Our under-incarceration problem, Portland beatdown edition

Marquise Love is the thug who was caught on video viciously assaulting Adam Haner in Portland, Oregon the other day during a “protest.” Love knocked Haner unconscious. Police now have Love in custody.

As is almost always true in publicized cases involving serious felonies, Love has a long rap sheet. In a well-functioning criminal justice system, he would be in prison. In our ultra-lenient system, he was free to cause mayhem.

Love is only 25 years old, but his criminal history dates back to at least 2012. According to this report, he was arrested twice that year. The charges included second-degree theft, criminal trespass, and interfering with public transportation. He pleaded guilty to the latter charge and was sentenced to 18 months probation and a $500 fine. Apparently, the other charges were dismissed.

Two years later, Love was charged with violating his probation. In the same year, 2016, he was convicted for driving without a valid driver’s license and without insurance. A short time later, still in 2016, he was convicted again for the same offenses.

Incredibly, Love was arrested two more times in 2016. One arrest was for providing false information in connection with the transfer of a firearm. The other was for domestic assault and criminal trespass.

Then, in 2017, Love was arrested for domestic assault and domestic harassment. Apparently, he wasn’t prosecuted, but his guilt was obvious enough that a judge signed a protective order against him.

Most recently, Love was convicted in 2019 for failing to appear in court to answer charges of again driving with a suspended or revoked license. Reportedly, Loves owes thousands of dollars in unpaid fines from his various convictions.

As far as I can tell, Love hasn’t served any jail time in spite of his convictions, probation violations, and failure to pay fines.

Through his actions, Love has shown both a propensity for violence and a chronic lack of regard for the law. Yet he was never punished in any meaningful sense. Instead, he remained free to roam the streets and assault the innocent.

Our criminal justice system is far too lenient. Nonetheless, leftists and some conservatives strive to make it even more forgiving.

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