Punish citizens and succor violent criminals

I have been mulling the fact that we currently have an amazing example of the hell-hole being promised ordinary citizens in Blue cities.  

I offer:

There is an overwhelming push to make it difficult or impossible for citizens to own guns and exercise self-defense.

There is a concerted effort to implement decarceration by the emptying of jails and prisons of those convicted of violent crimes.

There is a concerted effort to implement decarceration by preventing the accused from being booked in the first place (either not charging with crimes or not requiring bail.)

There is a concerted effort at depolicing by defunding the police, by restricting their activities, and by de facto assumption of guilt till proven innocent of police accused of anything.  There are fewer police, more violent crime and longer wait times for police response even in immediate emergencies.

There is a sustained effort to punish ordinary citizens when they defend themselves from violent attacks.

All of these things are happening in some places (Atlanta, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, New York City, Portland, San Francisco).  In other places only several of these policies are being implemented.  

This past week, the glimpse of the future of this hell-scape of bad governance was offered up by New York City.  From The charging of Jose Alba and the war on self-defense by Neo.  

The arrest and high bail of Alba was deliberate on Bragg’s part, meant to intimidate anyone with the temerity to defend himself or herself. If Bragg is allowed to remain in office, this sort of thing will recur. There’s a definite pattern, and it’s the same pattern that emerged years ago in Britain in order to discourage self-defense. We have a more robust self-defense tradition here than there, however, and that persists to a certain extent. But Bragg seems quite determined to end it.

Austin Simon's girlfriend attempts to purchase some chips with her EBT card which has insufficient funds and is declined by the bodega owner.  She calls Austin Simon to come down and help her.  Austin Simon has a criminal record and is on parole for assaulting a police officer.

Austin Simon tall, fit and in his twenties, comes down to the bodega and attacks the owner, coming behind the counter, shoving him, striking him.  The bodega owner, short and in his late fifties, grabs a knife and defends himself, stabbing Simon several times during the attack.  At some point, before, during, or after, the attack by Simon, the girlfriend also attacks the owner stabbing him three times with a knife.  

Austin Simon, the aggressor, dies from his wounds.  The bodega owner, Jose Alba, mercifully survives.  

New York City District Attorney Bragg refuses to charge the girlfriend with assault or attempted murder but does charge the Jose Alba with murder and demands high bail.  

This is almost certainly a tragic and disgraceful outcome of a series of independently bad policies having a cumulative bad outcome.  It is, however, hard not to look at these facts and see a Blue City governance (Mayors and City Councils) who want to disarm ordinary citizens, get rid of the police, free the criminals, and then charge citizens with the violence caused by the freed criminals.  

This isn't polarization, or institutionalized racism, or white supremacy.  This is catastrophically bad governance by Mayors and City Councils against all citizens, punishing all citizens.  The anger of citizens has nothing to do with polarization, or institutionalized racism, or white supremacy and everything to do with anger about governance evil.