Attorney general’s race helps crime victims find their voice

In a crowded classroom in High Point, Kelly Weeks describes the worst day of her life. April 29, 2024, her husband, Deputy US Marshal Tommy Weeks, was one of the four law enforcement officers killed in a Charlotte shooting while serving a warrant. Five other officers were wounded in the ambush that day. Weeks joined Republican Congressman Dan Bishop on his crime and public-safety listening tour, having been attracted to his “back the blue” messaging in his race for state attorney general.  

Yet Weeks’ message is far from political. She is worried about a culture that is coddling criminals and losing respect for law enforcement.

“It was a horrific day. That man should not have been on the street,” Weeks said. “This tragedy was the result of someone who did not have any regard for human life.” 

While Weeks and her family have been embraced by the law enforcement community across the country, along with neighbors and friends, she also described the cultural rot she has seen, as some openly celebrate the murder of law enforcement officers.

“We got letters from people telling us they are going to throw a BBQ to celebrate the person who took my husband’s life,” said Weeks. “That is the kind of audacity people have, to find us as widows, because they feel embolden and empowered.”

Bishop says people in North Carolina no longer feel safe for a reason, violent crime is up in North Carolina.

“Since 2018 rapes are up 34% and murders are up 46%,” said Bishop. “Woke crime policies like defund the police, catch and release, cashless bail, and open borders are the cause of this surge in crime and lawlessness. These woke policies elevate the rights of criminals above the rights of victims.”

Democrat Jeff Jackson and Republican Dan Bishop are entering the final sprint of the North Carolina attorney general race.

Each is a current member of the US House representing part of the Charlotte region. Both are former state senators.

If Bishop wins, he would be the first Republican candidate to win the attorney general seat in North Carolina in 128 years.

While Bishop is focusing on combating rising crime in North Carolina, Jackson is taking a broader view of the attorney general’s office.

Jackson is traveling across the state, pledging to tackle the fentanyl epidemic, support higher wages for law enforcement, defend consumers from fraud and scammers, and stand up to political corruption. Little of his campaign website is focused on the specifics of the attorney general’s role and is more focused on his past efforts on climate change, gay rights, and fighting poverty.

Jackson also supports starting a new cold-case unit at the attorney general’s office.

The race is expected to top $25 million in combined spending, making it the most expensive attorney general’s race in state history and one of the most expensive state AG’s races ever.

Crime victims come in all shapes and sizes. Rising crime impacts white and black, rich and poor, man and woman, Republican and Democrat.

And yet this high-profile race has allowed many to stand up and be heard on a criminal justice and policing system they believe is failing law-abiding citizens.

A gunman who killed two UNC-Charlotte students and wounded four in a mass shooting in April of 2019 was offered a plea deal sparing him the death penalty, a decision that still angers Julie Parlier, the mother of 19-year-old Reed who was killed in the shooting.

“The shooter wanted to spend his life in prison,” said Parlier. “DA’s, judges, and police need to take into consideration the victims families. We are forever left with a void without our son, and anger at the outcome of the convicted killer.”

Annette Albright, a former school administrator was attacked by a group of students at a Charlotte school. She is now using the AG’s race to make a plea to make schools safer.

“I do carry my passion for improving school safety, for not only the educators and students, but anybody that walks on campus,” Albright said.

Clydia Davis’ son, Donqwavias Davis, better known to her as “Quay,” was killed in May of 2019 in Charlotte. She has been busy traveling the state and speaking out about weak bail polices and the risks of being too lenient with violent criminals. At the same time, she has been organizing families victimized by crime to speak out politically and civically.

“It’s important that people who have had their lives forever changed speak out on these issues and advocate for change,” Davis said.

Davis and others say the crime issue is here to stay because for them, once you lose a loved one, it never goes away. They are now organizing and standing together to be heard now and in the future no matter who is elected.