Chicago City Wire

Chesa Boudin, former District Attorney of San Francisco and Chicago native, joined Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx in a conversation during the showing of “Beyond Bars: It’s a Movement, Not a Moment” last week in Chicago. Both attorneys have been linked with groups advocating for criminal justice reform. 

The film initially premiered on Oct. 25 in San Francisco and is set to be accessible via streaming platforms from Jan. The premiere took place at Film Row Cinema, Columbia College.

“Beyond Bars” features insights into Boudin's life shaped by his parents’ imprisonment during his early childhood, which steered his career path as a public defender and later as the San Francisco District Attorney. The documentary includes views from his biological and adoptive parents.

The Heritage Foundation attributes the dysfunctions involving criminal justice reforms to prosecutors like Boudin and Foxx who were financially backed by billionaire George Soros. According to them, these elected representatives turned their innocuous statements into something different once in power, refusing to prosecute certain categories of crimes, reducing felonies severity, declining bail requests and refraining from prosecuting violent juveniles as adults. This approach led to an increased crime rate in many large cities including Chicago. The Heritage Foundation labeled this approach as dangerous with potential for systematically destroying America’s communities.

In mid-2022 Boudin was recalled by San Francisco residents after serving two-and-a-half years as their progressive prosecutor. The recall focused on issues related to crime control, policing strategy, and public safety reforms. The recall proponents emphasized a desire to prioritize visitors, shoppers and workers in a city heavily reliant on tourism. Boudin, who deemed his detractors to be “Republicans,” was part of a wave of progressive prosecutors elected in 2019, pledged to reduce incarceration, end the war on drugs and hold law enforcement accountable.

However, his legacy was one of rampant criminality leading to notable resignations from his office.

“Chesa Boudin has been unable to properly execute reform or promote public safety and achieve justice,” homicide prosecturo Brooke Jenkins wrote as she resigned from the office.

Data shows crime decreased in the city, particularly in burglaries and larceny, following Boudin’s departure.

Like Boudin, Foxx faced challenges amid surging crime rates leading her to resign at the end of her term instead of fighting a tough re-election campaign. The crime problem in Chicago has been on the rise for several years, critics say, due to Foxx’s lenient prosecution policies as state’s attorney for Cook County. In 2022 alone, there was a drastic increase in different categories of crimes including burglaries, thefts, and auto thefts.

Foxx's policy of not prosecuting shoplifters who steal less than $1,000 worth of goods at a time is blamed for many of these issues. Former Chief of Staff and First Assistant State’s Attorney of Cook County, Dan Kirk criticizes this approach as it sent out an encouraging message to criminals that law compliance is optional.