"But if one took 2021 as the starting point, the year Garza became the DA, all the major crime categories had increased substantially, including murder, aggravated assault, and arson. "
Probably more clear to say 2020 as a baseline year before he became DA. Or Jan 1 2021 as a baseline date if you want to compare monthly data. Matt Yglesias is bashing you thoughtlessly over this, but you're totally right.
In Chicago the murder clearance rate is 25%. So as a murderer you have a 75% chance of never being charged. I assume not every indicted suspect is found guilty so the numbers go down from there. Not surprisingly there's a lot of killing here.
I would like to say that, if they reelect Garza, Austin voters will get what they deserve. But it's the crime victims rather than most residents who'll really pay (and have already paid) the price of having a soft-on-crime DA.
I am a Republican and live in Austin. I voted in the democratic primary for the first time to vote for Garza’s opponent. Many republicans have. It’s our only hope to oust this leftist socialist who is helping to ruin this city.
Just as the rise of crime in Washington D.C. is directly related to the progressive policies of the Council, I see it being similar in Austin.
But so what? This is what the voters voted for. No one should be surprised. The same progressive politicos in D.C. get elected, and re-elected, so why is anyone surprised about the rise of crime through leniency towards even violent criminals?
Sounds like the people of Austin have supported, and do support Garza.
I returned home to find all these generous likes. Thanks. I’m not very Internet savvy and joined mostly because I like the libertarian free speech approach to what I have read here so apologies if I don’t exactly know how to respond yet, but here’s an update from the front. I missed my exit off the toll road (Toll Roads in Texas ??? When I was a kid BRANCH BANKING was anathema to the Lege) and exited 290 onto a huge curved connector toward 35 S where a glimpse of the new Austin skyline of
gray smog and glass towers took my breath away in a bad way. The image WAS the Los Angeles-ization of Austin. I texted three old friends who still live nearby: one said he ‘never goes into the city-it sucks”, a second said ‘Maybe dinner but I live beyond the Y in Oak Hill and traffic is bad (?), the third just answered ‘Cool. cool’ and nothing else like Id just told him the Conan’s pizza guy was going to deliver him a quarter of Mexican sense. Frustrated, I dropped by Trader Joes (Stop Me Before I California again) on my way back to my piece of the real Texas, where I’m sipping on an 1835 🥃 from Lewisville, trying not to think about how to feel.
Why is george Floyd, a total sumbag criminal, celebrated as a universal symbol of injustice? Meanwhile, this totally innocent young murder victum, is nobody? Is this our country? Is this what you want for government? There is only one path to truth and objectivity and common sense, DONALD TRUMP! TO HADIES WITH THE DAMNED FEM TRAITORS,
Ever since President Obama, the DNC is the master of the universe for negative campaigning (blue state courts, media and all the federal agencies are in the bag). And, since COVID Laws, DNC has a masterful ballot surveillance system to cover the election weeks of ballot drops so ballots can be generated on the fly to win any close races like Austin. Stalin and Hitler roll in their graves with envy.
I hope and pray Sylestine wins big! It can no longer be about moderate, liberal, conservative, democrat or republican, it has to be about common sense. And if there's even a wiff of Soros name supporting a candidate, they must be soundly defeated.
And all these folks like Garza have is to trash their opponents. They bring nothing to the table.
Chicago/"Crook" County is dealing with this exact issue as our ultra-progressive State's Attorney, Kim Foxx (she of Jussie Smollett fame who similarly refuses to prosecute serious, habitual criminals) is finally not going to run again. Under her tenure, robberies, sexual assaults, carjackings, and assaults have skyrocketed. Violent daytime robbery sprees have become the norm. (See https://cwbchicago.com/2024/02/chicago-robbery-spree-again-alderman-warns-suspicious-kia-hyndai.html). Because this is Chicago, the real race is the March 19 Democratic primary where Foxx / Preckwinkle protege Harris is running against former judge Burke who is far from conservative but pledges to - GASP - prosecute retail thefts, gun-related crimes, etc. Yet Chicago's voter turnout is consistently dreadful so I have little hope that change will happen.
Garza says "But we’ve also been hard at work addressing the root causes of crime in our community..." This is a key problem in very liberal-minded worldviews- the collapsing of boundaries between different issues and different duties. Your job, sir, has nothing to do with addressing 'root causes' whatever that means. Your job is to prosecute criminals. That is it. The idea that have the authority- or even any proper comprehension of or actual ability- to 'address root causes' is absurd, hubristic, and immoral.
Garza won. Hard to feel badly for those who voted for him and then complain about crime.
"But if one took 2021 as the starting point, the year Garza became the DA, all the major crime categories had increased substantially, including murder, aggravated assault, and arson. "
Probably more clear to say 2020 as a baseline year before he became DA. Or Jan 1 2021 as a baseline date if you want to compare monthly data. Matt Yglesias is bashing you thoughtlessly over this, but you're totally right.
In Chicago the murder clearance rate is 25%. So as a murderer you have a 75% chance of never being charged. I assume not every indicted suspect is found guilty so the numbers go down from there. Not surprisingly there's a lot of killing here.
I would like to say that, if they reelect Garza, Austin voters will get what they deserve. But it's the crime victims rather than most residents who'll really pay (and have already paid) the price of having a soft-on-crime DA.
"In a Deep-Blue City, Will Locals Get Tough on Crime?" San Francisco was given the same warning..did it ever get tough on crime?
I believe they now have a more conservative DA: https://www.politico.com/news/2024/01/24/chesa-boudin-san-francisco-interview-00137358
Ugh, sadly the incumbent lunatic will probably win the primary
I am a Republican and live in Austin. I voted in the democratic primary for the first time to vote for Garza’s opponent. Many republicans have. It’s our only hope to oust this leftist socialist who is helping to ruin this city.
"In a Deep-Blue City, Will Locals Get Tough on Crime?"
No.
Next question?
Praying for Austin
Just as the rise of crime in Washington D.C. is directly related to the progressive policies of the Council, I see it being similar in Austin.
But so what? This is what the voters voted for. No one should be surprised. The same progressive politicos in D.C. get elected, and re-elected, so why is anyone surprised about the rise of crime through leniency towards even violent criminals?
Sounds like the people of Austin have supported, and do support Garza.
So isn't this what democracy looks like?
I returned home to find all these generous likes. Thanks. I’m not very Internet savvy and joined mostly because I like the libertarian free speech approach to what I have read here so apologies if I don’t exactly know how to respond yet, but here’s an update from the front. I missed my exit off the toll road (Toll Roads in Texas ??? When I was a kid BRANCH BANKING was anathema to the Lege) and exited 290 onto a huge curved connector toward 35 S where a glimpse of the new Austin skyline of
gray smog and glass towers took my breath away in a bad way. The image WAS the Los Angeles-ization of Austin. I texted three old friends who still live nearby: one said he ‘never goes into the city-it sucks”, a second said ‘Maybe dinner but I live beyond the Y in Oak Hill and traffic is bad (?), the third just answered ‘Cool. cool’ and nothing else like Id just told him the Conan’s pizza guy was going to deliver him a quarter of Mexican sense. Frustrated, I dropped by Trader Joes (Stop Me Before I California again) on my way back to my piece of the real Texas, where I’m sipping on an 1835 🥃 from Lewisville, trying not to think about how to feel.
.
Why is george Floyd, a total sumbag criminal, celebrated as a universal symbol of injustice? Meanwhile, this totally innocent young murder victum, is nobody? Is this our country? Is this what you want for government? There is only one path to truth and objectivity and common sense, DONALD TRUMP! TO HADIES WITH THE DAMNED FEM TRAITORS,
Ever since President Obama, the DNC is the master of the universe for negative campaigning (blue state courts, media and all the federal agencies are in the bag). And, since COVID Laws, DNC has a masterful ballot surveillance system to cover the election weeks of ballot drops so ballots can be generated on the fly to win any close races like Austin. Stalin and Hitler roll in their graves with envy.
I hope and pray Sylestine wins big! It can no longer be about moderate, liberal, conservative, democrat or republican, it has to be about common sense. And if there's even a wiff of Soros name supporting a candidate, they must be soundly defeated.
And all these folks like Garza have is to trash their opponents. They bring nothing to the table.
Chicago/"Crook" County is dealing with this exact issue as our ultra-progressive State's Attorney, Kim Foxx (she of Jussie Smollett fame who similarly refuses to prosecute serious, habitual criminals) is finally not going to run again. Under her tenure, robberies, sexual assaults, carjackings, and assaults have skyrocketed. Violent daytime robbery sprees have become the norm. (See https://cwbchicago.com/2024/02/chicago-robbery-spree-again-alderman-warns-suspicious-kia-hyndai.html). Because this is Chicago, the real race is the March 19 Democratic primary where Foxx / Preckwinkle protege Harris is running against former judge Burke who is far from conservative but pledges to - GASP - prosecute retail thefts, gun-related crimes, etc. Yet Chicago's voter turnout is consistently dreadful so I have little hope that change will happen.
Garza says "But we’ve also been hard at work addressing the root causes of crime in our community..." This is a key problem in very liberal-minded worldviews- the collapsing of boundaries between different issues and different duties. Your job, sir, has nothing to do with addressing 'root causes' whatever that means. Your job is to prosecute criminals. That is it. The idea that have the authority- or even any proper comprehension of or actual ability- to 'address root causes' is absurd, hubristic, and immoral.