As more information comes out about the shooting in Sacramento, California, it has become more and more likely that this was a gang encounter that escalated into violence. Perhaps California will start to treat crime and criminals more seriously.
We already knew that the two suspects in custody, brothers Dandrae Martin and Smiley Martin, were repeat criminals who were prohibited from owning firearms. Now, court documents filed by the Sacramento County District Attorney identified three of the men who were killed as being associated with local gangs. One of those men, Joshua Hoye-Lucchesi, was in a social media clip with the brothers posted hours before the shooting, where he and Smiley Martin ”boast about shooting rival gang members,” according to court documents.
In the video, Hoye-Lucchesi and Smiley stated their allegiance to the Garden Blocc Crips. The other two men killed, Sergio Harris and DeVazia Turner, were part of rival gangs, as is Mtula Payton, a suspect whom police are looking for. Payton is wanted on multiple felony warrants, including gun charges and domestic violence.
California has not taken crime seriously, a fact about which state Democrats are proud. Last year, California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill reducing sentencing enhancements for people affiliated with gangs. Sentencing enhancements are racist, you see, so California Democrats must make sure gang members get out of prison earlier.
Some have taken this lax treatment further. Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon shrunk the city’s “Hardcore Gangs” unit while gang violence rose in the city. Gascon has also made it his priority to eliminate all sentencing enhancements, including for criminals affiliated with gangs and for firearm offenses.
Naturally, California Democrats have already turned to gun control. But more gun control wouldn’t have prevented six people affiliated with gangs, at least three of whom have long criminal records and are already barred from possessing a gun, from starting a gunfight in downtown Sacramento. If California actually enforced its existing laws and focused on keeping criminals off the streets, this all could have been avoided.
Californians will eventually need to decide whether sacrificing public safety to coddle career criminals is what they really want. Gascon and San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin are facing recalls over the soft-on-crime policies, but this rot extends up to Newsom and the leaders of the California Democratic Party. If Californians want to solve this problem, that is where they must look.
