RUTHFULLY YOURS

On December 25, 2018, police officer Ronil Singh enjoyed a Christmas dinner in Newman, California. His wife Anamika wanted him to stay home Christmas night with their infant son, but the officer reported for duty because “his community needed him.” In the early morning hours, Singh pulled over a suspected drunk driver.

“Shots fired,” radioed Singh, his last words before dying from gunshot wounds. Shooter Gustavo Perez Arriaga, also known as Paulo Virgen Mendoza, an illegal immigrant, fled the scene with aid from other illegals. Last November Mendoza, who also had gang connections, was sentenced to life in prison.  Three years after the murder, crucial parts of the story may have been forgotten.

Ronil Singh was a legal immigrant from Fiji who came to the United States with the goal of becoming a police officer. Singh achieved his dream and by all accounts the seven-year veteran was a model officer. When he learned that a colleague had never flown on an airplane and never taken a vacation, Singh “literally threw his credit card on my desk and told me to book one. That was the embodiment of Ronil Singh.” His murder never should have happened.

The killer entered the United States illegally and in August, 2011, was arrested for a felony DUI that inflicted an injury. In June of 2014, the illegal was arrested on suspicion of a misdemeanor DUI. Mendoza never showed up for a five-day sentence and in January 2015 skipped a court date. A warrant was issued for his arrest, and in December of 2018, he was still a wanted man.

According to records, Mendoza’s illegal status was never raised in court, and federal immigration authorities had no contact with him before he murdered Ronil Singh. The Mexican was a beneficiary of California’s sanctuary law, under which false-documented illegals, even violent criminals, are a privileged and protected class.

The killer’s brother, Conrado Mendoza, and friend Erik Quiroz Razo, were among a group of seven illegals aiding the flight of Ronil Singh’s murderer. Conrado Mendoza was sentenced to 21 months in prison and Quiroz Razo to 27 months. The authorities reported no aid from illegals in their search for officer Singh’s killer.

Thousands of police officers and community members showed up for Singh’s funeral.

Governor-elect Gavin Newsom was a no-show and failed even to condemn the murder as “gun violence.” One of Newsom’s first acts as governor was to reprieve 737 convicted murderers on California’s death row. These were the worst of the worst, including Luis Bracamontes, who murdered police officers Danny Oliver and Michael Davis in Sacramento in 2014.

Gavin Newsom is a crony of Jerry Brown, who also put the concerns of criminals above those of their victims. Brown’s choice for chief justice of the state supreme court was Rose Bird, who had no judicial experience and overturned every death penalty case before voters gave Bird the boot in 1986.

Last year, when Gov. Newsom declared the state of emergency, he hailed the leadership of Nancy Pelosi, once his aunt by marriage. California Democrats were notably silent during nationwide rioting that claimed at least 25 lives, including retired African American police officer David Dorn, gunned down while protecting a friend’s business.

On November 24, an armed robber gunned down security guard Kevin Nishita, a former San Jose police officer as he protected a camera crew. According to a witness wounded in the attack, the masked shooter told people to get down before firing at Nishita. Gov. Newsom issued no immediate statement on the murder, and was not present at a public memorial service for Nishita. The father of two and grandfather of three had donated his organs and even his skin to a burn victim.

After Bay Area politicians urged him to take action against the crime spree, Newsom’s office issued this statement: “The death of former police officer Kevin Nishita is a tragedy, and the fact that the journalists he was protecting needed a security guard in order to do their jobs safely is a matter of great concern. Every person should be able to go to work without fear of being attacked, especially journalists. Media access to public gatherings is essential for a functioning democracy.”

No word of crime, murder, or gun violence. The victim was Asian, but no mention of a possible racist motive or hate crime. At the time of the statement in early December, police had no suspects, but Newsom issued no pronouncement about bringing the murderer to justice. The Oakland Police Department has offered a reward of $38,500 for information leading to an arrest, but at this writing no word of any such action from the governor’s office.

For California Democrats in general and Gavin Newsom in particular, the concerns of violent criminals override those of their victims. In similar style, the crimes committed by illegals, including the murder of police officers, are of less concern than the prospect that such criminals might be deported.

In California, illegals serve as an imported electorate and new clients for the welfare state bureaucrats. This is the model Democrats want for the entire country. Happy New Year everybody.