black Lives Matter and Antifa run wild. Democrats stood aside as their cities burnt, hoping civil unrest would damage Trump.

A demonstrator kicks back a tear gas canister back at federal officers during a Black Lives Matter protest at the Mark O. Hatfield United States Courthouse Wednesday, July 29, 2020, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

A demonstrator kicks back a tear gas canister back at federal officers during a Black Lives Matter protest at the Mark O. Hatfield United States Courthouse Wednesday, July 29, 2020, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

Well, here we are, nearly four years later. Can idiots like Bowser put the toothpaste back in the tube?

Here’s my answer…

Who the hell cares?

I don’t live there.

I live here.

The moron voters of D.C. are getting what they voted for.

D.C. is not my problem.

The whole city can burn for all I care.

Why should I care about D.C. when the people who live there don’t? That would be stupid.

John Nolte’s debut novel Borrowed Time (Bombardier Books) is available today. You can read an exclusive excerpt here and a review of the novel here.  

NAME AN AMERICAN CITY NOT IN MELTDOWN DUE TO BLACK CRIME!
NAME AN AMERICAN CITY NOT IN MELTDOWN DUE TO BLACK CRIME!
NAME AN AMERICAN CITY NOT IN MELTDOWN DUE TO BLACK CRIME!

WATCH: Good Samaritans Help Florida Police Take Down Carjacking Suspect

Two good Samaritans
Ocala Police

Two good Samaritans (pictured above) are being thanked by Florida law enforcement for aiding in the arrest of a home invasion and carjacking suspect on Tuesday.

Ocala police were pursuing Michael Prouty, 39, after he allegedly forced his way into a local woman’s home, robbed her, and stole her car.

“When officers spotted him in Ocala, Prouty fled and crashed into several vehicles and ran away, according to police, who added that a good Samaritan tried to hold onto Prouty, but he was able to get away,” WKMG 6 reported.

Dash cam footage from the incident shows the suspect exiting the stolen vehicle and then running up to a car in the nearby Starbucks drive-thru in a suspected carjacking attempt.

Police body camera footage shows the moment when Prouty opens the passenger door of the unsuspecting female driver, prompting witnesses to move towards the suspect. Another good Samaritan can be seen running ahead of the officer, grabbing Prouty and helping the cops arrest him.

“We are proud of these two citizens for their heroic action, for helping our officers make the arrest, and for keeping our community safe,” said Ocala Police Chief Mike Balken.

The Ocala Police Department released a statement, and the first good Samaritan who attempted to stop Prouty recalled the events from his point of view:

“I heard what sounded like a really loud crash. I looked over towards the gas station there on the corner and saw a Cadillac crashed into cars on 441. And I looked over and I watched him get out of the car, then he was running towards me,” the man, identified as Tom Episcopo, said. 

He continued:

There was like a bank truck that was sitting in that driveway that’s heading towards Starbucks from the gas station, so I went around the side of the truck where he couldn’t see me… and kind of addressed him there in between the wall and the truck and said, “You’re not going anywhere.”

Episcopo explained that while he was “outmuscled” by the “bigger” man, he was able to slow him down as police were in hot pursuit.

While the other citizen who aided in the arrest has not been publicly identified, Chief Balken said, “We would like to let these heroic citizens know that we are currently hiring police officers, and we invite them to apply to our agency!”

“Mr. Prouty is currently in the Marion County Jail and is facing multiple charges from our agency, including fleeing and eluding, attempted carjacking, and others,” the department said in a news release. “He was also involved in a robbery of a 7-Eleven convenience store in the early hours of Oct. 24, before the home invasion incident in Sumter County.”

Ex-NFL Player Sergio Brown Officially Charged with Murder Over Mother’s Death

Maywood Police Department
Maywood Police Department

On Tuesday, officials in the suburban Chicago City of Maywood officially charged former NFL player Sergio Brown with the death of his mother, Myrtle.

Myrtle Brown, 73, was found dead in a creek bed behind her Maywood, Illinois, home in Sept. However, the former NFL player had disappeared before police responded to the scene.

January 03, 2016: Jacksonville Jaguars Safety Sergio Brown (38) during the Jaguars at Texans game at NRG Stadium, Houston, Texas.

Ken Murray/Icon Sportswire/Corbis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Now, the player has been officially charged with his mother’s murder, according to Fox 32.

Last month, Myrtle Brown’s sister, Sheila Simmons, told officials she went to Myrtle’s home because the woman had not been answering calls. Upon entering, she found the house in disarray.

But Sergio was nowhere to be seen. Over the next several weeks, he began posting bizarre videos to his social media accounts claiming that the Maywood police and the FBI had “kidnapped” him.

Eventually, he was located in Mexico, and when he returned to the U.S., he was arrested in California and then extradited to Illinois on a warrant.

Brown attended Proviso East High School in Maywood, Illinois, and went on to play for Notre Dame in college. He played 94 games during his seven-season NFL career from 2010-16, spending most of that time with the New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts.

Follow Warner Todd Huston on Facebook at: facebook.com/Warner.Todd.Huston, or Truth Social @WarnerToddHuston

Teens Accused in Fatal Hit-and-Run of Retired Police Chief Laugh, Flip off Victim’s Family in Court

Andreas “Andy” Probst, 64, Jesus Ayala, 18, and Jzamir Keys, 16
screenshot, Probst family

The two Las Vegas teens accused of fatally mowing down retired police chief Andreas Probst while allegedly on a joyride in a stolen car were seen laughing, smiling, and even flipping off the victim’s family in court Tuesday.

Jesus Ayala, 18, and Jzamir Keys, 16, were in Nevada’s Clark County court on Tuesday, about two months after a video of the two — seemingly recorded by themselves — swerving into Probst while he biked on the side of the road went viral. 

“Ready?” Ayala, who was 17 at the time, can be heard asking in the video as he drove down a Las Vegas road. 

“Yeah, hit his ass,” says Keys, recording in the passenger seat. 

The disturbing footage then shows the car brutally running over Probst, 64, who never saw it coming. 

As USA Today reported, the pair are also accused of striking another bicyclist and a car during their ride in four different stolen vehicles that day. They were both charged with murder and are being tried as adults.

During their latest hearing, Ayala and Keys could be seen covering the right side of their faces in front of cameras in order to conceal their smiles and laughs. 

The family of the former police chief said the teens “really had no remorse,” the New York Post reported

“How can you sit there after taking a man’s life, and act like such an entitled p—k?” Taylor Probst, Andreas’ 27-year-old daughter, said outside of the courthouse. “They really had no remorse, that this is just a game to them.”

“They were just trying to mad-dog us and intimidate us, which didn’t work,” she added.

Crystal Probst, the wife of Andreas, wore her late husband’s damaged Apple Watch to court and appeared to be unfazed by the teens’ intimidation tactics.

“It just makes him look bad,” she told the Las Vegas Review-Journal, claiming Ayala showed her his middle finger.

Crystal ProbstTaylor Probst

Crystal Probst (L) and her daughter, Taylor Probst, family members of Andreas Probst, wait to speak at a news conference on September 19, 2023, in Las Vegas, Nevada. (AP Photo/Ty ONeil)

In body cam footage from Ayala’s initial arrest in September, he can be heard saying, “I’ll be out in 30 days; I’ll bet you” and arguing that a “hit-and-run” would just get him a “slap on the wrist.”

The footage, released Monday, showed the accused murderer asking the arresting officer if the crash was “really that serious.”

“Is it really that serious, like for real, over supposedly me crashing a car?” Ayala could be heard asking. 

“You think I’m gonna come out on the news?” he later asked the officer.

“It won’t be for anything good; it won’t make your mama proud,” the cop replied.

The Post also reported that Ayala and Keys, with their hands cuffed to a belly chain, “turned to the gallery and smirked at the Probst family as they left the courtroom.”

Ayala’s mother also made Breitbart News headlines when she made statements to the media saying, “I don’t know why he did this. I don’t know if God can forgive this.”

Keys’ mother, on the other hand, said, “My son’s side of the story will be told, ‘the truth,’ not the inaccuracies the media will try to portray.”

Taylor Probst blamed the families of Ayala and Keys for failing the out-of-control teens.

“A multitude of different people failed, but I think ultimately the parents on all ends. They’re the ones that failed,” she told reporters.

Chiefs Player Justyn Ross Accused of Dragging Woman Through a House, Arrested and Charged with Domestic Battery

KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI - AUGUST 26: Justyn Ross #8 of the Kansas City Chiefs stands on the sidelines during the fourth quarter of a preseason game against the Cleveland Browns at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium on August 26, 2023 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by David Eulitt/Getty Images)
David Eulitt/Getty Images

Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Justyn Ross was arrested Monday by the Johnson County Sheriff’s Department and charged with domestic battery in suburban Kansas City.

The charges are reportedly for criminal property damage and domestic battery, with the alleged damages exceeding $25,000, according to Brobible.

Police responded to a woman who reportedly told them Ross was “dragging her through the house and has torn up the house,” the Kansas City Star reported.

The 23-year-old was arrested on Monday, Oct. 23.

No report has yet been released stating if Ross posted bail or bond.

Ross initially signed with the Chiefs in 2022 but missed his entire rookie season due to a foot injury. But so far, he has appeared in all seven games this season.

Ross played for Clemson when the team won the college football national championship in 2018. That year, he caught 46 passes for 1,000 yards and no touchdowns as a freshman. He also performed well in his sophomore season but sat out his junior year after having difficult neck surgery.

He returned to Clemson in 2021 with 47 receptions for 534 yards and three touchdowns. However, due to his medical history, most NFL teams passed on him, and he did not get drafted in 2022. The Chiefs were among the few teams willing to give him a shot, but then he had foot surgery, which ruled him out for the whole season.

While playing this year, he has made only one touchdown and three receptions for 34 yards.

The Chiefs said they were aware of Ross’ arrest but otherwise made no statement.

Follow Warner Todd Huston on Facebook at: facebook.com/Warner.Todd.Huston, or Truth Social @WarnerToddHuston


Alleged Intruder Dies After North Carolina Homeowner Opens Fire

intruder-window-crowbar
iStock / Getty Images Plus

An alleged intruder died after a Wake Forest, North Carolina, homeowner opened fire on him Monday around 3:20 a.m.

ABC 11 reported that 34-year old Steven Contestable was allegedly trying to make entry into the home and was confronted by the homeowner.

Contestable was allegedly breaking panes of glass in a door when the homeowner gave him “repeated verbal warnings” to stop, the News & Observer noted.

The homeowner then shot Contestable, who died about an hour later.

The News & Observer pointed out that North Carolina law allows a person to use:

‘defensive force that is likely to cause death or serious bodily harm to another’ to protect their home, vehicle, or workplace if:  1) Someone is trying to remove you from the premises against your will,  2) You have a reason to believe that an ‘unlawful and forcible’ entry or act is occurring.

The homeowner legally owns the gun that was used to end the alleged intrusion.

AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio and a Turning Point USA Ambassador. He was a Visiting Fellow at the Russell Kirk Center for Cultural Renewal in 2010, a speaker at the 2023 Western Conservative Summit, and he holds a Ph.D. in Military History, with a focus on the Vietnam War (brown water navy), U.S. Navy since Inception, the Civil War, and Early Modern Europe. Follow him on Instagram: @awr_hawkins. You can sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.

 


VIDEO — ‘We’re Fed Up’: California Apartment Plagued by Violent Teenagers

Residents at an apartment complex in Long Beach, California, are worried for their safety after being targeted by young people.

Those living at the Camden Harbor View Apartments endured several recent arson fires in the complex’s garage, but neighbor Ty London told Fox 11 there have been more disturbing activities happening, the outlet reported Saturday.

London said people have been jumping over their fences, entering the pools and hallways, and nabbing packages.

“And we are inundated with homeless. My car was broken into three times. None of our doors are locked. We don’t have security whatsoever, so we are left with these bad skateboarders that are fighting tenants,” he explained.

Teenagers are the latest problem for those living in the luxury apartments. KTLA video footage shows a group of young people outside the building:

“These kids don’t care. They’re looking for trouble,” one woman, who was attacked at the complex, told the outlet.

“One hit me with a skateboard, and the other one was hitting the other guy, and they were socking him. He didn’t want to fight back; he was just trying to get them to stop. He didn’t want to hurt any kids,” she said.

Neighbor Javier Diaz told Fox the group broke some doors to get into the building, where they sometimes find homeless people. He blamed a Lincoln Park skate park for being the reason the young people have come to the area.

“We’re very fed up,” one woman, who recently moved out of the complex, told KCAL News. The woman explained she and another neighbor were attacked by a group of teens. The incident was recorded on her phone, and she said she was hit with a skateboard:

Property owner Camden Living said in a statement, “In early September, we increased community security and requested additional patrols by the Long Beach Police Department. We are continuing to work with the Long Beach Police Department closely.”

However, residents say they do not feel safe anymore, and many are considering moving elsewhere. The Fox report also noted that “Long Beach City Council has held at least one community meeting about the issue last month, but no action has been taken.”

The Camden website says it offers “the best in high-rise and mid-rise living in Downtown Long Beach” and urges potential residents to make the complex their home.

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