It IS TIME FOR VICTIMS TO TAKE CHARGE AGAIN!!
Blog Post #1– California Victim’s Voice
This is an invitation to read a new blog – California Victim’s Voice.
I am Jack Reilley. I am a homicide survivor. My 23 year old daughter was murdered by a stranger on a Community College parking lot in 1986. After 32 years – to 2018 – the murderer was finally tried and
sentenced to five consecutive death sentences for five murders of young California women. To assuage the trauma of murder, my wife, Genelle (deceased), and I joined victim rights groups; supported victims, especially grieving new victims; fighting for our personal campus crime prevention agenda; and
participating in victims’ honorable and successful campaigns against crime.
California victims and survivors of crime are under attack for several years now beginning with AB-109,
Propositions 47, 57 & 36 plus pro- criminal legislation and judicial decisions in support of these new laws. Powerful anti-victim, pro-criminal organizations funded by wealthy individuals, charities &
foundations (i.e., Californians for Safety and Justice (CSJ) funded by George Soros money) are determined to destroy the victim’s hard work of 35+ years by weakening criminal justice by: dumbing-
down felonies to misdemeanors; severe weakening of sentencing and parole guidelines; undermining 3-Strikes and more. Their goal is fast release of inmates from prison including dangerous, violent and
career criminals – all effort is made to eliminate, water down, and change the tough criminal justice laws supported by California crime victims and survivors and by the majority of voters in the past.
The primary tools used by CSJ are: a state organization with professional management, marketing and campaign staffs; financial support to fund their organization and its efforts; money to spread around to
interest groups, seminars, fund ballot Propositions, lobby legislatures, political contributions, influence
academia and law enforcement, and, support pro-criminal interest groups such as ACLU and the defense
bar.
So, how can we fight back? The public is becoming nervous again about crime, voters are questioning
their support of all the recent pro-criminal Propositions and new laws. The pendulum is swinging back to rational criminal justice law that ends the attacks on public safety, ends releasing dangerous and career criminals and re-establishes a criminal justice system that protects society.
The greatest asset that victims have is the power to communicate, educate and influence the public.
Since 1980, over five million of the most violent crimes have been committed in California. Each crime has a victim supported by at least 10 family and friends behind them. Victims have the power of the
pen, the ink and paper – and a loud voice – to make our individual opinions known to our political and civic leaders, organizations, law enforcement and media. Victims and survivors are not alone, we can be a powerful COMMITTEE OF CORRESPONDENCE!
Politicians, editors and others believe each single mailed letter has 50 people behind it with the same
opinions but have not spoken up. Now is the time to act. Only victims have the moral power to create a Victim’s Voice. Victims must help each other, join and support victims’ movement organizations,
comfort new victims and cooperatively and individually work for criminal justice for our society.
Jack Reilley May 2, 2019