ECDC member Mister Phillips is sponsoring a resolution to alter penalties for non-reporting of crimes against children. At its Oct 22 meeting, the ECDC Board agreed to co-sponsor the resolution at the CDP meeting on Nov 19.
Mister described his motivation for introducing the resolution: “I drafted the resolution in response to the 2009 gang rape at Richmond High School. It upset me that witnesses would not report the crime to the police. It also upset me that the law did not require witnesses to report the crime to the police, because the victim was 16 years old. In my opinion, 16- and 17-year-olds are children. I think the law should protect 16- and 17-year-olds too.”
The text of the resolution follows:
REPORTING OF CRIMES AGAINST CHILDREN
WHEREAS, existing state law mandates that any person who reasonably believes that he or she has observed the commission of a murder, rape, or lewd or lascivious act where the victim is a child under the age of 14 years shall notify a peace officer, but does not mandate that any person who reasonably believes that he or she has observed the commission of a murder, rape, or lewd or lascivious act where the victim is a child over the age of 14 years shall notify a peace officer; and
WHEREAS, murder, rape, and lewd or lascivious acts are also committed against children over the age of 14 years, and the reporting of murder, rape, and lewd or lascivious acts committed against children over the age of 14 years is just as important as the reporting of murder, rape, and lewd or lascivious acts committed against children under the age of 14 years; and
WHEREAS, the expansion of existing state law to mandate that any person who reasonably believes that he or she has observed the commission of a murder, rape, or lewd or lascivious act where the victim is a child under the age of 18 years shall notify a peace officer would necessarily reduce the incidence of murder, rape, and lewd or lascivious acts committed against all children, including children over the age of 14 years;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, the California Democratic Party calls on Governor Jerry Brown and the California State Legislature to expand existing state law to mandate that any person who reasonably believes that he or she has observed the commission of a murder, rape, or lewd or lascivious act where the victim is a child under the age of 18 years shall notify a peace officer; and
THEREFORE BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, the California Democratic Party shall send copies of this resolution to Governor Brown and every member of the California State Legislature to encourage them to expand existing state law, as stated above, so that every child, regardless of age, is protected from murder, rape, and lewd or lascivious acts.
Authored by Mister Phillips; Co-sponsors: CDP African American Caucus; CDP Region 2; Democratic Party of Contra Costa County; Lawson C. Stuart, Chairman, CDP Veteran’s Caucus; Nadine Peyrucain, AD 14