Crime has always been a great danger to the survival and success of any healthy society, and what makes crime even worse is “soft-on-crime” judges. Such judges are dangerous, and they have ruled in our state for too many years. The consequences can be deadly.
Consider a recent story. Seattle’s notorious soft-on-crime Judge Veronica Galván released Millorz J. Canales, a 17-year-old member of the Norteno gang. Canales has a long history of crimes. Recently, he was arrested November 15th, 2024 regarding an alleged armed robbery. But Judge Galván released him just two weeks later, on December 2nd, despite objections from the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office who petitioned the judge to hold Canales in secured detention awaiting trial. (Pictures below of Judge Galván and Canales courtesy of The Post Millennial.)
And then, on December 17th – just two weeks after Judge Galván released him – he allegedly committed a brutal and savage crime.
Police and news reports tell us that Canales and a fellow gang member lured a 14-year-old boy, known as a rival gang member, to Lions Park in Everett. FPIW visited the scene of the crime, and our pictures are below. The park itself was specifically designed for the innocent play of children with a nice playground and open grass to run. It is well cared for, but it is now the location of one of the most well-known local crimes in modern years. Note the gang graffiti on the fence right across from the park, right after the “Children at Play” sign.
This area in Everett was once family friendly, as an author of this article knows first-hand. But in the last decade or more, this area at large has become infested with dangerous gangs, drugs, godlessness, and the decline of the family. It is now commonly known as the infamous “Casino Road”.
What happened next is horrific, and we caution the reader to use discretion.
Wearing ski masks, Canales and his cohort grabbed the 14-year-old from behind and forced him into a wooded area, per the police report. They held him at gunpoint and tortured him for 20 minutes, deforming his face with beatings. MyNorthwest News reports: “The victim was stripped nude, tied to a tree, disemboweled, stabbed eight times, carved with the gang-related symbol ‘N,’ and left to die, according to the Snohomish County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office (SCPAO). But the victim survived and escaped to a nearby home to ask for help.” He came to the house wearing only socks, was covered in blood, and struggling to breathe.
The suspects have been arrested, and charged with first-degree assault, first-degree robbery, and first-degree kidnapping. For more, see the KOMO News video and pictures here, the FOX13 story here, and the Post Millennial’s story here.
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This event would never would have happened if Canales had stayed in jail for his initial crime of alleged armed robbery. Judge Galván overlooked the common good in her politically-motivated ruling that put a dangerous criminal back on the streets.
A Facebook post from 2017 reveals Judge Galván considers herself part of the “resistance,” which often results in her letting dangerous criminals off the hook in an attempt to rectify the alleged “oppression” of minorities in the justice system. She is well-known as a radical, activist judge. “What does resistance look like when you wear a black robe?” she asks. “I recognize that the institution I work for never expected me to occupy this space. But I shall occupy it by acknowledging my privilege and recognizing the institution I love has been complicit in perpetuating oppression.”
But past injustices are not rectified by creating present injustices, and as political commentator Jason Rantz notes: “Resistance, however, actually looks like left-wing judges releasing dangerous suspects regardless of the threat they pose to the community.”
This disastrous and avoidable incident illustrates the need to oppose legislation that gives more power to woke judges who are lenient on dangerous criminals, contributing to the rising crime epidemic in Washington.
Washington State House Bill 1125, the “Judicial Discretion Act,” proposes amendments to the state’s sentencing laws. The bill would give liberal judges more authority to modify lengthy sentences for dangerous inmates. Washingtonians have witnessed how well the Democrat’s “soft-on-crime” approach has worked over the past several years. Rather than admit their tragic errors, they continue to push for more leniency.
“At a time when criminals are running wild across Washington state, House Democrats have introduced a bill (HB 1125) that would allow judges to release inmates early back onto our streets,” Washington State House Republicans wrote on X. “Enough is enough. We need to hold criminals accountable. We need to hire more police officers. We need to make our streets safe.” (You can track all bills in the WA House and Senate on our website: FPIWAction.org.)
The judicial system is essentially about proper punishment for crimes. “Let the punishment fit the crime.” That’s the basic role of a judge. But for those judges who fail us, it’s time to bring the gavel down. It’s time they be held accountable for failing to do their jobs. If deserved, it’s time they be disbarred; and if they will not put criminals behind bars, it’s time they be served justice and put behind bars themselves.
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