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Death is not funny. Neither is crime. We've tried it the liberal way and it's been a total failure - mainly because it was *designed* to increase crime. But that's another subject. 1/ For decades, major American cities under sustained Democratic leadership have pursued criminal justice policies emphasizing decarceration, bail reform, diversion programs, and reduced prosecutions. Proponents called these enlightened reforms. The results were a clear and costly failure marked by sharp spikes in violent and property crime, plus a revolving door for repeat offenders. While crime has since declined from pandemic peaks, the data from those reform years shows unnecessary harm and proves that weakening accountability undermines public safety. 2/ The most glaring evidence came in 2020. After widespread defund the police activism and related policy shifts concentrated in Democratic strongholds, violent crime surged nationwide. FBI data showed murders rising sharply, with many large cities seeing 30 percent or greater increases in homicides from 2019 levels. This was not just a pandemic effect. It coincided with reduced policing, lower arrest rates in some areas, and progressive district attorneys who de-emphasized certain prosecutions. 3/ In Chicago, under long-term Democratic leadership, homicides jumped from 500 in 2019 to 781 in 2020 and peaked near 805 in 2021. The city faced sustained high gun violence amid debates over policing and prosecution priorities. In Philadelphia under District Attorney Larry Krasner, homicides rose dramatically in his early years, climbing roughly 50 percent from pre-2018 baselines in key metrics, with gun assaults also surging. Critics tied this directly to policies that reduced charges and favored alternatives to jail. 4/ In San Francisco under District Attorney Chesa Boudin from 2019 to 2022, burglaries increased 49 percent in 2020, motor vehicle thefts rose 35 percent, and organized retail theft plus car break-ins drew national attention. Homicides also ticked upward. Public frustration led to his recall in 2022. These were not isolated cases. Cities with decades of Democratic control such as St. Louis, Baltimore, and Memphis have posted some of the nation's highest homicide rates, often 30 to 60 plus per 100,000 residents versus a national average around 5 to 6. 5/ A core part of the reform agenda was bail reform and limits on pretrial detention. New York's 2019 bail reform law eliminated cash bail for most misdemeanors and many nonviolent felonies. It led to thousands of releases from jails. Analyses documented sharp rises in index crimes right after, including burglary up 26 percent, car theft up 68 percent, and grand larceny up 16 percent in early 2020 compared to the prior year. These increases lined up exactly with the releases. 6/ While some studies found mixed overall recidivism effects long term, problems appeared clearly with high-risk individuals. Pretrial re-arrests for violent felonies increased among certain subgroups with recent criminal histories. Real-world examples reinforced the issue. In New York, small numbers of prolific offenders drove thousands of subway and retail theft arrests, with many staying on the streets due to release policies. Similar patterns hit San Francisco with repeat burglars operating with minimal consequences. 7/ California's Proposition 47 turned many thefts under 950 dollars into misdemeanors and fueled organized retail theft in cities like San Francisco and Los Angeles. Progressive district attorneys in multiple places declined to prosecute lower-level cases or diverted offenders, creating a catch-and-release system. Judges in these jurisdictions often set low or no bail for repeat offenders or handed down lenient sentences. High-profile cases showed individuals with long violent records released only to commit new crimes soon after. This lack of real consequences destroys deterrence. 8/ For the most heinous crimes, such as aggravated first-degree murder committed by repeat violent offenders, the death penalty provides both permanent incapacitation and a strong general deterrent. Research by economists has found that each execution can prevent multiple future murders by signaling that the ultimate price will be paid for the worst acts. In contrast, policies that allow killers back onto the streets or drag out endless appeals send the opposite message and weaken deterrence for everyone. 9/ The human and economic cost of soft policies was real. Families in affected neighborhoods endured higher violence. Businesses faced theft waves that led to closures and lost jobs. Taxpayers covered both the direct damage and the strain on the justice system. Recent data shows violent crime and homicides declining significantly by 2024 and 2025 across many cities and nationally. These improvements often followed pushback against the most extreme reforms, such as recalls and renewed enforcement focus. 10/ Declines do not erase the earlier record. The progressive experiment was tried extensively in Democrat-led cities and states. It produced preventable crime surges, unchecked repeat offenders, and eroded public confidence in safety. Effective crime reduction needs consistent enforcement, swift consequences for habitual criminals, and the death penalty on the table for the most heinous crimes to restore real deterrence. When accountability is systematically weakened at every level, crime rises and victims pay the price. The data from cities across the country stands as clear evidence. 11/ End of thread. Stronger penalties, including capital punishment for the worst offenders, combined with consistent enforcement, have delivered better public safety results wherever seriously applied. Leniency experiments failed.