Stacey Abrams on Crime

	Stacey Abrams on Crime Democratic Gubernatorial Challenger (GA); 2020 Veepstakes contender

$25 million in state grants for police salary raises

[Republican Gov. Brian] Kemp has focused on initiatives cracking down on gang violence and sex trafficking. Both candidates support increased pay for law enforcement. Kemp this year increased state law enforcement pay by $5,000.

If elected, Abrams plans to provide $25 million in state grants to local agencies for salary raises and plans to raise base salary for state patrol, correctional officers and community supervision officers to approximately $50,000 per year. She has discussed plans to develop initiatives to increase law enforcement accountability and accountability.

Source: The Hill on 2022 Georgia Gubernatorial race , Oct 8, 2022

We cannot punish our way into public safety

My intent is to balance public safety and justice. Because doing otherwise has never worked. We cannot punish our way into public safety. But we also have to recognize that there are deep challenges in how law enforcement engages our communities. And that is why I'm pushing both for public safety measures, accountability measures, and criminal justice reform measures. Source: Fox News Sunday on 2022 Georgia Governor race , Jun 26, 2022

Prison gerrymandering: vote where they lived before prison

In almost every state in the country, a perverse mismatch between the population and the voting power occurs when incarcerated are counted in a process known as prison gerrymandering. In all but six states, the incarcerated residents are counted not in their home neighborhoods but in the penal system. This means their communities have no access to the fiscal windfalls that could come from including them.

As the argument goes, prisoners should be counted in the prison beds where they sleep, not in the houses where they lived before imprisonment. The consequence of that decision, however, is that the often struggling, under-resourced, and desperate communities where many of these men and women start never benefit from the investments that could help deter crime and poverty. America's mass incarceration has led to the jailing of thousands of black and Latino bodies from Democrat-led communities that are typically Republican, where most of the penal facilities are located.

Source: Our Time Is Now, by Stacey Abrams, p.178-9 , Jun 9, 2020

In 1992 riots, police treated all young blacks as guilty

[During the Rodney King riots in 1992, in Atlanta], as the police moved into our area of the city to quell the unrest, a strange thing happened. Tear gas rained down on our college quads, vile smoke filling the open spaces. Across the street, similar bombs exploded in the eyes of section 8 housing dwellers. The police only saw congregations of young blacks, and race became a unifying marker of guilt. Watching the news, I heard false reports about why the area was under siege and facile explanations for complex social problems. After seething and talking back to the television set, I called the most offensive station to demand they do a better job of telling the story.

Quickly, I looked up the numbers to all the TV stations. Before the advent of 24/7 news, most people got their sense of what's happening from just four networks. I went up and down the halls of my dorm and organized fellow students to begin calling the TV stations to extend our protest.

Source: Lead from the Outside, by Stacey Abrams, p. 16-18 , Mar 26, 2019

Justice should not be determined by your paycheck

Stacey will focus on reforming bail policies, decriminalizing traffic offenses, increasing training that recognizes implicit bias, and stopping the shameful practices of private probation companies. We must expand reforms to support community policing. However, reform efforts must also recognize that disparities in school funding, health care access, and job opportunities are inextricably related to over-incarceration and prolonged probation sentences. Source: 2018 Georgia Governor website StaceyAbrams.com , Aug 17, 2017

Voted YES on criminalizing "up-skirting"

HB 9: Commonly known as "up skirting," legislation criminalizes knowingly using any device or apparatus to observe, photograph, videotape, film, or record underneath such person's clothing for the purpose of viewing intimate body parts or undergarments without the person's consent. Also unlawful to disseminate any such image or recording. MY VOTE: YES Source: 2018 campaign website on Georgia voting record HB 9 , Mar 30, 2017

Voted NO on 10-year minimum for assaulting a cop

HB 258: Amends the Code regarding the aggravated assault of a peace officer by increasing the minimum sentence to ten years of imprisonment. If the aggravated assault of a peace officer involves the discharge of a firearm, none of the mandatory minimum sentence can be probated, stayed, suspended, deferred or withheld.

MY VOTE: NO. I disagree with the increase of mandatory minimums and the lack of discretion available to judges to fully determine if extenuating circumstances are present.

Source: 2018 campaign website on Georgia voting record HB 258 , Mar 30, 2017

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*Other governors on Crime:*			*Stacey Abrams on other issues:*
*GA Gubernatorial:* David Perdue Kandiss Taylor Shane Hazel Vernon Jones *GA Senatorial:* Allen Buckley David Perdue Derrick Grayson Doug Collins Ed Tarver Gary Black Herschel Walker Jason Carter Johnny Isakson Jon Ossoff Kelly Loeffler Latham Saddler Matt Lieberman Raphael Warnock Shane Hazel Ted Terry Teresa Tomlinson Tom Price Valencia Stovall	*Gubernatorial Debates 2023:* KY: Incumbent Andy Beshear(D) vs.State A.G. Daniel Cameron(R) vs.Ambassador Kelly Craft(R) vs.State Auditor Mike Harmon(R) LA: Incumbent John Bel Edwards(D,term-limited) vs.Jeff Landry(R) vs.Shawn Wilson(D) vs.John Schroder(R) vs.Sharon Hewitt(R) MS: Incumbent Tate Reeves(R) vs.Bill Waller(R,withdrew) vs.Brandon Presley(D) *Gubernatorial Debates 2024:* DE: Gov. John Carney (D, term-limited); vs. Lt. Gov. Bethany Hall-Long (D) vs. County Exec. Matt Meyer (D) vs. State Rep.Mike Ramone (R) IN: Gov. Eric Holcomb (R, term-limited); vs. Sen. Mike Braun (R) vs. Suzanne Crouch (R, lost May 7 primary) vs. Eric Doden (R, lost May 7 primary) vs. Attorney General Curtis Hill (R, lost May 7 primary) vs. Jennifer McCormick (D) MO: Gov. Mike Parson (R, term-limited): vs. Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft (R) vs. State Senator Bill Eigel (R) vs. Lt.Gov. Mike Kehoe (R) vs. House Minority Leader Crystal Quade (D) MT: Gov. Greg Gianforte (R) vs. Ryan Busse (D) vs. State Rep. Tanner Smith (R, lost June 4 primary)	*Gubernatorial Debates 2024 (continued):* NC: Gov. Roy Cooper (D, term-limited); vs. Lt.Gov. Mark Robinson (R) vs. Attorney General Josh Stein (D) vs. Treasurer Dale Folwell (R, lost March 5 primary) vs. Justice Michael Morgan (D, lost March 5 primary) vs. State Senator Andy Wells (R,withdrew) vs. Rep.Mark Walker (R, withdrew) ND: Gov. Doug Burgum (R, retiring) vs. State Rep. Rick Becker (R) vs. U.S.Rep. Kelly Armstrong (R) vs. State Sen.Merrill Piepkorn (D) NH: Gov. Chris Sununu (R, retiring) vs. U.S.Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R) vs. Mayor Joyce Craig (D) vs. Acting Gov.Chuck Morse (R) vs. Exec.Councilor Cinde Warmington (D) UT: Gov. Spencer Cox (R) vs. State Rep. Phil Lyman (R) vs. Minority Leader Brian King (D) VT: Gov. Phil Scott (R) vs. Lt.Gov.David Zuckerman (D, withdrew) vs. Selectman Peter Duval (D) vs. Commissioner Esther Charlestin (D) WA: Gov. Jay Inslee (D, retiring); vs. Attorney General Bob Ferguson (D) vs. U.S.Rep.Dave Reichert (R) vs. State Sen. Mark Mullet (D) vs. County Chair Semi Bird (R) vs. Hilary Franz (D, withdrew to run for U.S.Rep.) WV: Gov. Jim Justice (R, term-limited) vs. WV Attorney General Patrick Morrisey (R) vs. Huntington Mayor Steve Williams (D) vs. WV State Auditor JB McCuskey (R, withdrew) vs. WV Secretary of State Mac Warner (R, lost May 14 primary) vs. State Del. Moore Capito (R, lost May 14 primary)	Abortion Budget/Economy Civil Rights Corporations Crime Drugs Education Energy/Oil Environment Families/Children Foreign Policy Free Trade Govt. Reform Gun Control Health Care Homeland Security Immigration Infrastructure/Technology Jobs Local Issues Principles/Values Social Security Tax Reform War/Iraq/Mideast Welfare/Poverty [Title9]