Virginia Democrats are encouraging violence against police officers. Democrats in the state senate just passed a bill that reduces the penalty for assaulting a police officer down from a felony to a misdemeanor. The bill also provides that such a crime must result in bodily injury to the police officer and can no longer be committed as a simple assault.
If they can't defund the police, Democrats are hoping violence will do the trick. Democrat lawmakers passed a bill on Thursday allowing judges and juries in Virginia to reduce the charge for assaulting law enforcement officers down to a misdemeanor. The move comes as cops face an unprecedented wave of violence from Antifa, Black Lives Matter rioters and other left-wing agitators.
Sen. Scott Surovell (D-Fairfax) introduced the bill eliminating the mandatory minimum sentence of six months for assault and battery against a police officer, a correctional officer, a firefighter, a judge or magistrate.
Besides making violence against first responders less costly for criminals, the bill makes it more difficult for first responders to do their jobs and for police departments to recruit and retain officers. Police departments are already suffering from low morale amid the unprecedented attacks against police and their profession.
Senate Democratic Caucus Chair Mamie E. Locke (D-Hampton) called for the legislation to become law immediately so that protesters out on the streets can attack police officers without having to serve the current minimum sentence.
"Now is not the time for never, we’re dealing with now," Locke said.
As Democratic politicians vote to defund and dismantle police departments, reduce the penalty for assaulting cops and normalize the nightly violence directed at officers across the country, the Democratic Party is pretending the words "defund the police" mean something else and their attacks on the police are less sinister.
The bill now heads to the House of Delegates, where Democrats, unfortunately, hold a 10-seat majority.