San Francisco critics are expressing their concerns after a recent surge of gun violence in the city, arguing the criminal justice system in the region is doing very little to protect its citizens from violent crime.
Gun Violence
Many residents who are seeking answers are blaming officials and politicians for their alleged lack of compassion while an effective solution to the problem is yet to be implemented. This week, a pair of shootings that resulted in the death of two old male victims and the injury of a third have increased the number of critics.
Authorities identified a potential suspect for the Potrero Hill shootings, 32-year-old Robert Newt, who was still on the loose as of Thursday. Residents who are against District Attorney Chesa Boudin are using the incidents to fuel the flames of an allegedly failing criminal justice system.
While the number of crimes in San Francisco has decreased overall, the recent cases of gun violence are unusually early compared to previous years and have since recorded the highest number of incidents. Officials announced that 81 people have been shot since the beginning of the year compared to last year’s 35 in the same period.
The recent incident showcases what many of Boudin’s critics are arguing, that he has indirectly caused a violent crime for refusing to charge a suspect who later commits a much more serious crime. Authorities arrested Newt three weeks before the shooting incident and did not charge him despite finding an untraceable rifle in his vehicle, the San Francisco Examiner reported.
“When Mr. Newt was stopped and had an assault weapon on him he should have been in jail. If he would have been in jail, then you wouldn’t have had those three people shot and two people dying,” Vice President of the San Francisco Police Officers Association Lt. Tracy McCray said.
