Many would agree that even those who break the law deserve a second chance.
But what about the 134th chance?
It seems that Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is fully embracing this revolving-door style of justice.
Or perhaps, he simply hasn’t encountered a criminal he feels merits prosecution.
Regardless, it isn’t surprising that a notorious progressive prosecutor like Bragg discovers that career criminal Harold Gooding continues to wreak havoc in our city, even after racking up an astonishing 134 arrests.
The fact that Bragg was alerted to Gooding’s activities three years ago—when he was featured on the NYPD’s worst repeat offenders list—only amplifies the enormity of the DA’s negligence.
The Gooding case highlights the shortcomings of Bragg’s controversial “heat-relieving” policy, which seems to be harming New Yorkers and pushing businesses to their breaking point, ultimately undermining our quality of life.
Bragg claims his office is tackling the root causes of crime by offering a so-called diversion program for career criminals, but it feels more like he’s circumventing the justice system.
By, well, “lowering the cost of crime,” a term coined by Rafael Manger at the Manhattan Institute, Bragg might as well be inviting more criminal activity in the city.
Criminals in Manhattan clearly don’t fear arrest, as the consequences are minimal, at best.
To echo the sentiments of an NYPD officer, “It’s like juice—every time, it’s worth squeezing.”
Gooding isn’t the only repeat offender walking free under Bragg’s reign—he’s merely the most recent example.
From day one, Bragg announced his intention not to prosecute a range of minor crimes, including shoplifting and fare evasion. Consequently, incidents of jumping turnstiles, shoplifting, and organized retail theft have only increased.
As a result, many businesses across Manhattan have locked their goods behind Plexiglas, and some have even shuttered their doors entirely.
Since Bragg took office, the conviction rates in the borough have notably declined: felony convictions fell from 68% to 51%, while misdemeanor convictions dropped from 51% to a staggering 29%.
In contrast, dismissals and downgrades of charges—changing felonies to misdemeanors—have surged.
Recent statistics show that in 2023, 62% of cases taken on by Bragg’s office were outright dismissed, with over half of felony charges getting reduced to misdemeanors.
This is likely what happened with Gooding’s latest charges.
He faced grand larceny charges this past June—his fourth offense—related to numerous shoplifting incidents.
While grand larceny in the fourth degree is a Class “E” felony, punishable by up to four years in prison, Bragg’s office has downgraded Gooding’s charge to a misdemeanor, allowing him to serve less than eight months.
New York has a “three strikes” law that intensifies penalties for repeat offenders in felony cases, yet no such law exists for misdemeanors.
This ideology can be dangerous; some prosecutors choose which laws to enforce based on personal beliefs.
There’s absolutely no justifiable reason why a habitual offender with 134 prior arrests should face only misdemeanor charges, aside from the fact that Bragg appears unwilling to hold certain criminals accountable.
District Attorneys are not social workers.
They are not activists or reformers.
According to New York State law, the primary role of a District Attorney is to “prosecute all crimes and offenses that the courts of the county in which he is elected” handle.
In that duty, Alvin Bragg has utterly failed the citizens of New York City.
