It is refreshing to see government officials across America refuse to participate in all or part of the ongoing coronavirus crackdowns. A new action in this admirable secession from the authoritarianism was taken by Eric Gonzalez, the district attorney for the New York City borough of Brooklyn. Gonzalez has chosen not to prosecute any of the 40 people police have arrested in the borough from March 17 through May 4 for violating social distancing mandates imposed in the name of countering coronavirus.
Watch here a Thursday New York 1 report on Gonzalez’s action and the protests individuals had taken part in to express opposition to the arrest and prosecution of people for social distancing mandate violations.
Gonzales also announced in a Wednesday statement regarding social distancing enforcement that his office “is reviewing allegations of excessive force during recent Brooklyn arrests and will investigate these incidents to determine if disciplinary recommendations or criminal charges are warranted.” Gonzalez further declares in the statement that he recommends “enforcement activity regarding social distancing consists of distributing masks, gloves, sanitizers and other measures to prevent the spread of the virus” and that “arrest under these circumstances should always be the last resort.”
Hopefully, police will heed this message from the district attorney and stop harassing and arresting people for exercising their right to assemble for whatever peaceful purposes they choose.
The Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity is a project of Dr. Paul’s Foundation for Rational Economics and Education (F.R.E.E.), founded in the 1970s as an educational organization. The Institute continues and expands Dr. Paul’s lifetime of public advocacy for a peaceful foreign policy and the protection of civil liberties at home. Visit http://www.ronpaulinstitute.org