Harris the Crime Fighter?

Written by Thomas Hampson

At a campaign rally on August 1st, Kamala Harris, while simultaneously taking a shot at Donald Trump, boasted of her superior crime-fighting ability, especially of her prosecutorial experience and skills. Using a cringe-worthy fake southern accent, Harris said:

“As many of you know, before I was elected Vice President and before I was elected a United States Senator, I was an elected Attorney General and an elected District Attorney. And before that, I was a courtroom prosecutor.

“So, in those roles, I took on perpetrators of all kinds. Predators who abused women. Fraudsters who ripped off consumers. Cheaters who broke the rules for their own gain. So hear me when I say: I know Donald Trump’s type.”

Really? Is she someone who can quell the rising crime that her own administration spawned? Does she have keen insights that help her to recognize criminals hiding in plain sight? Let’s see.

On August 23, 2020 Jacob Blake, a 29-year-old black man, was shot seven times in the back by Kenosha, Wisconsin police officer Rusten Sheskey. The officer and his partner were called to the home of Blake’s girlfriend, Laquisha Booker, who had called 911. Blake showed up at Booker’s home, violating a restraining order to keep him away, forcibly took the keys to a car Booker had rented, and was preparing to leave in the car when the police arrived.

Already, Blake had active warrants for sexual assault, trespassing, and disorderly conduct. Now he was adding violating a restraining order and car theft. In addition, Blake and Booker’s three children were in the back seat of the car Blake was attempting to steal. Booker had been awarded custody, so Blake taking them could be construed as an attempted kidnapping.

The officers attempted to restrain Blake by firing a Taser. It had no effect. As Blake attempted to get into the vehicle, Sheskey fired on Blake; Sheskey explained he was concerned Blake was preparing to attack him with a knife. A knife was later found on the floor of the driver’s side of the car. Blake survived but was paralyzed from the waist down.

At the time, Kenosha officers did not have body cameras, but a local resident recorded the whole incident on his phone. The recording, uploaded to social media, made it appear the officers shot Blake without justification. Kenosha erupted in a race riot that lasted for a week.

It was in this riot that Kyle Rittenhouse shot three people who attacked him, killing two and wounding a third. Rittenhouse was eventually acquitted of the politically motivated charges later filed against him.

The Wisconsin Department of Justice took over the investigation of the Blake shooting and five months later decided no charges could be brought against the officers. The U.S. Justice Department arrived at a similar conclusion. State and federal civil suits filed by Blake against Sheskey and other defendants also were dropped, although it took several years.

Harris had a different opinion.

Harris condemned the actions of the Kenosha police. While she admitted she did not have all the facts, she said the shooting was unjustified. She was sickened by the excessive force used, which was emblematic of systemic racism in the Kenosha Police Department and in police departments across the nation. She said all this out loud.

In a speech on August 27^th, Harris said Blake’s shooting was another example of the police shooting an unarmed black man and that “the shots fired at Mr. Blake pierced the soul of our nation. It’s sickening to watch. It’s all too familiar. And it must end.” 

She characterized Blake as a victim. A few days later, she called Blake’s family and expressed her support for them and for the need for justice. Harris told Blake that she was proud of him.

Proud of him!

A thug armed with a knife, with warrants out for his arrest, who violated a restraining order, tried to steal his girlfriend’s car and drive off with her children without permission. What on earth is there to be proud of?

Harris also reiterated her support for a bail fund, which she promoted after the death of George Floyd, to help protestors secure bail.

What do you think? Was Harris’s insight into the actions of Blake and the police officers accurate? Does her discernment and judgment give you confidence in her abilities?

Her judgment of Kyle Rittenhouse was even worse. After Rittenhouse was found not guilty based on testimony and clear video evidence that supported Rittenhouse’s version of events, Harris was angry. She acknowledged the verdict and said it “speaks for itself,” but added, “I’ve spent a majority of my career working to make our criminal justice system more equitable. It’s clear, there’s still a lot more work to do.” In other words, she saw Rittenhouse being found not guilty as further proof that our justice system is broken.

It’s broken, alright, but in the opposite direction than Harris implied with her comments. The charges never should have been brought.

One thing everyone should remember about the events in Kenosha and Harris’s role is that her actions and comments increased the tensions that already were at the breaking point and drove a broader wedge between left and right, between police and civilians, between Caucasians and people of color.

The bottom line is that Harris’s eye for spotting criminals is deeply flawed. She can’t even tell the difference between good guys and bad guys.

So how is she going to fix anything?