On November 21, 2024, we Celebrating the 3rd anniversary of Waukesha Christmas parade attackAs the Waukesha community recovers from the violence that occurred that day, it is a resilient community that continues to persevere. While we need to take time to mourn those who have been lost, we must also focus on preventing a similar attack from happening again. That starts with fixing the radical left-wing bail policies that allow dangerous criminals back onto our streets, where they may commit more crimes.
As you know, the perpetrator of the attack on the Waukesha Christmas parade A long history of violent crime dating back to 1999In just the year before the Christmas parade attack, he Charged with shooting at relative adultery with a relative's friend during an argument, contempt of court and violation of court orders in a child support case. Domestic Violence in Georgiaand less than three weeks after the Waukesha attack, He punched and ran over a woman By car.
On this last offense, he was released on just $1,000 bail, the amount set by Milwaukee District Attorney John Chisholm, who is in charge of bail recommendations. He later admitted it was “inappropriately low.”.”
Unfortunately, the far-left approach to prosecution and bail has had deadly consequences in other parts of the country, where groups like the Bail Project and the Minnesota Freedom Fund aggressively “crowdsource” bail payments with little or no consideration for the criminal histories of those they are putting back on the streets. The Minnesota Freedom Fund: Notable criminals, including George Howarda man who was charged with domestic violence. Two weeks after bail was posted, Howard was indicted on second-degree murder charges in a road rage incident. Another Minnesota Freedom Fund beneficiary Shawn Michael Tillmanrescued After being arrested Three weeks after his arrest on a public indecency charge, Tillman Man killed at light rail stationHe was convicted and is currently serving a life sentence.
A 2023 analysis by CNN found that At least 65 defendants have been released on bail by the Minnesota Freedom Fund. “They were awaiting trial on serious charges including violence, physical intimidation and sexual offences. All were convicted.” So it was not surprising that in 2020, the organisation's then-interim executive director frankly and irreverently admitted that the organisation did not check the charges against individuals it released on bail.
To make matters worse, these organizations are blindly supported by liberal politicians, such as then-Senator Kamala Harris (D-Calif.): He tweeted a call for donations. Her supporters have been specifically instructed to donate to the Minnesota Freedom Fund. With such high-level support within government, it is no surprise that there is little transparency or oversight of the fund itself.
In many areas, these bail funds operate in the shadows without federal or state regulation. However, some states, including Indiana, Georgia and Texas, have taken steps to regulate or ban bail funds, providing greater accountability and protection for the public. State regulation is a first step, but more needs to be done to address the conduct of bail funds.
So I Laws to get violent criminals off the streetsProtecting our community by defining bail bonds as insurance products. This simple change makes bail bonds entities liable under federal insurance fraud statutes and subject to the same background check requirements as entities subject to federal insurance fraud statutes. Comprehensive Crime Control LawAdditionally, the reforms would bring charitable bail funds under state insurance regulation, introducing a much-needed layer of oversight to ensure that the people these organizations release on bail are not violent criminals who pose a threat to our communities.
It also ensures that the source of funds is legitimate. new york He has long been skeptical of anonymous crowdsourcing of bail donations, hiding the true source of the funds. One scholar states:Crowdsourcing “creates an easy way to legitimize funds that would otherwise be rejected by the courts because they are likely the proceeds of criminal activity.”
Bills that get violent criminals off our streets are the protections our communities desperately need and ensure our legal system prioritizes safety and accountability over dangerous ideological experiments. We need policies that protect the vulnerable, not empower the violent. Through this bill and other commonsense reforms to our bail system, we can restore balance, protect our communities, and ensure justice serves its true purpose.
Scott Fitzgerald represents Wisconsin's 5th Congressional District and serves on the Judiciary Committee.
