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Five Questions with Ed Chung

Expert on crime in America

Joyce Vance Oct 4 ∙ Preview

As crazy as it may seem with a felon running as their candidate to be president, Republicans, including the felon himself, spend a lot of time talking about how Democrats have unleashed a crime wave on the country. But it’s not true. While Republicans have billed themselves as the party that is tough on crime for decades, Democrats have been smart on crime. Here we are, heading into an election that offers us the choice between the prosecutor and the criminal.

It’s good to have facts and statistics at your fingertips when you’re having conversations on this topic. Republicans claim that if Kamala Harris wins the presidency, crime will be out of control. I have just the person for us to talk with about crime in America. For eight years as a U.S. Attorney in the Obama Administration, I co-chaired a subcommittee of the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee that focused on the criminal practice, including strategies for crime prevention and rehabilitation for offenders. One of my favorite colleagues is tonight’s guest, Ed Chung, who has just the right expertise to get us up to speed.

Ed Chung is the vice president of initiatives at the Vera Institute and a member of Vera’s leadership team. Vera’s mission is to end the overcriminalization and mass incarceration of people of color, immigrants, and people experiencing poverty. Ed has two decades of legal and policy-making experience, including positions in the White House Domestic Policy Council and the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee. Prior to joining Vera, he was the vice president of Criminal Justice Reform at the Center for American Progress, where he focused on shrinking the footprint of U.S. criminal justice systems. As a senior advisor at the U.S. Department of Justice, he worked on some of the Obama Administration’s signature priorities including the My Brother’s Keeper initiative, the Task Force on 21^st Century Policing, and ending the criminalization of poverty. Chung started his career as an assistant district attorney in Manhattan, then as a federal prosecutor in the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. He brings a prosecutor’s perspective to crime reduction.

Our conversation tonight is a vital and important one for anyone who is seeking to understand these issues, not just the political dialogue being purposed in an election year to drive support to candidates. For those of you who want more, I strongly recommend a podcast project Ed was involved with, Vera Institute’s “The 30 Year Project.” It’s a four-episode series that examines the 1994 Crime Bill on its 30-year anniversary and considers the movement to end mass incarceration over the past three decades. The podcast dropped last month, so you can listen to all of the episodes at once. It’s an incredibly important series at a time when Donald Trump’s calls for imposing a death penalty for “drug dealers” is being unleashed. People need to hear the truth, not the political rhetoric, on this incredibly important topic.

Five Questions is the only part of Civil Discourse that is limited to paid subscribers. The rest of the newsletters are available to free subscribers as well. This feature is my way of thanking those who are able to support my work financially, which lets me devote more time and resources to it. I’m appreciative of everyone who is here at Civil Discourse.

POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: Mostly quiet in the Massachusetts spin room

BY KELLY GARRITY ABOUT LAST NIGHT — Less than an hour before President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump took the stage in Atlanta, Massachusetts Democratic activists huddled online to hear Gov. Maura Healey and Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll hype up their party’s de-facto nominee. But by the time the candidates stepped off the stage less than two hours later, Democrats across the country were freaking out over Biden’s stammering, stumbling performance. One local Democratic strategist summed it up simply in text late last night: “Yikes yikes yikes yikes yikes!” “Mentally hiding under a blanket,” they added. In the days leading up to the debate, it was viewed among Democrats as an opportunity for Biden to shake off the nagging whispers about his age and his fitness for another four years — and to lay out the stark differences between the visions he and Trump offered the country. But it quickly devolved on the Georgia debate stage. Among Massachusetts’ top politicians, things mostly grew quiet as the debate got underway. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a campaign surrogate for Biden, weighed in on X throughout the bout. But she kept her focus on Trump, calling out the former president for his role in building out the bench on the Supreme Court that overthrew Roe v. Wade and describing him as a “threat to democracy.” Rep. Jim McGovern was out with a “BIDEN-bingo” card before the back and forth began. But nothing more followed from the normally outspoken congressman as Biden and Trump traded accusations. MassDems Chair Steve Kerrigan played down the panic. “It wouldn’t be a debate night if Democrats weren’t hand wringing. But we need to worry less and work more for @JoeBiden,” he wrote on X around 11:30 p.m.. CNN offered a FACT CHECK that was revealing of tRump's LIES that MASS GOP would like to ignore. Everything Dementia Don said was a LIE. More worrisome is that the NY CRIMINAL TRIAL was about FALSIFICATION OF BUSINESS RECORDS for which he was CONVICTED.  It was NOT about having sex with a porn star, something that Dementia Don's poor comprehension of the legal issues has ignored. That was the sole pathetic defense his attorneys argued.  It may strain the ability of Republicans to comprehend the legal complexities, but David Pecker & AMI committed similar legal violations, paid a settlement & moved on.  The Orange Bully was too arrogant & short-sighted to settle the case as well. Republicans would also ignore that Daffy Don didn't answer ANY questions, but rather rambled...and the H 2 O comment?  Much like recent rallies, his incoherence and DEMENTIA is becoming MAIN STREAM.    CNN FACT CHECK  CNN FACT CHECK Massachusetts Republicans, however, were quick to put their own spin on the night: “This debate should serve as a wake-up call to all Americans. President Biden is clearly unfit to participate in a debate, let alone continue to lead our country as President of the United States,” the MassGOP said in a statement released soon after the debate wrapped. “It is evident that President Biden lacks the cognitive ability required to fulfill the responsibilities of the presidency.” In case you missed it (or actively avoided it), here are some highlights: — Biden struggled out the gate. His voice was hoarse and hard to hear, and he flubbed a couple early lines. — Trump tried to deny he called fallen soldiers "suckers" and "losers" — even though one of debate’s moderators got a high-level official to confirm the remarks on the record. — Biden said he supports Roe v. Wade ; Trump accused him of supporting “late term abortion.” — Trump said the U.S. should let Israel “finish the job” against Hamas in Gaza. — Biden jabbed Trump over his trials and for “having sex with a porn star.” Trump claimed he “didn’t have sex with a porn star’ — Both candidates addressed their age. Somehow it became about golf . Watch the key moments in 180-seconds. President Joe Biden participates in the CNN Presidential Debate at the CNN Studios in Atlanta on Thursday, June 27, 2024. | Justin Sullivan/Getty Images GOOD FRIDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS . TGIF. TODAY — Gov. Maura Healey and Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll host a Caribbean American Heritage Month celebration at noon at the State House. Driscoll, Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Boston Mayor Michelle Wu attend a ribbon cutting for The Pryde, a housing complex for LGBTQ+ seniors, at 1 p.m. in Hyde Park. Healey is on Pod Save America’s live show at the 7:30 p.m. at the Wilbur. Wu speaks at a street sign dedication for Boston Fire Lieutenant Stephen Minehan at noon in Dorchester. THE WEEKEND — Secretary of State Bill Galvin is on WBZ’s “Keller @ Large” at 8:30 a.m. Sunday. Attorney General Andrea Campbell is on WCVB’s “On the Record” at 11 a.m. Sunday. New Hampshire Sen. Jeanne Shaheen is on NBC10 Boston’s “@ Issue” at 11:30 a.m. Sunday. Tips, scoops, birthdays, hand wringing? Drop me a line:  kgarrity@politico.com .   THE GOLD STANDARD OF POLICY REPORTING & INTELLIGENCE: POLITICO has more than 500 journalists delivering unrivaled reporting and illuminating the policy and regulatory landscape for those who need to know what’s next. Throughout the election and the legislative and regulatory pushes that will follow, POLITICO Pro is indispensable to those who need to make informed decisions fast. The Pro platform dives deeper into critical and quickly evolving sectors and industries—finance, defense, technology, healthcare, energy—equipping policymakers and those who shape legislation and regulation with essential news and intelligence from the world’s best politics and policy journalists. Our newsroom is deeper, more experienced, and better sourced than any other—with teams embedded in the world’s most active legislative and regulatory power centers. From Brussels to Washington, New York to London, Sacramento to Paris, we bring subscribers inside the conversations that determine policy outcomes and the future of industries, providing insight that cannot be found anywhere else. Get the premier news and policy intelligence service, SUBSCRIBE TO POLITICO PRO TODAY .     DATELINE BEACON HILL — “Effort to save food benefits for immigrant families cut short by Mass. House leaders,” by Samantha J. Gross, The Boston Globe: “The need for food — already heightened amid soaring inflation and expiring COVID-era benefits — has deepened in recent months after state-funded food benefits for legally present immigrants ran dry. A last-ditch effort to save them fizzled the state House on Wednesday after lawmakers rejected the proposal by not folding it into a wider amendment to a supplemental spending bill, sending a blow to those who serve the immigrant community.” — “Senate beats back last-minute efforts to approve real estate transfer fee in borrowing bill,” by Chris Van Buskirk, Boston Herald: “ Last-minute efforts to include a local option tax on high-value home sales in a massive borrowing bill focused on spurring affordable housing development in Massachusetts fizzled out in the Senate Thursday even after a cadre of lawmakers publicly backed the idea. A $5.4 billion proposal top Democrats argued offers a ‘course correct’ for state housing policy cleared the Senate on a 40-0 vote but left on the cutting room floor at least nine different versions of a transfer fee supported by lawmakers from across Massachusetts.” — “Former governor presses for action on drug bill,” by Sam Doran, State House News Service (paywall): “Former Gov. Jane Swift was among the voices Wednesday calling for reforms to the pharmacy benefit manager industry, attaching urgency to the matter and saying that the Legislature in its final month of formal sessions was ‘finally poised to bring the type of change that we need.’ … Swift described learning about PBMs as a result of her daughter Lauren's battle with juvenile arthritis, and said what she discovered was "deeply disturbing." The pair testified on related legislation last year.” — “Medicaid enrollment drops by 383,000 from COVID high,” by Bruce Mohl, CommonWealth Beacon: “MassHealth ended a year-long campaign to reassess eligibility for every single member with about 363,000 fewer people enrolled, officials announced Thursday, although the number of people on the public insurance program is up by more than 280,000 since pre-COVID. The state’s combined Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program had nearly 2.04 million members at the end of May, according to new data. That’s about 15 percent fewer than when Massachusetts set out in spring 2023 on a gargantuan, federally mandated campaign to decide who qualifies for the subsidized insurance coverage for the first time since the pandemic." — “Lt. Gov. Driscoll touts what a theater tax credit could mean for Massachusetts,” by Max Chow-Gillette, GBH News. FROM THE HUB — “A plummeting murder rate stuns Boston. But can it survive the summer?,” by Jenna Russell, The New York Times: “When city leaders in Boston set out last spring to renew their focus on violence prevention, they set a modest goal: reduce homicides by 20 percent in three years. No one imagined what the city of 650,000 has seen so far this year: four homicides, a 78 percent reduction from the 18 that took place over the same period in 2023. Luck has played a part, the normal ebb and flow of violent crime. Yet the longer the quiet has persisted, the more pressure the city has felt to sustain it. As summer set in with a blistering heat wave, anxiety rose. Will a seasonal uptick in violence shatter the preternatural calm?” MONEY MATTERS — The Boston City Council managed to partially override parts of Mayor Michelle Wu ’s budget during a roughly 12-hour meeting Wednesday. But some of those overrides may not make it into the city’s final spending plan; Wu’s office is reviewing the legality of some of the money moves councilors made – and could end up nullifying the override. The Boston Herald has more . FUNERAL ARRANGEMENTS — Pour one out for the Boston Planning and Development Agency. Some current and former BPDA employees are heading to Harpoon Brewery Monday for a “wake” for the quasi-public agency that is set to come under City Hall control July 1. — “One-third of Boston pools will be closed this summer,” by Hannah Reale and Adora Brown, GBH News.  YAHD SIGNS AND BUMPAH STICKAHS — “Nadia Milleron, independent candidate for House against Richard Neal, submits signatures for Nov. ballot,” by Jim Kinney, MassLive: “Independent congressional candidate Nadia Milleron submitted 3,000 certified nomination signatures to elections officials Thursday. It was the next step in her general election challenge to 35-year veteran U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal. Voters she’s met while gathering signatures tell her running without party affiliation is an asset.” DAY IN COURT IN — Potential ballot questions that would eliminate MCAS as a high school graduation requirement and give drivers collective bargaining rights cleared legal hurdles Wednesday, as the Supreme Judicial Court dismissed challenges around the MCAS question’s wording and gave the green light to the union-backed app-based drivers question. More on the MCAS ruling from CommonWealth Beacon . OUT — Any of the five variations of a ballot question that sought to classify app-based drivers as independent contractors. Hours after the SJC ruled that those questions could move forward, Attorney General Andrea Campbell’s office announced a $175 million settlement from a different legal Uber/Lyft legal battle that had been playing out in Suffolk County Superior Court — putting an end to what was expected to be an intense and expensive ballot campaign. More on what the settlement means from the Boston Herald .   Understand 2024’s big impacts with Pro’s extensive Campaign Races Dashboard, exclusive insights, and key coverage of federal- and state-level debates. Focus on policy. Learn more .     FROM THE 413 — “Amherst College rejects calls for divestment from corporations supplying military equipment to Israel,” by Scott Merzbach, Daily Hampshire Gazette: “Trustees for Amherst College are rejecting appeals from faculty, students and alumni to divest from corporations that could be supplying military equipment to Israel in its ongoing war in Gaza.” THE LOCAL ANGLE —  “Brockton schools plan to cut Equity, Diversity, Inclusion Office. Students say it's vital,”  by Christopher Butler, The Brockton Enterprise:  “[M]any of the programs and services that the [Equity, Diversity and Inclusion] office offers could be closing down before next year as Brockton Public Schools plans to downsize the office due to budget cuts. The Equity, Diversity and Inclusion department’s four staff positions will all be removed and the assistant superintendent that oversees the office will become a director-level position.” — “Presidential debate draws praise, criticism, from MA, NH pols,” by Christian M. Wade, The Eagle Tribune.  MEANWHILE IN NEW HAMPSHIRE — “Man charged with threatening to kill presidential candidates found dead as jury was deciding verdict,” by Steve LeBlanc and Holly Ramer, The Associated Press: “A New Hampshire man charged with threatening the lives of presidential candidates last year has been found dead while a jury was deciding his verdict, according to court filings Thursday. The jury began weighing the case against Tyler Anderson, 30, of Dover on Tuesday after a trial that began Monday. A message seeking comment from Anderson’s lawyer was not immediately returned. A court filing said ‘the government has learned that the defendant is deceased.’ Prosecutors have moved to dismiss the indictment having learned Anderson has died.” HEARD ‘ROUND THE BUBBLAH TRANSITIONS — Ricardo Patrón has been appointed to serve as deputy chief of staff to Boston Mayor Michelle Wu . Patrón was press secretary in the mayor’s office. Emma Pettit, who currently serves as deputy press secretary, will begin serving as press secretary starting July 1. HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to Erin McPike, Moses Marx and Nick Mitchell. HAPPY BIRTHWEEKEND — to Ben Jarrett, Amish Shah, Jason Ostrander, Katrina Gaddis and state Sen. Liz Miranda, who celebrate Saturday; and to Sunday birthday-ers to Diane Asadorian Masters, Stephanie Miliano , BHA Administrator Kenzie Bok , Plymouth County Register of Probate Matthew McDonough and Daniel Goldhagen . Want to make an impact? POLITICO Massachusetts has a variety of solutions available for partners looking to reach and activate the most influential people in the Bay State. Have a petition you want signed? A cause you’re promoting? Seeking to increase brand awareness among this key audience? Share your message with our influential readers to foster engagement and drive action. Contact Jesse Shapiro to find out how: jshapiro@politico.com .   Follow us on Twitter Kelly Garrity @KellyGarrity3   Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook  |  Playbook PM  |  California Playbook  |  Florida Playbook  |  Illinois Playbook  |  Massachusetts Playbook  |  New Jersey Playbook  |  New York Playbook  |  Ottawa Playbook  |  Brussels Playbook  |  London Playbook View all our politics and policy newsletters FOLLOW US

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SF Chronicle: The Chesa Boudin recall stopped being only about San Francisco a long time ago

 

A new op-ed in the Chronicle states it perfectly: The recall effort is nothing more than a massive effort by the national right-wing media and wealthy conservative donors to reverse our progress and stop the criminal justice reform movement in its tracks. CHIP IN NOW TO HELP ME FIGHT BACK → Let's look at the numbers:  One-third of the recall campaign's biggest PAC is funded by a single GOP donor, Bill Oberndorf.    Fox News' website has more than 1,000 mentions of my name in the past year alone -- Breitbart has over 400. Tucker Carlson isn't far behind.  The recall effort is being driven by a right-wing media apparatus that is using our city as a stand-in for “liberalism” run amok. They want to punish anyone who doesn’t champion the traditional “lock-em-up” attitude. Here’s the bottom line: This recall isn’t about San Francisco at all. The right-wing Fox hosts and out-of-state billionaires funding it don’t care about our city. They simply want to send a message to the rest of the country that if you have new ideas that don’t start and end with “put more people -- including kids -- in jail,” you will face political consequences. The U.S. is already the most incarcerated country on the planet. The solution to all social ills is not to “unleash the police” and put more people in jail. How do I know? Because what we're doing is working: ✅ Violent crime in San Francisco has dropped to levels below comparable cities since my term began.   ✅ Property crime in San Francisco has decreased dramatically.    ✅ Charging rates across all crime types in San Francisco have increased.     ✅ Homicides in San Francisco remain near record lows despite surging in other Bay Area cities.   ✅ Robberies, rapes, and assaults have decreased during my tenure. We also know that the key to making San Francisco safer is preventing crime, investing in victim services, increasing police accountability, expanding mental health and drug treatment, and focusing on serious crimes while working with leaders to address the root causes of violence. Look, we’re getting massively outspent. And the GOP is emboldened by what they see as an opportunity to stop our movement in its tracks. So I need your help. Please, donate whatever amount you can right now to help me fight back and keep San Francisco and our movement on the right track. Your support means the world to me, Chesa Boudin District Attorney, San Francisco Chesa Boudin was elected District Attorney of San Francisco in 2019 to reform our criminal justice system. Now, right-wingers  want to reverse our progress and return our city to a time when innocent people were locked away and police acted with impunity. Please chip in today to keep up the fight to reform San Francisco's criminal justice system. 20 Galli Drive Ste A Novato, CA 94949     Ad paid for by Friends of Chesa Boudin Opposing the Recall, FPPC #1437058, Financial Disclosures available at SFethics.org Committee major funding from: 1. Christian Larsen ($100,000) 2. Service Employees International Union Local 1021 Candidate PAC ($65,000) 3. Jessica McKellar ($50,000)

They want him gone.

 

M⁣oments ago, our team Real Justice team gave $100,000 to support Chesa and stop the racist recall effort against him being fueled by Tucker Carlson, police unions, white supremacists, and tech millionaires. 

⁣99% of them don’t even live in San Francisco, but our staff does. And we are going to fight back.⁣

Chesa is one of the most kind, compassionate, thoughtful, generous, intelligent, competent, hard working people I’ve ever met. ⁣

San Francisco elected him to be their District Attorney. And now racist white folk want to see his good work undone.

It makes sense, because he just became the first DA to charge an officer with murder in the history of the city. Now they want him gone.

Please join me in standing with Chesa. Donate to the campaign.

And if you haven’t yet, sign our petition at StandWithChesa.com.

We need all hands on deck.

Appreciate you,

Shaun

STAND WITH
CHESA BOUDIN.

Republicans, the police union, and the ultra-wealthy are banding together to overturn the results of the free and fair election of Chesa Boudin. They want to roll back his progress on creating real public safety solutions, reducing incarceration, and holding police accountable.

On the day he took office just over a year ago, Chesa Boudin stood before us and promised to use the power of his office to do what San Franciscans elected him to do: fight for a more fair, effective, and accountable justice system.

Photo: Smeeta Mahanti

Despite historic obstacles, he has kept his promises. He dramatically reduced the jail population to protect people living inside jails and the broader community from a deadly COVID-19 outbreak. He consistently fights for more support for victims of crime, including financial help and housing for domestic violence survivors. He holds those who abuse power accountable, including prosecuting a San Francisco police officer for killing an unarmed Black man and prosecuting corporations that take advantage of vulnerable workers.

Make no mistake: this effort to overturn an election is Republican-led and fueled by fear-mongering and dangerous misinformation. They are pushing this recall at a time when we should be focusing on public health and economic recovery from the pandemic’s devastating toll on our city.

We are proud to stand with Chesa in opposition to a costly and distracting recall effort. We stand with Chesa because he is proving that we do not have to choose between ending mass incarceration and protecting public safety. We can do both.

Those pushing the recall want you to think San Francisco is getting more dangerous by the minute, and that Boudin is letting people run scot free.

Here is the truth: violent crime in San Francisco is at historic lows. Overall crime has dropped by 30% – even during a destabilizing pandemic.

Boudin’s office continues to prosecute cases where harm has occurred, while fighting for public health solutions and investments that prevent crime before it happens.

source: San Francisco Chronicle

ACHIEVEMENTS

POLICE ACCOUNTABILITY

• Dramatically increased police accountability, bolstering the Independent Investigations Bureau to investigate and prosecute allegations of police misconduct and illegal use of force;
• Filed historic charges against police officers for violence, including the first time that a San Francisco district attorney has ever filed murder charges against police;
• Stopped charging people with crimes based on uncorroborated testimony of officers known to commit misconduct;

DECARCERATION

• Ended prosecutors’ requests for cash bail, which undermines public safety and punishes poverty;
• Eliminated the use of racist gang enhancements, which target people of color for guilt by association;
• Helped reduce the jail population by nearly 50% in the first quarter of 2020 alone and avoided a COVID outbreak in the San Francisco jail; 
• Committed to prosecuting children as children and cut the number of youth incarcerated in San Francisco by approximately 50%;

DIVERSION AND RESTORATIVE JUSTICE

• Implemented a primary caregiver diversion program to support and assist parents and children impacted by the legal system to get on track;
• Created an independent, freestanding Innocence Commission alongside a new Post-Conviction Unit to review wrongful convictions and excessive sentences;
• Significantly expanded diversion programs to address root causes of crimes and avoid unnecessarily saddling people — including parents — with criminal records;
• Expanded the use of restorative justice resolutions when that path is preferred by the victim;

SUPPORTING VICTIMS OF CRIME

• Created an innovative Economic Crimes Against Workers Unit to protect the most vulnerable from crimes like wage theft;
• Dedicated an Assistant District Attorney to prosecuting hate crimes;
• Increased meaningful support for victims, including by spearheading programs that provide housing and transportation for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault; offering compensation for people who experience police violence; supporting small businesses that experience vandalism; and expanding testing of toxicology samples for sexual assault survivors;
• Dramatically grew the victim services division to ensure that crime survivors can immediately secure victim services, even when an arrest has not yet been made.