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 In the 2013 movie “The Purge,” crime was legalized
for a 12-hour window every year, ostensibly to “purge” society of its worst
elements. Murdering, thievery, grand theft auto, rape, drug trafficking, you
name it, all allowed with zero consequences – but only for an annual 12-hour
period. Effective Jan. 1, 2023, a version of the scenario depicted in the
fictional dystopian film could become a full-time reality in Illinois if
legislation, passed after the summer of George Floyd, is not repealed.
Some background: On Jan. 13, 2021, during the post-election lame duck
legislative session, a 764 page opus known as Illinois HB 3653, ironically
called the “SAFE-T Act” (Safety, Accountability, Fairness, Equity – Today Act),
was rushed through by Democrats in the state capitol. There was no mandate from
the electorate. It barely had enough votes to pass, even in the extremely
lopsided Democrat-majority Springfield legislature.
“The law passed in the wee hours of the morning,” recalled Republican state Rep.
Tony McCombie. “[The Democrats] cut off debate. They didn’t appear to have the
votes as it took several minutes to browbeat their members to their switches
[voting button] to call the final vote.”
But it passed in both chambers and was signed into law with great fanfare by
Democrat Gov. J.B. Pritzker.
The legislation is a veritable wish list for progressives opposed to the very
idea of incarceration – or even effective policing.
To start, criminal suspects arrested on charges ranging from petty theft to
murder (yes, murder) will no longer have to post bail, because cash bail will go
away entirely. Will judges be able to keep obviously dangerous defendants in
jail? Only when, to quote the language in the legislation, “the defendant poses
a real and present threat to a specific, identifiable person or persons, or has
a high likelihood of flight.”
That suggests that if you kill your wife, for instance, you can be let out of
jail while you await trial, posting no bail, because, well, she’s now dead, and
you don’t “pose a threat” to any other “specific” individual. If you are
unsuccessful in your murder attempt and only maimed your wife, as she is still
alive, yes, a judge can keep you in jail, but only because your wife survived
your assault.
To reiterate, crimes that harm “society at large” will not cut it, according to
the language in the SAFE-T Act. As Ogle County State’s Attorney Mike Rock
explains:
“A serial drunk driver who repeatedly drives on our streets while impaired must
be released because we cannot specifically identify the individuals they are
putting at risk. The same applies to drug dealers, gun traffickers, felons in
possession of guns, serial arsonists, and many other violent criminals.”
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This is not hyperbole. Even some Democrats are sounding the alarm. “If that bill
[the SAFE-T Act] goes into effect … police officers’ hands will be tied,” warns
Will County State’s Attorney James Glasgow, a Democrat. “What you see in
Chicago, we’ll have here . It’s going to be literally the end of days … I’ve got
640 people in the Will County jail. All their bonds will be extinguished on
January 1. And 60 are charged with murder. And many others with violent
felonies.”
The good news is that it’s not too late to do something about it.
“You as the electorate, need to demand anybody running for election in November
needs to vote to repeal this bill,” Glasgow continued. “It will destroy the
state of Illinois. I don’t even understand the people who supported it, why they
can’t realize that.”
This is what happens when a legislative body dominated by one political party is
combined with a severe anti-cop, soft-on-crime default position that has become
orthodoxy on the left. It’s a toxic stew of bad ideas and bad judgment that at
best breeds a culture of crime complacency, and at worst a clarion call for
societal anarchy.
“This law will continue to destroy the once beautiful and thriving city of
Chicago,” said McCombie. “The crime rate will grow in the suburbs and eventually
seep into our more rural areas, ultimately bringing Illinois’ complete
destruction.”
State’s attorneys must act, and demand that Springfield repeal the SAFE-T Act
immediately. Every Democrat state representative and senator must swallow their
pride and admit they made a terrible mistake when they passed this bill during
the 2021 lame duck session. And more than anyone else, Gov. Pritzker, up for
reelection this November and testing the 2024 presidential waters, needs to step
up, be a leader, and fix this. Now.
More and more Illinoisans are demanding it: A Facebook page calling for the
repeal of Illinois HB 3653 has already gained over 51,000 members and is
growing. If the SAFE-T Act is not repealed, Pritzker and everyone who made it
law will have blood on their hands. And come this January in Illinois, the movie
“The Purge” won’t feel like fiction if you live in our state.
Mike Koolidge is spokesman and communications director for People
Who Play By The Rules PAC.
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