One major reason that crime is up: Groups linked to financier George Soros have helped elect more than 70 rogue top prosecutors across the country. One in five Americans live in one of these crime-ridden cities.
Now there are welcome signs that the Soros influence is in retreat.
These soft-on-crime prosecutors routinely refuse to prosecute most misdemeanors, claiming they are essentially harmless “quality of life” crimes. This creates a climate that encourages more serious crimes and keeps criminals on the streets.
In Chicago’s Cook County, the Soros-backed incumbent Kim Fox was forced to retire as District Attorney.
In Los Angeles County, District Attorney George Gascon has become deeply unpopular after he ended cash bail for most offenses and refused to prosecute many misdemeanors such as trespassing and drug possession.
Gascon only won 21 percent of the vote in a multi-candidate field in the June nonpartisan primary, and trails challenger Nate Hochman by 24 points in the November runoff.
Then there’s the recall effort against District Attorney Pamela Price of Alameda County, California, which includes Oakland. This week, the recall effort won a key endorsement from liberal Congressman Eric Swalwell. He detailed how Price “has essentially put in place pro-criminal policies where the cops catch the bad guys and she releases them back into the community, and that has made us less safe and has created anxiety among citizens.”
When even liberal Democrats are saying this, we’ve got a big problem on our hands.