Rantz: Anti-cop, pro-criminal politicians rush to back Leesa Manion for KC Prosecutor

A who’s who of anti-police, pro-criminal activist politicians are rushing to support one candidate for King County Prosecutor: Leesa Manion. They see her as the best bet to continue the region’s light-on-crime policies that have helped create the surge of violent crime we’re experiencing.

Manion has spent the last 15 years as Chief of Staff of the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. Under her leadership, she’s learned much about dismantling the criminal justice system from current Prosecutor Dan Satterberg.

The two have helped pave the way for the culture of lawlessness, which offers criminals endless chances while victims continue to suffer. It’s no wonder so many radicals support her campaign.

The area’s most ardent pro-criminal, anti-cop activists support Manion

Manion is proud to have the endorsements of Representatives David Hackney, Jesse Johnson, and Roger Goodman. They’re not just Democrats though; they all spent the last two years trying to dismantle policing and the criminal justice system as we know it.

Hackney sponsored a bill to lessen the criminal penalties for drive-by shootings. To Hackney, this is about “promoting racial equity in the criminal legal system” because drive-by shooters are disproportionately black. Little care is offered to the victims, who are also disproportionately black.

Goodman is pushing to reform weapons enhancement charges. Though he backs gun bans for law-abiding citizens to protect themselves from criminals Goodman puts back on the streets, he doesn’t want to see added jail time when they’re used in felonies. He’s decried the “tough on crime era” of the 1990s and argues it’s racist to punish black criminals with extra time if they possess guns during their crimes.

Johnson is the architect of an aggressively anti-police suite of bills, which Goodman and Hackney have backed. One banned police from engaging in vehicular pursuits of dangerous criminals unless there’s probable cause for a violent crime. To reach that bar, an officer would practically have to witness the violent crime but would then need a supervisor’s approval to pursue and weigh whether or not chasing the suspect is safer than letting them go.

The ban on vehicular pursuits is why the entire state has seen an increase in smash-and-grab robberies, stolen cars, and catalytic converters. These crimes can be committed quickly and without resorting to violence, allowing the thieves to speed off in a stolen car without fear of being chased.

Manion proudly lists the Antifa-supporting group 37th Legislative Democrats as endorsing her campaign. Its members and supporters spent the last two years pushing to defund and abolish the police and prisons.

Manion would make a bad situation worse

Most of Manion’s endorsers are connected to anti-police, pro-criminal positions, and it’s obvious why. Manion is just as extreme.

Like Satterberg, I don’t think Manion wants to put dangerous criminals in jail. Instead, according to her website, she vows to continue his work of “offering effective diversion programs and alternatives to incarceration.” One new program effectively legalizes felonies like car theft, drug dealing, and property destruction so long as it’s the first time the criminal is caught. Another diversion program gives a pass to 17-year-olds who bring guns to school.

Manion also vows to use “equity screening tools to ensure neutrality and fairness in our decision-making.” To me, this means she’ll make decisions based on skin color — much like how Rep. Hackney decided to go easy on drive-by shooters because they observed too many of them happened to be black. It’s not an argument that the crimes didn’t occur but that we’re punishing too many criminals who have to have a racial identity that activists believe are victims of a racist criminal justice system. Indeed, she promises to “[use] data to reveal racial disparities” so that they make charging decisions based on race.

Manion doesn’t even seem to believe we have a crime crisis. She says we need to attack “hot spots” in the county, and she’ll work to dispel “fear-mongering and myths” around crime.

Manion seeks to dismantle the criminal justice system

When Manion speaks, she tends to say “criminal legal system” instead of “criminal justice system.”

In a statement to the Jason Rantz Show on KTTH, Manion claimed this isn’t intentional and that she uses both phrases “interchangeably” and that they are “commonly used in our legal and broader communities.” She may use them interchangeably, but I’m not sure her choice is unintentional.

Left-wing activists say “criminal legal system” because they don’t believe justice can be achieved in our current system. They argue it’s steeped in white supremacy and must be dismantled. Manion’s worldview was on display at a recent candidate forum by the League of Women Voters.

Manion argued that “the data alone shows that there is implicit bias and inherent racism built into our [criminal legal] system.” She said we must “take action to dismantle these disparities.” The data doesn’t say what she claims. Arguments are disproportionality are lazy. They say the “what” but not the “why” and, oftentimes, there’s no attempt to explain the data beyond what one’s worldview demands you interpret it as.

Manion is as extreme as Nicole Thomas Kennedy

It’s Manion and Satterberg that have been the leading actors in our local criminal justice system. So what does dismantling disparities look like?

Going easy on criminals — including prolific ones — by pleading serious charges down to ones that result in little to no jail time, followed by enrollment in a diversion program that doesn’t keep criminals accountable, inevitably results in more victims.

When the toxic, extremist candidate Nicole Thomas-Kennedy ran for Seattle City Attorney, she was open about her plans to abolish the office she sought. While she’s a dangerous dullard, she deserves credit for not hiding her insane beliefs.

Manion is just another version of NTK — just a more dishonest one smart enough not to tweet her ever-waking fever dream of a world with Antifa in charge.

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