George Soros-backed Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg was greeted with growing backlash over his shockingly soft stance on crime that the progressive prosecutor revealed on Monday, less than 48 hours after new Mayor Eric Adams took office.
Bragg, the newly minted prosecutor of the Big Apple's main borough, sent a memo to his staff announcing he 'will not seek carceral' sentences for criminals, unless they were guilty of murder or a handful of other crimes he deemed serious enough to warrant prison.
His sweeping changes call on prosecutors to ditch felony armed robbery charges and instead charge suspects with petty larceny - a misdemeanor which carries a maximum of one year in prison - even when a weapon is involved if the firearm did not 'create a genuine risk of physical harm.'
Burglaries will no longer be prosecuted as burglaries if the bandit steals from a storage unit or outdoor property that isn't connected to a 'living' dwelling, and quality-of-life crimes such as prostitution, turnstile jumping, weapons possession (of non-firearms) and marijuana possession won't be prosecuted at all.
Drug dealers will not be prosecuted for felony crimes unless they commit other offenses on top of drug dealing, and prison should be a 'last resort' - despite the mounting number of violent crimes being committed on the streets of New York by repeat offenders who have been let out of jail early.
NYPD unions, New York Republicans and angry residents were left dumbfounded amid growing fears that the crime-ravaged city will experience the same fate as other progressive-run bastions on the West Coast that have been plagued by looting and lawlessness.
'Why doesn't Bragg just give the drug dealers business cards telling everyone they're open for business, what their hours are, and what they charge?' Detectives Endowment Association President Paul DiGiacomo said in a statement on Wednesday.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has vowed not to prosecute some violent crimes and downgrade felonies like armed robberies to the misdemeanor petit larceny if there isn't a 'genuine threat', even if a weapon is involved
'Alvin Bragg's memo to his staff specifying his prosecution policy will result in more crime and increased shootings.
'Where there are drugs, there are guns. D.A. Bragg has made himself the police, the judge and the jury.'
Curtis Sliwa, the Republican mayoral candidate who lost to Adams by a landslide, told DailyMail.com on Wednesday: 'It's an advertisement for criminals. Come to Manhattan.'
In an earlier appearance on Newsmax, Sliwa said it created an 'open season' for criminals and that Adams - who promised to be tough on crime - needed to come down harder on the new DA.
Beware of Eric Adams who says one thing and then immediately embraces the guy who is advertising: 'come to the borough of Manhattan and commit crime.
Republican Mayoral Candidate Curtis Sliwa
'Beware of Eric Adams who says one thing and then immediately embraces the guy who is advertising: 'come to the borough of Manhattan and commit crime.
'It's open season.
'That means smash and grabs, that means shoplifting, armed robbery, somebody can put a gun to your head as a tourist and guess what, he gets a desk appearance ticket.
'Eric Adams can't have it both ways.'
The Police Benevolent Association president Patrick J. Lynch, who leads the nearly 24,000-member union, said that has 'serious concerns' over the new policies.
'Police officers don't want to be sent out to enforce laws that the district attorneys won't prosecute.
'There are already too many people who believe that they can commit crimes, resist arrest, interfere with police officers and face zero consequences.'
The Detectives' Endowment Association released this statement saying he might as well give the criminals business cards
Police Benevolent Association President Patrick Lynch said he has 'serious concerns'
The union chief said he hoped that Bragg would sit down with the leaders from his union to discuss the changes.
'We must all pull together towards one goal: a safer New York City.'
Business leaders are also worried that these new policies could have detrimental effect on Manhattan's economy.
'New York City’s quality of life must remain competitive if we are to lure back office workers and tourists,' Jessica Walker, president of the Manhattan Chamber of Commerce said. 'The district attorney’s stance against prosecuting certain low-level crimes may undermine both the perception and the reality that ours is a safe big city.'
NYGOP Chairman Nick Langworthy called the policy 'pure insanity'.
'I fear for the safety of New York residents, businesses owners and tourists. They tried the same reforms in San Francisco that focused on decarceration and what you see very fast is a descent into a free-for-all.'
Richie Greenberg, former mayoral candidate in San Francisco
'This policy is pure insanity by a Soros-funded, woke DA who is opening the door for even more crime and chaos on New York City streets.
'This, on top of Democrats' end to cash bail, will have deadly results and send even more residents, businesses and tourists fleeing.
'This is a damning reminder that elections have consequences,' he told DailyMail.com.
Richie Greenberg, a former mayoral candidate in San Francisco who is now spearheading the effort to remove Chesa Boudin, the city's prosecutor who has abolished cash bail, said he feared for the people of New York.
