(NewsReady.com) – Boston, Massachusetts, has repeatedly been named one of the safest big cities in America. That doesn’t mean the city is without crime. However, the liberal mayor is now under fire for once expressing support for the decriminalization of certain offenses.
Before being elected to serve as mayor, Michelle Wu filled out the “2021 Boston Mayoral Candidate Questionnaire.” Progressive Massachusetts, a group that ranks and tracks how progressive candidates are, sponsored the survey.
According to a report by Fox News Digital, Wu filled out the survey and outlined her vision for Boston’s future. The questionnaire asked her if she supported shutting down the Boston Police Department’s gang database, and she said, “Yes.”
The Gang Assessment Database verifies teens as gang members if they score at least 10 points. Law enforcement assigns points based on several factors, including whether a teen is wearing colors that could be associated with a gang or is a victim of gang violence. Wu faced backlash from progressives last year for asking for more funding for the unit that maintains the database.
The progressive questionnaire also asked whether Wu supported the do-not-prosecute list that former Suffolk County District Attorney Rachel Rollins enacted. The progressive DA identified more than a dozen crimes she believed should not be prosecuted. Those charges included driving with a suspended license, shoplifting, destruction of property, and larceny.
Wu responded, “Yes,” to the question. When other big cities have enacted policies like that, it has led to an uptick in thefts. San Francisco has seen many businesses shuttered because city officials won’t allow law enforcement to do their jobs.
The mayor also said that she supported defunding the police by reallocating a portion of the law enforcement budget for other priorities. She also said that the city should publicize police officers’ personnel files. Critics have said that would put law enforcement in danger of retaliation.
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