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A San Francisco crime victim is celebrating the successful Tuesday recall of progressive District Attorney Chesa Boudin stemming from backlash over his policies that, some argued, contributed to a massive increase in crime rates across the city.
In an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital, John Marble detailed the treatment he said he received from Boudin’s office following the alleged crimes perpetrated against him, and expressed gratitude to the voters of San Francisco for opting to make a change.
“I’m not ashamed to admit that I cried last night,” Marble said, describing the emotion he felt as he watched the election results being reported. “I think for me, and a lot of victims, it was a feeling of validation, that the things we went through, not only in the crimes we experienced, but in the treatment from the district attorney’s office, were real.”
“And I was just so extremely grateful that voters felt that as well,” he added.
San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin ponders a reporter’s question at his recall campaign headquarters in San Francisco on May 26, 2022. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg | AP Photo/Haven Daley)
Marble, a neurodiversity and autism employment expert who previously worked as a White House staffer in the Obama administration and subsequently on Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign, detailed parts of his experience of domestic abuse in an opinion piece for the San Francisco Chronicle last week, but told Fox that he was poorly treated by Boudin’s office as a witness.
“Throughout nearly two years of interacting with the DA, the considerations were always on the person being prosecuted and not on the safety of the victim,” he said. “I was constantly told that it would be better for the DA’s case load if I forgot things and forgot prosecution and simply moved.”
Marble explained that his decision to ultimately support the recall came as a result of the “wrongdoing” he said he experienced when Boudin’s office denied him “reasonable accommodation as a witness,” as well as rights he was entitled to as a victim under California’s Marsy’s Law, or the state’s Victims’ Bill of Rights.
He specifically cited his denial of safe housing by the Victim Services Division of San Francisco, part of Boudin’s office, and said that when he raised questions with prosecutors over such treatment, they threatened to drop all charges against his abuser in an attempt to “intimidate” him.
In this Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2019, photo, San Francisco District Attorney candidate Chesa Boudin pauses during his speech at an election night event at SOMA StrEat Food Park in San Francisco. (Scott Strazzante/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)
OUSTING CHESA BOUDIN, SAN FRANCISCO’S PROGRESSIVE DA, IS ‘BITTERSWEET,’ RECALL ACTIVIST SAYS
Marble said he made a complaint anyway, that the charges against his abuser were subsequently dropped, and that he was forced to flee his home over fear for his life.
He explained that he was then able to find accommodation in a hotel thanks to a crowdfunding effort.
Chesa Boudin speaks to a crowd of supporters at his recall election party in San Francisco. (Fox News)
Marble stated that, as a Democrat, he was “hesitant” to openly support Boudin’s recall because he had friends who worked for him, but “thankful” Democrats were the ones leading the effort.
He expressed hope following the recall that more attention would be paid to the actions of the DA’s office and that it would lead to more accountability.
“If we want to make progress, we’ve actually got to do the work in making that progress,” Marble said. “You can believe in criminal justice reform, but you have to marry it with reality and public safety.”
“I think we had a district attorney that was insulated by his privilege that cut him from what San Franciscans were facing,” he added.
San Francisco Mayor London Breed speaks during a news conference at the future site of a Transitional Age Youth Navigation Center on January 15, 2020 in San Francisco, California. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
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Fox News reached out to Boudin’s office for comment but had not received a response at publishing time.
Boudin will remain district attorney until 10 days after the election results are accepted by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. Mayor London breed will then be responsible for appointing Boudin’s replacement until an election to replace him is held in November.
