Source: United States Senator John Kennedy (Louisiana)
WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) today denounced the passage of the D.C. Council’s soft-on-crime revision of the city’s criminal code. Despite rising crime rates and decreasing law enforcement retention rates, the D.C. Council recently passed a law to eliminate mandatory minimums and reduce maximum sentences for violent crimes including robbery, carjacking, burglary and firearm offenses.
“We are responsible for our actions, and that’s a bedrock principle of an ordered society. I’m sorry that the city council of the District of Columbia doesn’t understand that,” began Kennedy.
“The first purpose of government is to protect people and their property, and we have to separate people who are anti-society from everybody else. That’s just the way it is. . . . Again, I’m sorry the city council in the District of Columbia does not understand that, but it is our responsibility to correct their jaundiced view of the world,” he concluded.
Background:
Louisianians visit Washington, D.C. every day, but local policies have contributed to rising crime rates.
D.C.’s Mayor Muriel Bowser vetoed the new criminal code, but the D.C. Council overrode her veto.
The House of Representatives last week passed a resolution to block this dangerous bill from going into effect, with 31 Democrats supporting that effort.
The Senate now has the opportunity to send that resolution to the president’s desk and prevent the D.C. Council from further rewarding and inspiring criminal activity.
Video of Kennedy’s comments is available here.