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Democrat New York City Mayor Eric Adams lashed out at the nation’s legal system Saturday, blasting the catch-and-release policies that result in so many violent criminals being let out back on the streets, often within hours of their crimes.
The latest: On November 29 in the Big Apple, a man pulls a bat from his pants, sneaks up on a homeless person, and smashes him over the head. Warning: video of the incident is truly horrific:
Meet Karim Azizi, a NYC Manhattan man arrested over a caught-on-video assault in which he allegedly pulled a baseball bat from his pants and hit a man on the street in the back of the head. pic.twitter.com/jVnkShexBb
— Satyaagrah (@satyaagrahindia) December 9, 2022
The attacker, 36-year-old Karim Azizi, was arrested on Wednesday but was quickly back out on the streets after a judge ordered bail to be set at $7,500—despite prosecutors requesting a $40,000 figure.
Mayor Adams appeared on CNN Saturday to point out the lunacy of the decision to host Michael Smerconish (emphasis mine):
Every time we do our job as law enforcement in the city [as] administrators, we are seeing this revolving door – a catch, release, repeat system that is really playing out all across the country…
I say this over and over again: when are we going to pass laws that protect the innocent people of this city? We have to stop passing laws that protect the guilty.
It’s strange to hear words like these coming from a Democrat. Many of the policies he is complaining about are the results of woke governors, state legislatures, and soft-on-crime, George Soros-backed prosecutors like Manhattan’s Alvin Bragg, LA’s George Gascón, and recently ousted Philadelphia DA Larry Krasner.
Here’s the NYPD taking Aziz into custody:
And who can forget Axe Man, who pulled out a hatchet on a Friday night at a Manhattan McDonald’s, scared the heck of other customers, and chopped up the property? He was out before the weekend was even over—with no bail. Even though he was charged with fourth-degree criminal mischief and possession of weapons, neither of the charges is eligible for bail under the state’s criminal justice reforms.
Nice.
Manhattan: Delancey Street & Essex Street, a man started swinging around an axe in a @McDonalds after getting into a fight with three people. He started swinging the axe, breaking tables, shattering glass, and threatening the three men. He was arrested by the @NYPDnews/@NYPD7Pct. pic.twitter.com/fAQR2bqCjO
— NYC Scoop (@NY_Scoop) September 18, 2022
Jason Goldman, the lawyer for bat man Azizi, tried to play clean-up, but his response was ridiculous:
…[the] mayor’s “categorical and blanket approach” to bail laws “is exactly” why the Rikers Island jail complex is an “overcrowded hellhole.”
“Azizi isn’t some fish with 30 catch, release, and repeats,” said Goldman. “He’s a human who, prior to this very first arrest for which he is presumed innocent, has never once crossed paths with the criminal justice system. We need to have a more educated conversation to fix what’s broken.”
The Rikers Island jail is a hellhole because of corrupt leadership and total mismanagement, not because of a “blanket approach.” Meanwhile, Azizi’s crime was so brazen, so cowardly, that he should be considered dangerous regardless of his past criminal history. There are reports that there may have been an argument between the two men, but that doesn’t matter—no dispute gives you the right to sneak up and someone and bash in their head. The victim is lucky to be alive.
Today’s prosecutors in so many cases think the job of a district attorney is to do everything in their power to release suspects; they no longer seem to think that keeping the streets safe is their profession.
Until more leaders like Eric Adams start waking up and reversing some of the dangerous policies and laws like “no bail,” we’re likely to see more and more of this kind of thing.
Although murders are down in NYC in 2022, according to NYPD crime statistics, rape is up 15.8 percent, robbery 1.7 percent, burglary 8.9 percent, grand larceny 19.3 percent, and transit crimes up a whopping 28 percent. “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results,” reads a quote often attributed to Albert Einstein.
Whoever said it, it certainly applies to America’s floundering criminal justice system.
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