Two teenagers were shot near the Governor's Mansion, prompting Albany's mayor to declare the city in crisis due to gun violence. This incident comes months after the ousting of District Attorney David Soares, who attributed the rise in teen gun violence to criminal justice reforms such as Raise the Age. Soares' critiques angered local Democratic leaders, leading to his replacement. Despite the changes, youth gun violence persists in Albany, raising concerns about public safety and the effectiveness of current laws.
Because Soares kept speaking up on how Raise the Age and other state 'reforms' had spiked teen gun violence, Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan led local Democrats to endorse (and then elect) a rival candidate last year.
They preferred to silence the messenger rather than fix the flawed reforms that Soares warned had 'normalized' youth violence.
His most trenchant question continues to reverberate: 'At what number will the body count be enough to prompt action?'
Gov. Kathy Hochul this year is trying to fix one botched reform, the 2019 'discovery' rules that have forced the dismissal of thousands of criminal cases because of unworkable deadlines for prosecutors and other flaws.
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