If this isn't a threat to public safety, what is? Judge releases man under IL's new cashless bail law
http://twitchy.com/amy-curtis/2023/09/27/if-this-isnt-a-threat-to-public-safety-what-is-judge-releases-man-under-ils-new-cashless-bail-law-n2387802
On September 18, Illinois became the first state in the country to eliminate bail. The 'cashless bail' legislation, known as the 'Pretrial Fairness Act' will 'no longer [criminalize] poverty' and 'make Illinois a leader in criminal justice reform' and while the default is no cash for bail and criminals being released pre-trial, NBC 5 Chicago reports there are some circumstances under which suspects could be held behind bars pre-trial:
Although setting people free before trial will become the default in Illinois, there will still be cases that warrant detention, including for those accused of violent or sexual offenses or facing charges involving a gun, according to Cook County Public Defender Sharone Mitchell Jr.
We'd like to really draw your attention to this part: 'including for those accused of violent or sexual offenses or facing charges involving a gun.' Remember this, because it's important.
So let's see how, a week into the program, cashless bail is actually going:
CWBChicago (@CWBChicago) ~ Bail reform: A judge yesterday decided that a Chicago man accused of shooting a dog in the head and having two 50-round ammunition magazines is not a threat to public safety.
She rejected a prosecutor's request to keep him in jail and sent him home.
http://cwbchicago.com/2023/09/judge-refuses-to-jail-man-charged-shooting-dog-chicago-bail-reform.html
Oh.
Now, our memories may be fuzzy, but wasn't our president just ranting about how no one needs that many rounds of ammunition?
Why, yes. Yes he was. And we're even giving Biden the benefit of the doubt and thinking he misread '30' on the teleprompter as the '80' he mentioned. Either way, this guy had two 50-round magazines, well over the limit acceptable to Biden.
CWBChicago reports:
A Cook County judge rejected a prosecutor’s request to jail a Chicago man who allegedly shot a dog as a threat to public safety on Monday. Instead, Judge Mary Marubio sent Darrick Bender, 19, home with a nighttime curfew and orders to stay away from the dog’s owners, court records show.
Chicago police initially responded to a ShotSpotter gunfire detection alert in the 5000 block of South La Crosse late Sunday night. Before they arrived, dispatchers radioed that a 911 caller reported that a man had just shot his dog one address away from where the ShotSpotter indicated a gun had been fired, according to a Bender’s CPD arrest report.
The officers saw two men matching the descriptions of the suspects and tried to talk with them. But the men ran, and two officers chased one of them, allegedly Bender.
The arrest report said Bender ran behind a home and threw a backpack over a fence before the cops caught him. The backpack contained a loaded 9-millimeter handgun equipped with a laser sight, loose ammunition, and two 50-round drum magazines, according to the report.
Let's circle back to before. Remember how Cook County public defender Sharone Mitchell, Jr. said suspects accused of violent crimes or gun crimes could be held? Darrick Bender not only shot a dog, he was carrying a gun he tried to get rid of before the cops caught him.
How is that not a threat to public safety?
Instead, the judge tells him to stay away from the dog's owners (and, sorry, folks, the report didn't say if the dog survived), and gave him a nighttime curfew.
We're sure that'll work.
Bender also has priors for which charges were dropped:
Chi Prez (@MyP_Chicago) ~ Regarding his prior offense, “Prosecutors charged him with possessing a stolen motor vehicle and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. They dropped the stolen vehicle charge one week later and dropped the aggravated assault charge on September 7, according to the court file.”
That prior also, allegedly, involved a gun police later couldn't find (emphasis added):
Last month, Chicago police arrested Bender on a different set of allegations. A 52-year-old woman told police that Bender pointed a gun at her, and a CPD surveillance camera operator saw him in possession of a firearm with an extended magazine, according to the August 17 arrest report.
So twice Bender was alleged to have a gun and the charges were either dropped or ignored when Bender was released on cashless bail.
Here's the dirty little secret: they don't care about criminals having guns. They care very much about stripping law-abiding citizens of their Second Amendment rights, though. And they act and legislate accordingly.
Ron Sandack (@RLSandack) ~ You voted for this, Illinois.
Elections have consequences. Unfortunately, there are people who didn't vote for this who will now suffer because of it.
🦍 (@thamenace__) ~ We’re literally living in Gotham. 😭
Gotham sans Batman to save anyone.
the white wolf (@fmoney316) ~ If he commits another crime while on “curfew,” the judge should be held accountable.
Odds are, if he commits another crime, even he won't be held accountable. His next victim(s) will, at best, get an apology from the broken system, if that.
Midwest Fan Club Account #StandWithUkraine (@jerglans) ~ I knew it was Mary Marubio before I even clicked the link. Here she is as the main photo on the @suntimes' "bail reform is working great" puff piece from this weekend.
And to @CookCntyCourt @illinoiscourts: Congrats on getting more dogs murdered!
http://chicago.suntimes.com/2023/9/24/23886147/cook-county-judges-talk-first-week-without-cash-bail-illinois
How can they know something is working great when it's only been in effect for one week?
But here's a catch Twitchy made back in July -- Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre has said eliminating cash bail nationwide is a goal of the Biden Administration and Bidenomics. In the name of 'equity', of course:
The State of Illinois just made news by eliminating cash bail, which is a bad thing, because it discriminates against the poor, although bail is normally set considering the severity of the charges, not by the accused's net worth. A reporter asked Karine Jean-Pierre the White House's thoughts on eliminating cash bail, and she seemed to think that it was just another part of the economy. It's Bidenomics.
We're at a loss, two months later, to figure out how letting violent criminals like Darrick Bender free under cashless bail: 1) builds the economy, and 2) is fair to the victims (past, present, and future) of Bender. What is 'equitable' about this, or even just?
It would be nice if a reporter could follow up with KJP on this, and in the coming weeks and months when there are even more victims of criminals out on cashless bail. We should also remember to tie the fallout from cashless bail directly to Bidenomics, as KJP said the two are inextricably linked.
The essential American soul is hard, isolate, stoic, and a killer. It has never yet melted. ~ D.H. Lawrence
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