The D.A. Gonzales/TOP Connection
Tuesday afternoon, Dec. 5, Austin police arrested a man, Shane James, after a series of shootings that left six people dead and three people injured, including two police officers and a bicyclist, over the course of eight hours. It was discovered that the Texas Organizing Project, a liberal/leftist organization that collaborates closely with liberal Democrats like Bexar County District Attorney Joe Gonzales and Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar, had bailed out James twice for beating his parents.
Gonzales and TOP allies are products of the Obama/Black Lives Matter/George Floyd “social justice” and “police reform” movement. They believe criminals are victims of an unjust judicial system because of their race, gender, and income, while police officers are racist enforcers of the unjust system.
TOP helped the Bexar County District Attorney Joe Gonzales and Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar get elected. They have bonded out hundreds of inmates from the Bexar County jail, claiming they are “low-level offenders who are poor and should not have to sit in jail awaiting trial because they pose no real threat.”
However, a WOAI TV Channel 4 report in April 2020 found that some inmates pose a threat. TOP bonded out Paul Mena, a repeat offender who had been arrested on a drug charge. Court records showed that Mena was a repeat offender who also had an elder abuse charge against him at that time.
Over the past four years, a definite pattern of violence and crime can be seen. For example, during the week of Oct. 14-20, 2023, there were several incidents, including a drive-by shooting resulting in a man being injured, a gruesome discovery of a decapitated body in a home, a woman shooting her ex-boyfriend’s new girlfriend during an argument, a man arrested for sending explicit messages to a minor, two men stabbing each other during an altercation over noise, and the arrest of a man wanted on multiple felony warrants who was found with illegal drugs.
Furthermore, a recent KSAT news report found that over 6000 charges have been dismissed by D.A. Gonzales. That is 47% more than former D.A. Nico LaHood dismissed.
What fear do people have of committing crimes if there is no punishment? What is the point of police arresting criminals if they are bonded out quickly and never punished?
FBI crime statistics also showed a growth in crime and violence in San Antonio. Data reported to the FBI shows 12,935 violent crimes were reported to San Antonio police in 2022 compared to reported 11,155 violent crimes reported in 2021, a 16% increase. Also, FBI data showed that property crimes in San Antonio rose from 57,305 in 2020 to 74,288 in 2022.
The citizens and voters must understand that crime and violence will not be controlled until criminals fear the consequences of breaking big laws, major and minor. If society excuses and tolerates crime, it will get more and worse crimes.
People commit crimes, and they must be punished and removed from society. However, what good does it do for law enforcement officers to arrest criminals if the DA does not prosecute them?
D.A. Gonzales must stop playing a social engineer and advocate for perceived injustices with TOP and other liberal/leftist organizations. He must stop playing political favorites but prosecute all crimes, minor and major, and protect innocent citizens. Unless people fear punishment, they will commit crimes fearlessly.
Photo courtesy of SA Express-News