UPDATED—Could far-left New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, the failed presidential candidate who is now expressing disbelief and disgust about freed Rikers Island inmates committing more crimes, provide a lesson to Washington State Gov. Jay Inslee?
Quoted by the New York Post, de Blasio said during as press briefing, “I think it’s unconscionable just on a human level that folks were shown mercy and this is what some of them have done.”
Inslee is essentially overseeing the release of some 1,100 inmates in the Evergreen State whose ranks include a significant number of people who had been sacked apparently for illegal possession of a firearm. If he takes de Blasio’s lead, the moment one of these Evergreen State losers gets popped with a firearm, or arrested for using a gun in a crime, Inslee will scowl and declare, as did de Blasio, that it is “unconscionable” that criminals who were “shown mercy” would immediately pick up the habits that landed them behind bars in the first place.
At least, that’s been the reaction on social media so far, since KCPQ published a link to the list of released prisoners and their charges.
Another sentiment that might be gaining traction is that de Blasio, and Inslee, should both be blamed if any of their early-released criminals commits a crime.
In Washington, the State Supreme Court should shoulder part of the blame as well. State Rep. Jim Walsh, a 19th District Republican, warned on Facebook Monday of another lawsuit aimed at increasing prisoner releases that is on its way to the state high court.
According to KCPQ, “The Washington Supreme Court late Friday told Gov. Jay Inslee to protect the health of inmates in the state during the coronavirus outbreak…”
But who is supposed to protect the public from the allegedly low-level criminals now being released?
A cursory glance at the Washington list, which includes several “pending” cases, reveals at least five persons convicted of unlawful gun possession who had a “prior conviction or not guilty by reason of insanity.” There are lots of “unlawful possession” charges where guns are concerned, but under legislation favored by Inslee’s fellow Democrats, gun owners could face prosecution for not reporting lost or stolen guns, yet here’s the state turning loose a lot of people who seem to make a habit of possessing “lost or stolen” guns.
The list of released offenders stretches 18 pages. There are car thieves, burglars, drug dealers, habitual drunk drivers, and at least one forger.
According to the New York Post, among the people who are now back in jail for re-offending is one Rikers Island inmate who “allegedly (set) his girlfriend’s door on fire and (choked) her mother, who was released early only to return to the Bronx apartment and allegedly threaten to kill the whole family.”
There was another prisoner who was accused of assaulting a Department of Homeless Services officer who was free long enough to allegedly punch an agency sergeant only 48 hours after release.
Many are concerned the inmates now being released will be committing new crimes. If so, there is a strong possibility many of the people who were in Olympia Sunday demanding that Inslee re-open the state will stand in line to remind the governor “we told you so.”
