Hollywood Elites Leave a Trail of Suffering and Increased Crime in California 

By Hector Barajas and  Mike Vallante

Do you think that Brad Pitt and Olivia Wilde realized the law they sponsored reclassified violent felonies such as the rape of an unconscious person, domestic violence, and the human trafficking of a child to a simple felony, making it easier for the criminals to get out of jail sooner?

Did Tim Robbins or Demi Moore realize they too significantly reduced the jail time for a felon convicted of stabbing his girlfriend with a butcher knife, forcibly molesting his 11-year-old niece, and gang-raping a 17-year-old pregnant teenager? (Keeping CA Safe Act)

Did Robin Wright and Cameron Diaz realize that they are partly responsible for the serial thefts and crime sprees we are witnessing?

You see, in 2014, these Hollywood elites, along with Gavin Newsom, labor unions, and Democrats across California sponsored, funded, and helped pass Proposition 47 – the Safe Neighborhoods and Schools Act, and in 2016, Proposition 57.

Prop. 47 was not about making neighborhoods safe. In fact, it did just the opposite, and now we are paying the price. Prop. 47 was about reducing the prison population at all costs, even if it meant putting some of the most dangerous criminals on the street. And it did put those criminals on the streets and in our neighborhoods. It also created a climate where crime does pay.

Under Prop. 47, not only was possession of various controlled substances such as pot, cocaine, meth, and heroin reclassified from a felony to a misdemeanor, so was shoplifting as long as the criminal stole less than $950 worth of merchandise. That $950 threshold also applies to stealing and receiving stolen property. Equally troubling is that there are no limits on how many times the criminal can steal in a day or week as long as each time the merchandise/property is worth less than $950.

If the criminals were able to figure out the $950 loophole, it makes you wonder, how come these Hollywood stars couldn’t figure that out, how come Gavin Newsom couldn’t figure that out, how come Democrats up and down California couldn’t figure that out?

But the most insidious part of Prop. 57 was the reclassification of violent felonies to a simple felony – which carries a more lenient sentence, while the crimes remain horrific. These social engineers reclassified the following violent felonies to be simple felonies:

• Rape of an unconscious person
• Domestic violence
• Human trafficking of minors
• Vehicular manslaughter
• Throwing acid or a flammable substance
• Assault with a deadly weapon
• Assault with a deadly weapon on a peace officer or firefighter
• Discharging a firearm at an occupied dwelling, building, vehicle, or aircraft
• Rape where the victim is legally incapable of giving consent
• Rape/sodomy/oral copulation of an unconscious person or by use of date rape drugs
• Inflicting corporal injury on a child
• Arson of property
• Solicitation to commit murder
• And exploding a destructive device or explosive with intent to injure

(Partial list)

To Gavin Newsom, Hollywood stars, California Democrats, and some rich social justice activists, they believe these crimes deserve less punishment, not more. What’s wrong with these people? Now that our streets aren’t safe and criminals are in control, why are they surprised at the consequences of their actions?

For these Hollywood elites, the consequences of Prop. 47 and the numerous propositions and other soft on crime legislation they supported and funded is left for others to deal with. They get to live behind their mansion walls, with state-of-the-art security cameras, and tell stories to their other rich friends about how they helped get another misunderstood soul out of jail.

The irony is not lost that celebrities like Demi Moore are using their platforms to end sex trafficking or giving their Hollywood money to charities such as Save the Children (Olivia Wilde) and Child Find Ontario (Brad Pitt) – dedicated to reducing the incidence of missing and exploited children and youth in Ontario.

And the real irony is Gavin Newsom, amid trying to save his political career, now states that some of these measures need to be repealed. It seems too little and too late, especially for the new victims of crime that have been created because of this liberal social experience that put more violent criminals in our community.

Hosts of the podcast the Hector and Mike Experience, Hector Barajas and Mike Vallante are communications and public relations experts with decades of political, legislative and media experience. They bring a unique perspective and insight on politics and hot topic items. https://anchor.fm/hectorandmikeexperience 

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