Sacramento Mass Killing Shows Failure of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s Crime Agenda
Alleged killer was released from prison six years early. Electronic monitoring, or just keeping him in prison, would have saved six lives
One of the alleged shooters in a mass shooting that killed six people in Sacramento last Sunday was released from prison six years early by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, even though the man has a long and violent criminal record.
The Sacramento District Attorney’s office strongly opposed the man’s early release, claiming, correctly, “If he is released early, he will continue to break the law.”
Responsibility for the mass shooting, which killed a homeless woman, lies with Governor Gavin Newsom who appointed the head of the California Department of Corrections, which already reduced California’s prison population by nearly 30,000 inmates since 2019, and is seeking to reduce it by an additional 76,000.
The tragedy could have been prevented had Martin not been released, or been released under strict parole supervision, including electronic monitoring, and unannounced searches of his home by a parole officer for weapons.
“Despite a two-page letter to the Board of Parole Hearings urging that Martin remain in custody,” reports the Sacramento Bee, he won his release and was in Sacramento on Saturday night recording himself on a Facebook Live video brandishing a handgun hours before the shooting.”
Gov. Gavin Newsom used the incident to demand more gun control, tweeting “We cannot continue to let gun violence be the new normal.”
But there is little reason to believe more gun control would have prevented the killing. California already has the most gun control laws of any state. The automatic gun Martin apparently used is already illegal. And there is little reason to think Newsom’s proposal to let individuals sue people who help people get guns would have prevented Martin from getting a gun.
The result of the reforms being advocated by Newsom’s Department of Corrections would be a reduction of the state prison population from 127,000 in 2019 to just 30,000.
The policies Newsom is pursuing are all advocated for by organizations funded by George Soros, who last year donated $1 million to fund an effort to defeat the effort to recall Newsom, and is far and away the largest contributor to the politicians, ballot initiatives, and policy advocacy that led to Sunday’s tragedy.
I support strong gun controls and the wider use of parole and am thus troubled by these preventable killings. Had the alleged shooter remained in prison, or been under electronic surveillance, the killing could have been prevented.
I have written in the past about how progressive politicians are pursuing far more radical policies than voters agreed to. Instead of putting offenders on parole, progressives policymakers are simply releasing them without any monitoring. That’s irresponsible.
I worked for George Soros’ foundation in the 1990s, and believe he means well, but his foundation is funding irresponsible advocacy by people who are not considering the consequences of their policies.
The mass shooting comes at a time that Sacramento District Attorney Anne-Marie Schubert and 44 other California district attorneys were preparing to sue the Department of Corrections for its plans to release another 76,000 inmates.
When I asked Schubert about rising violent crime she said, "For years, law enforcement has been screaming about the increasing number of felons & prohibited persons with illegal guns. As a result of a tsunami of poor policies and early releases from prison, public safety has been dangerously impacted."
In the crime that led to his 10 year conviction, the man, Smiley Allen Martin, beat up his girlfriend-prostitute, dragged her out of her house by her hair, and whipped her with his belt.
“He located her hiding in her bedroom closet and hit her repeatedly with a closed fist on the face, head, and body, causing visible injuries,” said the District Attorney’s office.
“Text messages and social media conversations revealed that he would tell her what kind of sex buyer she should date, how much money to charge, how to accept payment, and what forms of payment she should accept.”
They want to seize the guns of law-abiding citizens so they can seize even more power and let criminals run wild. Since the shooter was not white, the Sacramento tragedy was barely mentioned in the national news. Same thing happened with San Bernardino, Boulder, etc.
Newsom Administration Lies:
People don’t kill people… guns kill people.
Equity is the most important consideration for any Corrections system. Until racial equity has been achieved, there is no racial justice.
Releasing African-American inmates to restore equity is the primary objective of any Corrections system.
Focus on reoffending blames the victim (the inmate) instead of society. Before we can achieve equity, we must ascribe the blame for all crime on society… and, in particular, on white privilege.
Californians understood that former Chief Justice Rose Bird’s primary focus was what would now be called restoring equity. Since she didn’t believe that criminals were responsible for their own behavior, the prison doors must be thrown open so that the victims of inequity… inmates of color… may be freed.