Crime without consequences leads to anarchy, poverty, despair
It is almost as if our state’s political leadership is hellbent on legalizing crime without consequences.
We tried a baby-step towards eliminating cash bail with the “Affordable Bail Act of 2017.” It has proven itself an unmitigated disaster leaving a trail of dead bodies and maimed survivors in its wake thanks to new crimes committed by those out on “affordable bail” before trial.
Take, for example, this case out of Chicago. Courtesy of CWB Chicago (which, if you’re an Illinoisan, should be on your daily reading list along with Wireports.org)
A convicted felon engaged in “a gunfight at the OK Corral” on a bustling Chicago street while he was on electronic monitoring for a felony case, authorities said Wednesday.
Kevin Cousins, 21, is the 41st person accused of killing or shooting—or attempting to kill or shoot—someone in Chicago while awaiting trial for a felony this year. The alleged crimes involved at least 78 victims, 18 of whom died.
A convicted felon with a gun? That used to be an automatic five years in prison. Now, it’s affordable bail. But the story of Mr. Cousins gets better. A lot better.
Cousins, on electronic monitoring, was with a group of people on the corner of Argyle and Kenmore when a drive-by shooter opened fire around 2:50 p.m. on August 14, according to prosecutors. During the incident, a 59-year-old man was shot.
Let me translate that to English for you. He was hanging with his fellow gang members.
According to Assistant State’s Attorney Eugene Goroshko, Cousins ducked between two cars, then popped up with a pistol in his hand and returned fire toward the shooter’s car. He then rode away on a bike, collided with a parked minivan, and ran from the scene as someone stepped out of the van and began shooting at him, Goroshko said.
I’d pay good money to see that video. He fired at the car filled with opposing gang members, then rode away on a bike only to crash into a parked minivan? Was he drunk? High? Or just felony stupid? And then to have someone hop out of the van and start shooting at him? It just wasn’t Kevin Cousins’ lucky day!
“For lack of a better term,” Judge Susana Ortiz said upon hearing the allegations, “in the middle of the city streets, here we have a gunfight at the OK Corral going on.”
“No s***, Sherlock, er, your Honor. A gunfight at the OK Corral, minus the good guys.”
The shooting was recorded by a collection of surveillance cameras that “clearly” showed Cousins ducking down as the initial shots rang out and then returning fire, according to Goroshko. Video also allegedly shows Cousins passing the gun off to someone else who flees the scene after the shooting.
So law enforcement has video of Cousins shooting his gun at other people with the intention to commit death or great bodily harm. Keep that in mind.
Police who patrol the area recognized Cousins from the video footage and located him Tuesday.
Goroshko said Cousins was on electronic monitoring for a pending charge of aggravated battery to a police officer. He was on parole for the robbery of a 64-year-old victim when he picked up that charge, according to Goroshko.
An upstanding citizen. Parole for the robbery of a 64-year-old? Dollars to donuts that was plead down from armed robbery. And while on parole he picked up an arrest for aggravated battery to a police officer. Again, why wasn’t this scumbag back in prison? Oh, that’s right. Democrat political leaders don’t want to put black and brown people in prison.
Don’t attack me for saying the obvious. I’m just telling you what one member of the Legislative Black Caucus told me to my face when I was in Springfield lobbying for enhanced penalties for violent felons who use guns to commit further violent crimes. The black female representative told me, and I quote, “We’re not supporting anything that will put more black and brown people in prison.”
That was the day I lost my naivete lobbying in Springfield.
So, guess what Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx charged this guy with. Attempted murder? LOL. Aggravated battery with a firearm? LOL.
Prosecutors charged Cousins with aggravated unlawful use of a weapon by a felon. He is not criminally charged with firing the gun or shooting anyone.
Ironically, a disproportionate number of blacks have been victimized by those out on “affordable bail.” Yet the Democrats – led by the Legislative Black Caucus in our state – insisted on giving us the “No Cash Bail” law that will eliminate the entire bail system altogether.
The Legislative Black Caucus claims that allowing crime without consequence is somehow promoting safety and equity.
It won’t make us safe. It will cause more poverty, blight and misery. In other words, it’ll spread the equity of misery across the board for everyone.
Safety. Safety in a place to live, work and invest.
It all comes down to safety or the lack thereof. If you don’t feel safe in a place, why would you invest in a business there? If you don’t think you and your employees would be safe working there, why would you place a business there? You wouldn’t. Also, why would you live there with your family?
You wouldn’t.
Through defunding the police and encouraging remaining officers “go fetal” to protect their jobs and retirements, Chicago’s Mayor Lori Lightfoot has neutered the people to enforce the rule of law. By doing so, she has gifted control of her city to criminals.
And now the bad guys operate with impunity, as evidenced by cops stopped from pursuing violent criminals (even murderers).
Thanks to the “no snitch” culture, Chicago PD solves less than 5% of non-fatal shootings and less than 15% of homicides. And then the Cook County State’s Attorney doesn’t even charge half of the homicides that are cleared. It’s so bad that residents in Chicago are more likely to be victims of crime than criminals are to be caught and prosecuted.
Productive people aren’t going to stand for it indefinitely. Businesses aren’t going to stay.
Residents do the same. If people don’t think they can live and raise their families in safety and they can afford to leave, they will move to a safer place.
We cannot have flourishing, vibrant cities without safety and the rule of law. This is true no matter how much government money is spent on “education” or “jobs.” Safety must come first.
Without safe streets and the rule of law there will be nothing but blight and crime.
And if Illinois doesn’t end this social experiment of crime without consequences, the exodus of businesses and productive families will accelerate dramatically.
Post Script: The elections are coming soon. Vote for candidates who will promote safety and security over virtue signaling and wokeness. Get your friends fired up to do the same. Give them a reason to go to the polls in a mid-term election. Don’t let the low-information voters decide this election or we’re going to get more of the same failed policies, gooder and harder.