Manhattan D.A. Candidates Vow to Ease Prosecution on Low-Level Offenders

By Hellen Zaboulani

The race for the next Manhattan District Attorney is on. One thing most of the candidates have in common is their position to ease prosecutions for low-level offenses. Even as crime has been on the rise of late, most of the candidates are boasting about how lax they will be, rather than how well they will prosecute.

There is a crowded list of contenders for the position of Cyrus Vance Jr., the current Manhattan DA who served since 2010 and who seems unlikely to pursue another term. As reported by Crain’s NY, the race is shaping up to be among the most progressive campaigns in America. Multiple candidates have vowed not to prosecute low-level crimes such as prostitution, fare-beating and possession of marijuana. Two candidates have said they would stop pursuing gang conspiracy cases. Additionally, at a recent virtual candidate forum, five of the contenders said they support defunding the NYPD. Notably, the next Manhattan DA will also likely have the job of handling the investigation which may prosecute against former President of the United States, Donald Trump.

The Manhattan DA campaign has thus far been most deeply dedicated to racial- and social-justice issues, which made headlines in the country following the deaths of a number of unarmed Black persons at the hands of the police. Manhattan may be poised to join the liberal tide which has already swept up cities such as Los Angeles, San Francisco, Philadelphia and Brooklyn.

As NYC has been experiencing an increasingly blue wave, the June 22 Democratic primary is expected to elect someone who will promise bold reforms. Over the past close to 80 years, the position has only been held by three White men. No Republicans are currently running for the position, so the primary will decide the winner. Incidentally, a Republican has not won the office since Thomas Dewey in 1938.

The only impediment a progressive candidate may face, is the recent rise in crime in NYC. There has been a jump in violent crime in the five boroughs of NYC, with 468 homicides in 2020, the most in a decade. Shootings have doubled over the previous year, as per the NYPD. The first two months of 2021 have seen murders in NY drop marginally, to 47 from 49 compared to the same period last year, but shootings have jumped by an astounding 75 percent. Still, the candidates maintain that there is not a significant connection between rising crime and progressive reforms.