Blame New York’s progressive leaders for the horrific filmed homicide of a 14-year-old boy on a Bronx playground this week.
Late Tuesday, a mob of teenagers jumped ninth-grader Angel Mendoza on the Williamsbridge Oval Playground — pistol-whipping, beating and stabbing him to loss of life whereas they recorded the stomach-churning ordeal on a cellphone digital camera.
Angel was hanging out with a boy who’d been concerned in a earlier struggle with the group, and the sadistic teenagers killed him only for being within the unsuitable place on the unsuitable time.
His stomach-churning loss of life is an particularly brutal one, however removed from distinctive.
These tales of teen-on-teen violence have grown all too frequent, spurred on by a slew of braindead lefty insurance policies that encourage kids to interrupt the legislation.
The Elevate the Age legislation, which moved the age of prison duty as much as 18, has despatched the speed of stripling crime skyrocketing: The variety of minors busted with a firearm jumped 136% between 2018, when the legislation kicked in, and 2024.
The variety of juvenile gun victims has additionally ballooned — up 81%.
Once you take away the implications for committing a criminal offense, crime goes up.
Think about that!
As a substitute of studying from this error, Gov. Kathy Hochul doubled-down, signing “Elevate the Decrease Age” in 2022, which made it unattainable to cost offenders between ages 7 and 11 as “juvenile delinquents.”
All this has inspired gangs to recruit youthful and youthful youngsters to do their soiled work, figuring out that even when the youth will get caught, he (or she) will get away with lower than a slap on the wrist.
Continual absenteeism, which spiked after COVID lockdowns saved youngsters out of colleges, has added to this nightmare: Extra youngsters skipping class means extra youngsters on the streets, searching for one thing to do — which far too usually means moving into hassle.
Angel had no prior prison report, however (per his grieving father) had began reducing class and hanging with the unsuitable crowd — which have a tendency to go hand in hand — in Might.
As a substitute of getting critical about getting youngsters again into lecture rooms, the State Schooling Division has determined to easily cease reporting power absenteeism.
Angel’s under-18 killers received’t be shielded by Elevate the Age; their costs are critical sufficient that they’ll be tried in grownup court docket as “juvenile offenders.”
However the legislation has enabled a tradition of consequence-free crime for minors.
Gotham’s streets are actually full of directionless, bored teenagers who’ve realized that they’re mainly above the legislation — proper up till they kill somebody.
Progressives who faux this protects youngsters have as an alternative upped the percentages that younger folks change into criminals, victims — or each.
Till New York restores actual consequence for teenagers’ unhealthy conduct, teenagers like Angel Mendoza will hold paying the worth.
