Radical Dems push pro-criminal, anti-cop legislation
By Jeffrey T. Kuhner
Massachusetts Democrats are on the verge of enacting the most radical, dangerous anti-police legislation in America. If it passes—and it looks very likely that it will—then law enforcement in the Commonwealth will be eviscerated, violent crime will explode and the Bay State will be turned into a giant Portland.
Both the State Senate and House, with overwhelming majorities, have passed anti-cop, pro-criminal bills. Riding a national wave of opposition to alleged “police brutality” and “systemic racism,” liberal Democrats on Beacon Hill have essentially joined with Black Lives Matter (BLM).
The two bills are now in conference committee, where a compromise version will be hammered out and sent to Gov. Charlie Baker’s desk. The RINO Republican has already signaled he will sign it.
The legislation could have been written by militant BLM activists; it is that hostile to law enforcement. Although there are some differences between the two bills, there are numerous similarities. They severely restrict the ability of police officers to restrain violent, aggressive suspects. Chokeholds are banned; the use of Tasers is drastically curtailed; and tear gas can only be deployed to control crowds if the officers’ lives are in imminent danger (if it has gotten to that point the use of tear gas is useless).
These provisions alone are dangerous. Countless cops will be needlessly injured and killed by violent criminals and thugs; officers will lack the very techniques and tools to subdue gang bangers, drug dealers, murderers and rapists. BLM will be able to riot and loot with impunity, as law enforcement is reduced to becoming watchful bystanders. Police deal with the worst, most vile criminal elements of society every day. This legislation effectively disarms them—short of using lethal force.
Yet, the legislation’s most ominous part is its frontal assault on qualified immunity. The Senate bill all but ends it; the House bill empowers a civilian board to oversee and—if deemed necessary—to strip it from any officer. Either way, such action will open the floodgates to countless frivolous lawsuits, making it impossible for the police to do their job.
Under the legislation, officers can be sued and held financially liable for almost any decision they make. If they arrest some criminal or gang member, the defendants can claim excessive force was used and get a trial lawyer to sue the arresting officer. If a cop rushes to pull a person out of a burning car but that individual has a spinal issue and ends up paralyzed due to being rescued, then the officer can and will be held financially liable. In short, being a cop will mean having to risk losing one’s home, mortgage and financial future simply for doing their job.
Who in their right mind would want to be a police officer? Already, hundreds of cops have said they will retire early or resign if qualified immunity is limited or terminated. The overwhelming majority of rank-and-file law enforcement are staunchly opposed to the legislation. The reason is obvious: It will paralyze them, tying their hands and thereby forcing them to dramatically pull back from proactive policing.
The results are inevitable—violence and lawlessness will soar; murders, homicides, rapes and burglaries will skyrocket; communities and neighborhoods everywhere will become infested with criminals, anarchists and thugs; and law-abiding citizens will have to resort to self-defense and arm themselves in order to protect their homes and families. In short, Massachusetts will become transformed into a massive police-free, “autonomous zone” similar to Portland or Seattle.
Democrats are determined to ram through this radical, anti-police legislation with as little public input and transparency as possible. Both bills were passed in the dead of night. Incredibly, legislators on Beacon Hill didn’t even ask police for their feedback—the very group directly impacted by this social experiment. Despite the fact that thousands of law enforcement officers offered to provide written or oral testimony on the proposals’ destructive consequences.
Massachusetts’ leftists refuse to accept this seminal reality: Boston—or any other city and town in the Commonwealth—is not Minneapolis. It has been over five years since a police officer killed an unarmed black man in the Bay State. The tragic murder of George Floyd occurred hundreds of miles away; Minneapolis has a dysfunctional police department. We don’t.
Rather, Massachusetts has some of the finest, most professional community policing in the country. There is no need for any reforms. Our brave men and women in blue are the gold standard.
Police union leaders and some sheriffs claim that, though recklessly misguided, the lawmakers on Beacon Hill are well-intentioned in their efforts to enact sweeping, revolutionary change. This is false.
Liberals are bowing at the altar of Black Lives Matter. BLM and the Democrats are consumed by hatred—for America, for law enforcement and for our nation’s very founding. BLM is a Marxist-anarchist terrorist group masquerading as a racial justice movement. The state’s decent citizens will rue the day if this anti-police, pro-criminal legislation becomes law.
Before it’s too late, I am urging everyone to contact Baker (Tel: 617-725-4005) and their State representatives and senators (Tel: 617-722-2000). Tell them that if they support this legislative monstrosity you will vote them out in November. A vote against the police is a vote against you, your family and your community. This is our red line. Politicians cross it at their peril.
-Jeffrey T. Kuhner is host of “The Kuhner Report” on WRKO AM-680 in Boston. His daily show airs 6:00-10:00 am EST. He can be reached at: JeffreyKuhner@iheartmedia.com