A former prosecutor in the progressive district attorney’s office in Austin, Texas, is running as a Democrat against his former boss, saying the Soros-backed DA’s policies are “detrimental to the community” and politically ideological. told Fox News Digital. Obey the law.
”“We realized that simple things weren’t being done, and we knew that the level of expertise of all the prosecutors who left had gone down significantly,” said the defense attorney and Travis County prosecutor for 15 years. Jeremy Silestine told Fox News. Digital was asked why he decided to run against Travis County District Attorney Jose Garza.
“It has become clear that the Crown Prosecution Service is not maintaining its basic functions, and I think it shows in the case outcomes and the number of crimes that we are currently experiencing. Masu.”
Garza has been widely criticized in the community for being soft on crime policies, saying his office has focused more on “reimaging police” and prosecuting officers than on removing criminals from the streets. He has been labeled a “corrupt prosecutor” by those who claim to have done so. respect wishes Family members of crime victims.
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L- Jeremy Silestine R- Jose Garza
Mr. Silestine, who left Mr. Garza’s office in December 2021, about a year after Mr. Garza took office, and started his own business, told Fox News Digital that he had heard the concerns of these families and said, “I would like to thank the victims. He said he aims to “take back power.”
”“It seems like every day there’s a new story about someone being left with a bag and being disrespected by the prosecutor’s office,” Silestine said. The incidents that I see from a domestic violence and sexual assault perspective are very inconsistent with my experience. What I want to do is give that power back to the victim because it’s not designed to protect the rights of the victim.
“I think that’s the job of the prosecutor’s office when we have the evidence to make sure that the case is appropriate and that we’re doing our best. What victims and survivors want is for someone to I think it means being willing to stand up and fight that tough battle. ”
Mr. Silestine, a Texas native and member of the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas, pointed to the fact that he is a “proud Democrat” and believes in progressive reform, but said the tools “are not appropriate. Good can only come from a system if it is used.” ”
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Travis County District Attorney Jose Garza (Travis County DA website)
“What I’m seeing now is that tools are being used in ways that are harmful to the community. So ignoring the crimes that are happening is not the solution. Diminutive sentencing is not the solution. No. I know that because I’ve tried over 75 cases here in Travis County as a jury, and I know how thoughtful and intelligent these juries are, and I know they are I also know that you care about the issues.”
“So when we start taking those decisions away from them, we’re not really getting the feedback that we need to support the system. The juries that come in to hear these cases are the backbone of the whole system. Whether we are or not, if we’re not willing to put those cases in front of them, we’re saying their opinion doesn’t matter, and that’s the wrong way to go about it. “I think that’s exactly what this prosecutor’s office is doing. The residents here in Travis County, and I want to get back to a system that relies on what the residents have to say.”
Silestine gave a specific example of a case in which he claims Garza ignored his duty to protect the people of Austin, in which a homeless man named Hilario Adrian was arrested again after being put back on the streets despite charges of violent assault. said that it was done.reportedly stabbed another homeless man to death.
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Jose Garza, District Attorney of Austin, Texas (Photo by Spencer Selvidge for The Washington Post, via Getty Images)
”“This man was in jail for aggravated assault, and he went to jail because he was suspected of brandishing a golf club and an ax at someone,” Silestine explained. And they failed to do so. They missed the deadline. So by operation of the law he gets a dollar bail and then comes out and commits the murder. I think it needs to be highlighted and talked about because it’s so awful. And, you know, Garza would say, “There were other things to consider.” There really wasn’t. He missed the deadline. He dropped the ball and now there’s a dead man on the other side. ”
”My question for Travis County is: How many more times do we need to hear these stories before we say, “Enough is enough, it’s time for a change.” ”
Garza pointed to the coronavirus pandemic in response to criticism of the current case backlog and recent cases facing his office. Kusan report He cast doubt on the conviction rate figures released by his office. Mr. Silestine said part of the problem was that Mr. Garza had “fired a number of experienced prosecutors,” resulting in a “lack of experience” in his office.
”What we are now seeing is a backlog of more than 7,000 cases, with the same prosecutors tasked with making sure deadlines are met and compliance with the criminal procedures in place. It’s all piling up,” Silesteen explained.
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Austin, Texas (Reuters/Brian Snyder)
“It’s all feeding itself and creating a dangerous situation. But on top of that, there are also other crime victims among those 7,000 cases who are being ignored in the meantime. So that backlog of The problem hasn’t been addressed and it’s taken him three years to do it.”I know there’s been a pandemic, but it’s taken him three years to get it done, but the situation… It’s not getting better. It’s getting worse. So I don’t know how much time he should be given. And I call him on the carpet.” ”
A big issue in Austin that has garnered national headlines is the low morale within the Austin Police Department since it was defunded by the City Council in 2020. tense relationship Garza’s office’s relationship with police stems from his campaign promise to prosecute police officers and the numerous prosecutions he has carried out since his election.
Silestine told FOX News Digital that he is “proud” of his relationship with APD and that the relationship between the prosecutor’s office and police “needs a fundamental remeasurement and recalibration.”
“As I grew up in this system as a prosecutor and as a young lawyer, many of the police officers and detectives who worked on my cases when I was a young lawyer are now in command positions. ,” Silesteen said.
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Demonstrators and Austin Police Department members gather in downtown Austin, Texas, to protest the death of George Floyd on June 4, 2020. (AP)
“So in terms of my relationship with me, the men and women of the force know my brand and they know that I’m not an apologist for APD or law enforcement. There was something wrong done. And they know it.”Jeremy Silesteen will hold them accountable, but they also acknowledge that making these relationships work requires good communication and trust, and that currently I know it’s broken and I know it doesn’t have to be.. ”
Mr. Silestine continued, “Mr. Garza came in and had political eyeballs drawn on the charts on the backs of APD officers. If we did the same thing, we would be promoting it there.” There’s going to be a lot of fuss about what stereotypes we were bringing the case to. ”
Mr. Silestine will face Mr. Garza in the Democratic primary in Austin on March 5th.
Asked on Fox News Digital what his pitch was to undecided voters, Silestine said the district attorney’s office needs “a complete change at the top.”
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George Soros, billionaire and founder of Soros Fund Management LLC, speaks at an event on the second day of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, Tuesday, May 24, 2022. . The annual Davos Celebrity gathering of political leaders and top executives will be held from May 22nd to 26th. (Jason Alden/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
”“A level of incompetence combined with bad policy has created a truly dangerous situation here in Travis County,” Silestine said. “The prosecutor’s office and Jose Garza in particular have made sure that Austin is one of the safest cities in the world. I would say,” he said. That’s true in America, but people don’t feel that way. That’s certainly not what the numbers show. So I think you can point to very specific cases where the prosecutor’s office is simply not doing its job. ”
Silestine said residents “feel ignored and displaced by all the actions of the prosecutor’s office.”
“I tell people it doesn’t have to be that way,” Silestine said. “Having a qualified candidate who knows Travis County and knows Travis County jurors well will allow us to get the job done while maintaining the progressive tradition of the office. I’m not afraid of it.”
”Although we must always keep an open mind about what this system is capable of, what harms need to be repaired, and what wrongs need to be righted. , at the same time, it doesn’t have to come at the expense of public or community safety. “People should feel safe when they go downtown. People should be free to go out into the world without worrying about whether they’re going to get shot on Sixth Avenue, and that’s not the case right now,” Silestine said. there is no.”
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“When friends and family come to visit and say they might go downtown, that’s not a place I’d encourage them to go. There’s a special reason for that. All of this feeds itself. .When we as humans are suffering, when our communities are suffering, when our families are suffering, when our businesses are suffering, it all adds up to a bigger problem. I think it’s part of the mission of the State Attorney’s Office to make sure we don’t ignore safety.”
Fox News Digital reached out to Garza’s office for comment but did not receive a response.
Fox News Digital’s Aubrie Spady contributed to this report
