After George Floyd’s murder, millions of us marched and voted for change. The summer of 2020 demanded that we rethink criminal justice in America. Mass incarceration was failing our communities, and reform was urgently needed. As Democrats and Durhamites, we still believe that. 

But reform requires competence, not just ideology. Unfortunately, in Durham County, we have a district attorney, Satana Deberry, who has too often offered ideology without accountability. 

Among other problems, she is receiving full-time pay but doing only part-time work. A WRAL investigation found courthouse keycard entrance data placing her in the building just 43% to 60% of workdays, compared to 78% and 91% for the Wake County district attorney. 

As Democrats, we believe progressive prosecution has merit. We support ending cash bail for nonviolent offenses so that poverty alone does not determine who sits in jail. We support declining to prosecute low-level marijuana possession, and smart, evidence-based reforms—such as Durham’s HEART program, which dispatches unarmed crisis response teams to mental health emergencies instead of police—have proven to be a genuine success. 

HEART has demonstrated that thoughtful reform can improve outcomes, reduce harm, and build trust. It shows what is possible when policy is paired with execution, data, and accountability. 

But good intentions alone are not enough. Reform without results isn’t reform at all—it’s negligence with better branding. When serious crimes go unprosecuted, when repeat offenders cycle endlessly through the system, and when victims are left unprotected, the cost is borne by the entire community—especially those already most vulnerable. 

Durham deserves what we currently do not have, a criminal justice system that balances compassion with competence, reform with responsibility, and ideals with outcomes. We can—and must—do better. 

Ironically, voters in blue cities nationwide are starting to reject Deberry’s approach. Progressive prosecutors in cities and counties as varied as San Francisco, Chicago, Los Angeles, St. Louis, Portland, Oregon, and Alameda County, California, which includes Oakland, either have not sought reelection, were voted out, or have been recalled in favor of public safety-focused prosecution. To be fair, some progressive DAs have been reelected in cities such as Philadelphia and Orlando, but a new and emerging national trend is clear. 

In Durham, our violent crime rate is more than twice as high as in neighboring Wake County. According to an investigation from WRAL, Durham’s first-degree murder conviction rate has fallen to just 24%, compared to 67% in Wake County. This excludes first-degree murder convictions that were first charged as murder, not first-degree specifically; however, the difference between Durham and Raleigh is stark and problematic. 

In North Carolina, a felon cannot purchase or carry a gun. Yet according to internal emails obtained by WRAL, Elizabeth Ingram, Durham’s lead assistant district attorney on the drug, property, and gun crimes Team, said, “DA Deberry also has a particular philosophy/policy when it comes to firearm by felon charges that are not accompanied by violence or threats of violence. In keeping with that policy, I dismissed [a] case.” Another judge was forced to dismiss a murder case from Deberry’s office, citing “inexcusable negligence or intentional malfeasance.” 

This stands in contrast to the Wake County DA, Lorrin Freeman, who wrote to WRAL that, “generally speaking we have a no drop policy for possession of [a] firearm by a felon. We indict and send to [the] superior court assuming we have sufficient evidence to move forward.” There’s more evidence to suggest that victims of crime in Durham may not be the top priority for Deberry. 

One of Deberry’s assistant district attorneys was admonished by the North Carolina State Bar for failing to notify a rape victim that her assailant had been released from prison. “It feels like I was raped by the Durham DA’s office all over again,” the victim said. 

This brings us to Ryan Camacho, a man with a 20-year criminal record with more than two dozen arrests. He faced four felony charges in Durham last year, all of which Deberry’s office reduced to a single misdemeanor with a maximum sentence of 120 days. (Deberry said the evidence in the case did not support felony conviction.)

The case received national attention because, after being released, Camacho broke into a teacher’s home and beat her to death with a brick. WRAL correctly stated in a January 8 article that “a felony conviction could have seen Camacho behind bars on January 3. Instead, he is suspected of killing [Zoe] Welsh.” Gov. Josh Stein also noted the tragedy, stating that Welsh “should be in school teaching today.” 

Durham is a beautiful, diverse, and welcoming city. But to be a great city, it first must be a safe city. In some categories our crime rate is falling, but major challenges remain. 

According to data obtained from Neighborhood Scout, which draws from FBI data, Durham has a much higher crime rate in both violent and property crime than the

national average. Bull City residents consistently rank crime as a top concern. And based on a recent Elon College poll, Durham and Charlotte are the cities in North Carolina where people feel the least safe. 

James Baldwin said, “Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it’s faced.” We need to face the harsh reality that Durham does not need a DA whose top priority is their extreme ideology, or who sees themself like a social worker sprinkling lenient fairy dust over our judicial system while hoping for better results. We need a DA who understands that public safety must be their top priority and that, yes, some of those who are arrested really need to be off our streets. 

Let it be said on March 3 that Durham voters recognized that the failed policies of the past cannot take us into the future and voted for positive change. Voters do have a choice. Jonathan Wilson is a criminal defense attorney and North Carolina Central University School of Law grad, with 20 years of experience in the courtroom. He has been endorsed by the Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People, the Friends of Durham, and Yes for Durham. Above all, Jonathan Wilson understands that in Durham we do not have to choose between safety and justice. We can and should have both.

Eugene Brown served 12 years on the Durham City Council from 2003 to 2015.

Zack Czajkowski, a political consultant and strategist, is the president of Brackish Solutions and the co-founder of Civly.