来源：《华尔街日报》
原文见刊日期：2022年6月1日
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.
美国许多大城市的犯罪率激增，其中一个原因是拒绝执行刑法的进步检察官的崛起。6月7日，当旧金山选民决定是否罢免地方检察官切萨·布丁时，他们有机会向全美传递一个信息。
“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. The district attorney’s website shows a sharp reduction in felony prosecutions in Mr. Boudin’s tenure.
“要使贫困和无家可归去罪化，我们还有很长的路要走，”布丁在2019年竞选该职位时说。他誓言“不起诉涉及生活质量的犯罪”，如街头流浪者营地、卖淫、阻塞步行道或在公共场所小便。地方检察官的网站显示，在布丁任内，重罪起诉大幅减少。
How’s that working out? In 2021 homicides in San Francisco were up 36% compared to 2019. Last year 222 people were wounded or killed by gun violence in the city, compared to 137 in 2019. Motor vehicle theft is up 36% in 2021 compared to 2019. The official property crime numbers are likely low, as some victims no longer bother to report crimes they know won’t be investigated or punished.
结果如何？2021年，旧金山的杀人案比2019年增加了36%。去年，该市有222人在枪支暴力中受伤或死亡，而2019年为137人。与2019年相比，2021年机动车盗窃案增加了36%。官方公布的财产犯罪数字可能较低，因为一些受害者不再费心报告他们知道不会被调查或处罚的犯罪。
Homelessness and drug use are rampant on San Francisco streets. Shoplifting of less than $950 in goods is a mere misdemeanor across California, and Walgreens said last year that it spent 46 times the chain average on security at its San Francisco shops. Retail theft nevertheless drove five Walgreens locations out of business in the city last October.
旧金山街头无家可归和吸毒现象猖獗。在整个加州，偷窃低于950美元的商品只是一种轻罪，沃尔格林(Walgreens)去年表示，其在旧金山门店的安保支出是这家连锁店平均水平的46倍。去年10月，零售盗窃导致该市五家沃尔格林门店倒闭。
The crime and disorder prompted San Francisco Mayor London Breed to come out late last year in favor of more police funding and a crackdown on open-air drug dealing. That was a major change for the mayor who wanted to cut the police budget. But Ms. Breed hasn’t taken a position on the recall.
犯罪和骚乱促使旧金山市长伦敦·布雷德于去年晚些时候公开表示支持增加警方资金，并打击露天毒品交易。对于原本想削减警察预算的市长来说，这是一个重大变化。但布莱德女士还没有就罢免一事表态。
A May Public Policy Polling survey found that voters favor the recall 48% to 38%. Another mid-May survey by the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce found that 66% had an unfavorable opinion of the district attorney, and 67% supported the recall.
5月的一项公共政策民意调查发现，48%的选民支持罢免，38%的选民反对罢免。旧金山商会在5月中旬进行的另一项调查发现，66%的人对地方检察官持不利态度，67%的人支持罢免。
The poll also reported that three-fourths or more said it is a high priority to enforce laws against open-air drug dealing, send more police to high-crime areas, and provide “court-ordered treatment for those who are unable to care for themselves due to severe mental illness.” It’s notable that this is now the growing consensus even in progressive San Francisco.
调查还显示，四分之三或更多的人表示，执法打击露天毒品交易、向犯罪率高的地区派遣更多的警察、以及“为那些因严重精神疾病而无法照顾自己的人提供法院强制的治疗”是当务之急。值得注意的是，即使在进步的旧金山，这也是越来越多的人的共识。
Residents of the city have been voting by leaving. Census data show a 6.7% population decline for San Francisco County between April 2020 and July 2021. The San Francisco Chamber of Commerce found that 45% of respondents said they were likely to leave the city in the next few years. One-fourth said crime was the primary reason.
这座城市的居民用脚投票。人口普查数据显示，2020年4月至2021年7月期间，旧金山县人口下降了6.7%。旧金山商会发现，45%的受访者表示，他们可能会在未来几年离开旧金山。四分之一的人说犯罪是主要原因。
Mr. Boudin and California’s political class will conclude from a recall failure that they don’t need to change policies. A recall success won’t by itself clean up San Francisco’s criminal streets, but it would be a good start.
如果罢免失败，布丁先生和加州的政治阶层将从中得出结论，他们不需要改变政策。即使罢免成功也不能肃清旧金山的犯罪街道，但这将是一个良好的开端。