Someone, somewhere had to use the phrase “defund the police” for the first time. Then it was picked up by some other misguided souls who repeated, which led to more people repeating it; and, before you knew it, elected officials were repeating a phrase that, while strictly nonsense, became a viable idea because “everybody’s saying it.”
I think the same thing happened as it relates to the problem of crime with “you can’t arrest your way out of the problem.”
What the hell does that even mean? Of course, you can arrest your way out of the problem. That’s why we have laws and law enforcement. There have always been members of society who can’t or won’t play by the rules. That’s why we make certain actions illegal and call them crimes. When individuals engage in those forbidden activities, they become criminals; and that’s when police officers enforce the law.
The preceeding paragraph should seem basic. It should elicit a response of “no s&^t, Sherlock”. But today it doesn’t seem to be that way. We wring our hands and ask what we can do when the answer is obvious.
Arrest the criminals and, when found guilty, lock them up and protect those people who do follow the law. But wait, “you can’t arrest your way out of the problem.”
The NOPD should be praised for their quick arrest in the murder of Portia Pollock, a 60-year-old physical therapist who had love for people, this city and life. She was brutally stabbed to death on her way to work, to help people, by a miscreant who has proven repeatedly that he can’t or won’t live by the laws of society and from whom Portia Pollock should have been protected.
Bryan Andry was arrested early Friday morning and booked into the Orleans parish jail on a charge of second degree murder. It’s too late for poor Portia, but, thankfully for the rest of us, her alleged killer won’t be out on the streets to threaten us. An arrest was made. A problem was solved.
This thug has an arrest record that goes back to last century. His extensive arrest history begins in 1991 then he matriculated his way through the system until he received a 15-year sentence after pleading guilty to aggravated burglary as a two-time offender. More recently, he spent most of 2020 in jail in Orleans parish after a grand jury indicted him with two counts each of armed robbery with a firearm and being a felon in possession of a gun.
March 17, 2020 was busy day for Bryan Andry. He allegedly walked into Walgreens at South Claiborne and Napoleon and stole money at gunpoint while threatening the clerk. That was 7:15am. Then at 8:45pm that evening he allegedly stole a car on Frenchman Street, a little more than a mile from where Portia Pollock was murdered.
February 1, 2021 was a good day for Andry. Judge Angel Harris reduced his bond so he could get out of jail…in Orleans Parish. There was an outstanding warrant for him in Jefferson Parish for possession of stolen things and driving a car that was reported stolen so off to Jefferson Parish jail he went.
By this point I hope you’re noticing a pattern of armed robbery and car theft. But back to Portia Pollock’s alleged killer. A condition of his bond was that he wear an ankle bracelet. Somehow that fell through the cracks, and this dangerous criminal was free to circle the streets and close in on his prey.
I hope you are MAD AS HELL right now. I hope you’re OUTRAGED. I hope you’re ANGRY enough to realize there IS a way out of the problem of violent crime.
ARREST THE CRIMINALS AND KEEP THEM LOCKED UP. Follow the Constitution but don’t pervert it. If someone REPEATEDLY proves they are a threat to others KEEP THEM IN JAIL. If there’s not enough room BUILD MORE JAILS! If, as taxpayers, we’re asked to pay more for prisons and we know that money will be spent for that and only that, we’ll vote for it.
We ALL know we need good people that are willing to take on the dangerous job of law enforcement. We’ll find them if you take off THEIR shackles and let them do their job. Isn’t it obvious we’re handcuffing the wrong people here?
For those who think it’s easy to be a cop or make split second decisions and never make a mistake watch this.
It’s video from police bodycams as NOPD rolled up on a domestic dispute. The video is clear, but it’s not a movie. Put yourself in the officer’s shoes. The guy jumping over the porch railing firing the gun is trying to kill you. You have a split second to react. Is it really fair to expect perfection from anyone under those circumstances?
We all want to stop violent crime. Why don’t we get back to the basics? Arrest the thugs, keep them in jail and allow police officers to do their jobs. Is it really that hard or have we made it that way because we repeat nonsense until it seems to make sense?