Crime has surged in many big American cities, and one reason is the rise of progressive prosecutors who refuse to enforce criminal laws. San Francisco voters have a chance to send a national message on June 7 when they decide whether to recall district attorney Chesa Boudin.
“We have a long way to go to decriminalize poverty and homelessness,” Mr. Boudin said as he campaigned for the job in 2019. He vowed “not to prosecute cases involving quality-of-life crimes” such as homeless camps in the streets, prostitution, obstructing sidewalks or public urination. Ending cash bail was among his first official acts, and the district attorney’s website shows a sharp reduction in felony prosecutions in Mr. Boudin’s tenure.
