The BFD | “Defund Police” Councillor Calls the Cops

The most obvious thing about totalitarian ideologies is just how little the ideologues apply their own theories to themselves. The Soviet Union had its nomenklatura. Communist China has its “princelings”. Some animals are always more equal than others.

In the US, the nomenklatura are those leftist politicians who demand curfews for all, while they pig out at posh restaurants and dance in Times Square. Most of all, they demand the “defunding” (by which they meant, disbandment) of the police – while simultaneously demanding to be protected from the inevitable consequences of their looney policies.

Lisa Herbold is a Seattle city councilmember. Like many politicians in her corner of the world, she has ways she would like to defund the police and make life easier for those charged with minor offenses.

Unless those “minor offences” affect her, of course.

On Dec. 11, Herbold called 911 to report a rock thrown at a window at her West Seattle home, according to KTTH-AM radio host Jason Rantz[…]

In an irony that seems appropriate for Seattle, Herbold is actually chairwoman of the city council’s Public Safety Committee.

But, even as she jumps on the phone to demand personal protection, Herbold is campaigning to effectively legalise most crime.

A proposal by Herbold and allied ideologues would see suspects escape almost all misdemeanour crimes – such as throwing a rock at someone’s house – on the basis of “experiencing symptoms of a behavioral health disorder”, by which they mean, “any organic, mental, or emotional impairment which has substantial adverse effects on a person’s cognitive or volitional function”. Which will frankly mean whatever an accused criminal wants it to mean.

The public safety adviser to former Seattle Mayor Ed Murray, Scott Lindsay, noted in a white paper that[…]

“The standard to satisfy either of the two ‘symptoms of behavioral health disorder’ defenses is so low, it is euphemistic to call them defenses. For all practical purposes, this legislation would provide blanket immunity from misdemeanor prosecution for virtually all non-DUI/DV defendants,” he wrote, referring to driving under the influence and domestic violence cases.

“Any credible claim of anxiety, depression, trauma, or addiction would make the defendant un-prosecutable for the vast majority of crimes in the Seattle Municipal Code, no matter how many times the defendant had committed the crime or how egregious the circumstances.”

Lindsay has been an outspoken critic of the proposed law, calling it a “green light for crime.”

Herbold also wants to effectively legalise stealing by allowing a “poverty defense”

“If you’re poor or homeless, you could effectively get away with stealing from just about anyone or any business in Seattle,” Rantz wrote. “Just say you’re poor and needed to steal that bike or car stereo so you can sell it for money to buy food.

“Of course, the likelihood is that these crimes are driven by addiction that city leadership won’t treat. So they’ll use the cash to buy drugs or alcohol. But Herbold thought of that: The addict also gets a pass. You merely need to show ‘symptoms’ of addiction and it’s your legal pass.”

Including for throwing rocks at a politician’s house.

“We don’t know the motives of the suspect. On the surface, this seems targeted. Was the man experiencing temporary anxiety or depression over the future of this city thanks to Herbold’s shoddy leadership? If her proposal was currently the law, prosecutors wouldn’t have a case against him,” Rantz wrote.

“Herbold wants a criminal investigation into this man. She should. He broke the law and should be punished. But in Seattle, thanks to councilmembers like Herbold, we don’t punish criminals. We have an aversion to putting people in jail who are threats to society. Usually, the councilmembers aren’t victims themselves. They just create the victims with their permissive policies.”

At the same time, they are making victims of everyone else. The Seattle City Council has already slashed the police budget by 18 per cent. Herbold wants it cut by 50 per cent.

And, in news that should surprise absolutely no-one except a leftist politician, Seattle has seen a spike in crime of more than 500 percent and record numbers of homicides.

But, hey, who cares – the politicians will make sure there’s always a squad car at their beck and call.