Moldy pork

The Bay Area seems like a shiny toy, but actually it is a piece of moldy pork – I do not feel prosperous living here, but rather very uneasy. Justice is treated unjustly, those who are given the power of maintaining justice don’t do it, and this needs to stop as soon as possible.

I was a victim of the progressive theory and practice under the control of Alameda County District Attorney Nancy O’Malley, since replaced by Pamela Price.

I was robbed. In addition, my friend’s car window was smashed, which changed my whole attitude about living in the Bay Area as this never happened when I lived in Boston. The punishment for the crime must fit the crime, otherwise, criminals will work together to injure and ruin their fellow citizens at an increased pace, as we can see today in certain cities run by District Attorneys who protect the criminal class. 

On September 20, 2022, I turned off the lights and went to sleep at 12:10 because I had an exam the next day. At 3:00 a.m. I heard a loud bang and was awakened in my sleep. I didn’t care about the noise at first until I saw some flashlights coming in and three black men dressed tightly, hiding their faces. They came to my bed and pulled me up – I realized I was being robbed. They started searching my room for anything of value, such as my jacket, shoes,  cash, etc. They turned my roommate’s and my room upside down and stole our coats and shoes. I  called the police immediately after they left, and when police arrived and turned on the lights in the living room, I finally saw how I had been burglarized – my door had been smashed open and the lock broken (where the loud noise came from). When the police arrived they made a brief recording and collected some fingerprints and evidence in the room. 

I was very intimidated and asked them if this kind of thing happens often here. Ironically, they said it started to happen more often after the epidemic and ended with the words “Welcome to Oakland”. I can’t imagine that in such a prosperous metro area as the Bay, evil is growing so quietly in the dark, even turning my memory of this beautiful city upside down – it’s a city of sin. We are already in Gotham City, and since evil cannot be controlled by the government and the police, I think the Bay Area needs a Batman, their own hero. Having the Batkid save Gotham in 2015 was obviously not enough.

California’s violent crime rate increased by 6.0%, from 440 per 100,000 residents in 2020 to 466 per 100,000 in 2021. While robberies fell somewhat (by 1.9%), aggravated assaults jumped by 8.9%, and homicides and rape increased by 7.7% and 7.9%, respectively (Lofstrom). Why do criminals become criminals? Is it because they are in great need, and so they strike strangers to get what they need, like bread and milk? No, that can’t be the whole story; people living in poverty often turn to crime as a means of survival. But there is a cause and effect between police policy, punishment, and the law, and when there is a lack of punishment, somehow the criminals become aware of this, and they… wait for it… yes, they learn about this laxity and commit more crimes. 

This is a well-known fact in the Bay Area – if you decide to break the law, you may only receive a slap on the wrist. Assemblyman Kevin Kiley (R-Calif.) is in support of the bill to repeal Proposition 47.

During his February appearance on Fox News, Kiley said, “We removed the consequence for stealing – and what do you know, it caused a lot more stealing. Under Prop 47, you can go into a store and steal up to $950 worth of merchandise and it’s not even charged as a felony. It’s not even a slap on the wrist” (Loe). Justice officials will pretend that this is to ensure that life is better for people who have lost their income or sources of goods during the so-called pandemic. This doesn’t actually ensure that their lives will be better, for they must live with their guilty consciences. Rather, imagine that when what you have worked so hard for is available to others at their fingertips and you have no protection. It’s really an insult to people who are working hard even during an epidemic – the law is destroying what they have worked so hard to earn and carefully maintain.

Reducing crime during a pandemic in the Bay Area was challenging. The spike in crime in the Bay Area was largely attributed to decreased revenues, judicial inaction, and legal favoritism. Now that it is over, several strategies need to be implemented to address this issue. One approach is to address economic inequality by providing job training programs, employment opportunities, and increased access to affordable housing, which would also help reduce crime. Repealing Prop 47 that protects criminals, and increasing enforcement against criminals will encourage more people to work for income and food – not a crime. Another strategy would be to increase patrols and police presence in high-crime areas, such as the Oakland area, where crime is common but police presence is far from adequate. And to address these problems, additional officers are needed to deter criminal activity. And finally and most importantly, start punishing these criminals – as they are permitted to get away with crime, I along with countless others are suffering and will continue to suffer more, while the City by the Bay will continue to become a pigsty.

Works Cited

Loe, Megan. “No, You Can’t Steal up to $950 Worth of Merchandise in California without Consequence under Prop 47.” Verifythis.com, 23 Feb. 2022, https://www.verifythis.com/article/news/verify/crime-verify/california-prop-47-shoplifting-950-fact-check/536-4d1de58e-bf47-4ede-8c2f-b4d0c1788b86.

Lofstrom, Magnus.“Crime Trends in California.” Public Policy Institute of California, Feb. 2023, www.ppic.org/publication/crime-trends-in-california.