Since the election of J.B. Pritzker as our governor, Illinoisans have been bombarded with woke policies that have made our neighborhoods increasingly dangerous.
This follows a trend that we’ve seen nationally with the arrival of the Biden administration. Both the Pritzker and the Biden administrations’ policies treat crime as a social disorder rather than a matter of law and order. This attitude is preventing police officers from protecting and serving their communities. Furthermore, while the Democrats’ embrace of woke leftist policies protects hardened criminals over law-abiding citizens, there is no effort to create a genuine rehabilitation component within the criminal justice system. Pritzker appointees released a woman who had killed her two daughters, plus a cop-killer who was convicted of murdering an Illinois state trooper.
The Pritzker administration’s attack on law and order reached new heights with the passage of H.B. 3653. Known as the Safety, Accountability, Fairness, and Equity-Today Act, or the SAFE-T Act, this bill has introduced new levels of carnage against law-abiding citizens across the state. The SAFE-T Act got rid of cash bail, allowing dangerous criminals to spend more time on the streets rather than behind bars as they await trial. This will potentially allow them to commit more violent crimes.
Additionally, the SAFE-T Act forces police officers to intervene only in what is considered to be “immediate threats” to others. This will diminish state law enforcement’s ability to prevent possible crimes. This bill forces Illinois law enforcement to become a reactive rather than proactive force for good.
Since Biden’s accession in January 2021, the U.S. has seen an unprecedented rise in crime. Biden administration rhetoric and policies have been heavily influenced by the liberal policies that, instead of focusing on gang warfare, have shifted the focus to attacking the public’s Second Amendment rights. This misguided focus is typical of Democrats — a distraction from the real issue that is destroying communities.
The Pritzker administration’s attack on law and order reached its apex with the passage of this bill. But the Pritzker administration’s attack on law and order does not stop with his attack on police officers and their ability to do their job. It has also infiltrated district attorneys throughout the state. Backed by an influx of funds from George Soros, corrupt district attorneys are no longer prosecuting violent crimes to the fullest extent of the law. Even worse, many of these Soros-backed district attorneys are decriminalizing crimes. Illinois has become saturated with sanctuary cities that effectively invite drug and sex traffickers.
We can have a criminal justice system that holds criminals accountable while simultaneously rehabilitating nonviolent offenders so that they can successfully rejoin society. In DuPage County, Illinois, they are reducing recidivism with a focus on jobs and education for those currently incarcerated. Rather than releasing violent criminals back onto the streets, DuPage County has forged a path forward that could serve as a statewide model. The process is simple: put the criminals in jail, rehabilitate them with job training, and then release them — fully reformed and with skills that can keep them in the workforce and out of trouble.
It is time to put an end to the lunacy and corruption that has trickled down from the Biden administration and is now plaguing our state. The ideological “defund the police” banner in Illinois is punishing law-abiding Illinoisans, neutering police forces, and aiding hardened criminals. We cannot afford four more years of corrupt and out-of-touch policies that make Illinois less safe for citizens and more welcoming to criminals.
Gary Rabine is a Republican candidate for governor of Illinois.
