As he looks ahead to his eventual trial on New York State charges brought earlier this year by Manhattan D.A. Alvin Bragg, former President Donald Trump's credibility as compared to that of the far-left prosecutor looks more impressive by the day, with the latter continuing to, as commentator Seth Barron writes for the New York Post, coddle criminals and arrest cops.

Barron, who is the managing editor of The American Mind as well as author of the book The Last Days of New York, explains in an opinion piece for the outlet how Bragg's approach to crime – and those who commit it – is emboldening lawlessness and penalizing those who would thwart it.

Prosecution proves the point

In Barron's estimation, prime evidence of the fact that “public disorder in New York City is a protected activity and official efforts to contain it will be treated with harsh sanction” can be seen in an indictment recently issued by Bragg.

The case at issue began to unfold back in October of 2021, when NYPD officers were called to the Apple Store on the city's upper west side due to an unruly individual causing trouble on the premises.

After lengthy back-and-forth with the problematic individual, Officer Salvatore Provenzano was attempting to lead the man out of the shop, when he managed to break free in an “aggressive” manner, prompting the officer to throw a punch, which reportedly caused no injury.

Provenzano's efforts to prevent further disturbance at the Apple Store and to keep the peace for all others present on the scene ultimately led to him being charged with assault and suspended – without pay – from his job.

Officer fights back

In explaining the decision to charge Provenzano, Assistant District Attorney Tavish Deatley said, as the Post noted separately, “[t]he people take seriously any incident where a member of law enforcement uses force without justification, and that is simply what we have here.”

Interestingly, the man with whom Provenzano scuffled at the Apple Store was the subject of an unspecified complaint on the day in question, and a lawyer for the officer noted that he had a prior history of antagonizing store security that had resulted in his banishment from at least one other such outlet.

Even so, Bragg's office decided to charge Provenzano with third-degree assault, which could result in up to a year in prison upon conviction.

Prosecutors explained that they offered the officer a deal in which the charge would be reduced to second-degree harassment, but the officer remains determined to fight the case, pleading not guilty in court last week.

In the meantime, the officer has lost access to his service weapon and is now assigned to desk duty pending the outcome of further proceedings.

“Sending a message”

In response to the situation, Patrick Hendry, who heads the Police Benevolent Association, said of Bragg, “He's sending a message here today...that he's going to arrest our police officers for doing their jobs. He's not on the side of the people. He's not on the side of the police officers. He's on the side of the repeat offenders.”

Barron, for his part, agrees, writing in his op-ed, “It's tempting to call this case 'shocking,” but really it's in line with D.A. Bragg's approach to Manhattan law enforcement,” adding, “Bragg, a Soros-prosecutor in the classical mode, typifies the progressive approach to crime – blame underlying social conditions for criminality and throw the book at representatives of law and order.”

New Yorkers have registered their dissatisfaction with Bragg's approach on more than one occasion, including in the case of bodega clerk Jose Alba – charged for defending himself against a violent attack – as well as in the matter of Daniel Penny, who is now facing charges for defending fellow subway passengers against threats made by Jordan Neely, who unfortunately perished in a confrontation between the two.

Despite Bragg's unwillingness to throw the book at anyone other than those attempting to stop crime, he had no problem leveling charges against Trump earlier this year for an alleged offense that is almost never prosecuted. Even so, it remains to be seen whether the jury ultimately seated that case will finally give voice to growing frustrations with the double standards and backwards priorities, or if their likely liberal bias will nevertheless hand the D.A. a win.