The latest crime stats from the Metropolitan Crime Commission remain high, and now our progressive public servants know their reimagining of criminal justice isn’t working. While public outcry has gotten the attention of Mayor LaToya Cantrell, District Attorney Jason Williams, the City Council and others, not enough time has passed for us to see real change around the city. Still, Rafael Goyeneche of the Metropolitan Crime Commission has faith that the city’s crime problem will turn around.
What does this week’s crime report reveal?
As of February the 20th, we had 34 homicides, year-to-date. During that same span of time last year, we 25 murders, and 21 murders the year before that, and 19 the year before that. That's a 79% increase since 2019. Shootings are even worse, up 217% over the last three years. Carjackings are up 421% and armed robberies up 88%. Those numbers are only going to get worse as the numbers of police officers decline… the silver lining is that I’ve met with District Attorney Jason Williams after issuing a report on the 701 releases, and his office is receptive to reconsidering some of their policies. There’s also a federal task force that’s a replication of previous task forces the city has utilized. Having the NOPD in conjunction with their partners will help reduce the violent crime surge we’re experiencing.
Tell me about your recent meetings with DA Jason Williams.
So it's a lot easier to run for DA then to be the DA, and I think Jason Williams is realizing that now. If the things that he's told me about are followed through on, we have got to give him a chance to do it. If he doesn't change, the public is going to pay the price for this and I think he realizes that. His initial focus was the offenders, and the victims and witnesses and law abiding citizens were invisible and voiceless. And I think he’s heard the outcry from the public, in part because of the information the MCC has shared. I don't think Williams had a true handle on the extent of the 701 issues until our report came out, and to his credit, he said his office needs to do a better job. It doesn't get more fundamental than screening a case. That's where the prosecution begins after the arrest is made.
Judge Angel Harris just gets under my skin and irritates me. She recently reduced a murder suspect’s bond from $302,000 to $7,600. I don’t understand what she’s doing.
The reasons she gave for reducing bail are even worse than the actual lowering of bail. Essentially, Harris chastised the prosecution for not taking the case to trial. But Orleans Parish court isn’t conducting jury trials right now because of COVID and won’t resume until after Mardi Gras. They couldn’t try this case even if the state wanted to!
