He’s right: progressives aren’t just ignoring crime. They are voting for it — all but condoning it by electing district attorneys who promise a softer approach to prosecution. Progressive prosecutors like Gascón in Los Angeles, Chesa Boudin in San Francisco, Kim Foxx in Chicago, Larry Krasner in Philadelphia, and Alvin Bragg in Manhattan have all in their campaigns and their tenures emphasized pulling back on prosecution. Boudin campaigned on a “decarceration platform” and has made good on that promise: charges for theft and petty theft declined by double digits under his watch. Over in Chicago, Foxx dismissed all charges against nearly 30 percent of felony defendants in her first year in office. Foxx and Boudin both said shoplifters would only face misdemeanor charges for anything under $1,000 or $800 of theft. And in New York, Bragg ordered his prosecutors to stop seeking prison sentences for armed robberies, drug dealing, and even gun possession.

Moreover, bail reform efforts—desperately needed to combat the disparities faced by the poor versus the rich in the criminal justice system — have resulted in shocking recidivism rates. New data found that 23 percent New Yorkers placed on “supervised release” were rearrested for felonies, and another 18 percent for misdemeanors. Darrell Brooks, the Waukesha murderer who plowed his SUV into a Christmas parade, was out on bail after being charged with domestic abuse, disorderly conduct, and even bail jumping.

It’s not just crime. The progressive position today seems to be to take the side of the mentally ill over the poor residents whose neighborhoods and public transportation they sometimes terrorize. It’s to take the side of homeless encampments—rather than the poor children whose only greenery is now colonized by them.