The Black Lives Matter movement created any number of anti-racism activists and “experts” back in 2020. Much of that activity has faded into the background, but not all of the people involved have disappeared from the public stage. One such person is Chas Moore of Austin, Texas. He was (and remains) a big advocate for the defund the police movement. And city officials in Austin are so impressed with his ideas that they gave him a key to the city last year. And what are those ideas? Mr. Moore goes much further than your average defunding enthusiast. He wants an end to all prisons and jails, with even people convicted of murder being put into “social programs” to rehabilitate them. (NY Post)
Woke Austin, Texas granted a key to the city to a radical defund the police protestor who doesn’t think anyone should be placed in jail — even murderers.
Despite the city setting a record for homicides in 2021 after dramatically cutting its police budget and 911 response times climbing to hours even for serious crimes, Chas Moore, head of the Austin Justice Coalition, believes police and prisons should be abolished.
“I believe that we can get to a world where we don’t have police and where we don’t have prisons,” said the activitist — whose grip on Austin officials is so strong, they declared Oct. 22 “Chas Moore Day” last year.
Moore describes the jailing of people who burglarize the homes of others as punishment “that’s not really helpful.” If someone breaks into his house he would prefer that the person be made to clean his house for the next six weeks.
He explained to a reporter that if someone took a shotgun into his grandmother’s house and “blew her brains out,” he would be very “sad.” But he then asks, “What do I actually gain by having this person held accountable in a system like jail or prison?” Yes, he actually said that. About a hypothetical killer who would murder his own grandmother.
We’re left to wonder how someone with ideas so radically “out there” beyond even the usual defunders has gained so much influence and prominence with the municipal government in Austin. For example, if someone has already broken into your house once and attempted to steal your property, is that really the person you want hanging out in your house the following week so they can vacuum the carpets? Unlike the situation with the burglar, Moore didn’t offer an alternative punishment system for murderers. Maybe it’s just me, but it doesn’t seem like housecleaning would be enough.
And yet the Mayor and the City Council have regularly feted Moore and taken his ideas seriously in some cases. How has that worked out for them? The police have noticed all of this in a big way. They’ve been quitting or retiring in droves for the past few years. Austin is currently facing a shortage of 358 officers. It’s gotten bad enough that the police are asking people to call the non-emergency line for all but the most serious violent crimes. Response times are way up, and many property crimes are never even investigated.
These are the fruits of the defund the police movement. It’s happened everywhere it’s been tried. And most of those places have already moved toward “refunding the police” in an effort to claw their way back. But that’s apparently not the case in Austin. Personally, I can’t wait until the Mayor’s house is robbed and he has to let the burglar in every week to dust and do the dishes. We need some cameras covering that action 24/7.
