A New York democratic socialist lawmaker's referral to shoplifting being the result of a "biological need" is getting swift blowback.New York state Assemblywoman Emily Gallagher suggested this week that aggressive prosecution of theft of items like soap and toothpaste was wrongheaded, saying the "true crime is that there is such incredible wealth disparity in this city that there are people who can be thrown in jail simply for having a biological need.""This is exactly the wrong way to talk about crime and poverty.Poverty can help explain why someone commits an offense," former Palm Beach County State Attorney Dave Aronberg told Fox News Digital.
"It should matter when prosecutors decide how to handle a case.But poverty is not a permission slip to steal."Aronberg, who now leads his own law firm, rejected the suggestion that prosecution necessarily means incarceration and pointed to alternatives available for first-time offenders.New York state Assemblywoman Emily Gallagher said at a Manhattan news conference that people who steal toothpaste and soap do so because they need the products.
(LightRocket via Getty Images)SOROS NETWORK REBUILDS PROGRESSIVE PROSECUTOR PUSH AFTER STRING OF ELECTION LOSSES"Suggesting that someone who steals toothpaste for the first time is automatically being thrown in jail creates a false picture of how the system actually works.Prosecution does not have to mean incarceration," Aronberg said.
"There are diversion programs, treatment, conditional dispositions and other ways to impose accountability without ruining someone’s life."Retired New York Police Department Sgt.Joe Imperatrice, founder of Blue Lives Matter NYC and a retired NYPD supervisor with more than 20 years of law enforcement experience, said politicians should focus on crime victims rather than make excuses for offenders.
He also defended the policing strategy Gallagher wants New York City to abandon."Broken Windows is a proven theory which holds people accountable for th...