Esquenazi: Hold Lack of Enforcement Responsible for Crimes, Not Inanimate Objects

OPINION

Moms Demand Action was recently in Kansas City blaming guns for the Super Bowl parade shooting. I wonder for how long we are going to continue to ignore that soft on crime policy enabled and emboldened a bunch of thugs to open fire at a celebration of one of America’s favorite events?

A lack of enforcement is to blame, not inanimate objects.

No one is safe, not anywhere (as predicted), not even at family parades.

• How much do you want to bet that the two juvenile offenders that were taken into custody, charged and memorialized through footage seen on TMZ already have criminal records?
• How much do you want to bet that they were let out on their last arrests with little or no bail because of bail reform policies?
• Or that they were granted leniency because of their age and that this is another entirely preventable tragedy with another family suffering lifelong grief, children growing up without their mother, 20 victims who will never be the same and thousands of parade watchers who will forever be traumatized?
• How much do you want to make a bet that the reason we are not hearing more about them is because the media and let Democrats know that they failed, and they failed epically at a major event celebrated nationally.

Apparently we have learned nothing from the Christmas Parade Massacre in Waukesha Wisconsin on Nov. 21, 2021.

The system in three different states failed those families by allowing Darrell Brooks to terrorize people across the country before finally plowing into families with children waiting for Santa.

He injured many and killed six including an eight-year-old child.

Now, finally, he’s behind bars. Better late than never?

All of those victims would still be alive to celebrate holidays if only those in charge put people above politics.

The shooting at the post-victory parade in Kansas City should be a wake up call.

The biggest problem for politicians today is that criminal offenders have now crossed into the suburbs, in every facet of everyday life and the Moms are finally starting to take notice.

Take a look at the “Manhasset NY Moms,” they used to happily shop at the miracle mile at Gucci & Louis Viutton, but now they are much more cautious . . . they know that there is a new thug element in their midst. In July of 2020 there was a report of shots fired near the coveted Americana mall!

It’s OK if they commit crime in NYC or The Bronx, but “OMG Karen, they’re here now, how are we going to go out for lunch on Tuesdays & shop?”

And every suburb outside of every major city has a similar shopping district with the same demographic affected the same way.

Politicians better get it together quick, because these Mamas might silently vote for Trump!

After all, with the amount of money that they pay to live in suburbia they should be entitled to public safety!

Our country has become the wild wild west again.

Not because of legal gun owners.

What in the world do we have to do now before we take our children to a parade?

• Do we need magnetometers?
• Do we need the canine unit on every corner?

To be clear, I would not take my children to any parade anytime soon.

Criminal offenders are everywhere.

No one is safe anywhere.

We are not safe shopping or dining in New York City, walking in San Francisco, taking the kids to the park in Chicago, at Christmas parades in Waukesha, Wisconsin and not even celebrating your team in Kansas City.

How are policy makers still more concerned with national branded talking points than their very own communities that they swore to serve?

The talking point now should be that families are no longer safe at parades in America. Shame on policy makers that still stand on top of the mountain spewing the benefits of bail reform and other soft on crime initiatives.

There is no such thing as a victimless crime. It is due time that politicians start advocating for those that obey laws as opposed to those that break the laws for a living.

It’s due time that they start listening to the expert stakeholders instead of left-funded lobbyists.

I will ask again, how long are we going to pretend soft on crime policies didn’t enable and embolden a bunch of thugs to shoot up the Super Bowl parade?

So, Mr. and Ms. Politician . . . let’s start working on behalf of our constituents again.

That would be the desperately needed game changer our country needs and deserves.

Michelle Esquenazi is the President of The National Association of Bail Agents, the President of the New York State Bail Association, the CEO of Empire Bail Bonds, and Founder of The Victims Rights Reform Council,