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[LSNN] Democratic Senator Rudy Benson: "Sheriff Washington and his staff instilled the love of public service in me during my time as a deputy."


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Democratic Senator Rudy Benson: "Sheriff Washington and his staff instilled the love of public service in me during my time as a deputy."

 

BY DENNIS SIDWELL

 

 

Los Santos, SA - On the 1st of May, 2021, the LSNN team conducted an interview with Democratic Senator and Chairman, Rudy Benson. This is the written version of the interview which was held on air, in the LSNN studio.

 

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Dennis Sidwell and Rudy Benson in the studio

 

Dennis Sidwell: Mister Benson, welcome to the studio.

 

Rudy Benson: Thank you for having me. A few days ago I was confirmed into the Senate by the Secretary of State and I am thankful to have the opportunity. Due to personal reasons, Senator Morales had to resign which is why I took her spot recently. We were sad to see her leave because she did an amazing job in her position and I've got some big shoes to fill. 

 

Dennis Sidwell: Can you tell us what are your plans as a Senator now?

 

Rudy Benson: One big thing I want to focus on is the development and maintaining of community centers. I had the chance to go down to the Hope Health Community Center and take a tour of the facility, which was an amazing opportunity. The staff there were friendly and welcoming to those who walked into the door to accept their services. It was absolutely lovely. I want places like those to be more plentiful throughout the state, as it serves for amazing centers for our youth to hone their skills as members of society. That's one of the biggest thing, and another thing I want to do is focus on the reduction of crime in this state. It's been riddled with both organized and unorganized crime for decades, and it's out duty to help mitigate this as much as possible. Those are my main two goals in my term as Senator. 

 

Dennis Sidwell: Is there a bill that you will personally advocate for, in the incoming Senate sessions? 

 

Rudy Benson: Two bills that I am looking forward to, that are currently in discussion, are the Stand Your Ground Bill and State Handling Hate Crimes Bill. For one, the Stand Your Ground bill has worked in states such as Arizona, where people are able to defend their loved ones and their property as a result. Of course, each case is individual by itself, but it proves to be beneficial to society. And the second bill I spoke about will help keep both citizens and our law enforcement agencies accountable when it comes to hate crimes. This state has seen an increase in anti-African-American hate crimes and I view this as unacceptable. And not only African Americans, but other groups as well, such as Asians. This type of behavior has gone on far too long and it needs to be stopped.

 

Dennis Sidwell: Will the said bill oversee hate crimes on the internet too?

 

Rudy Benson: It does not address internet hate crimes, as far as I am aware. It can be hard to attribute hate crimes specifically on the internet, and specifically pin it on a suspect. But I would be in full support of an amendment or some sort of clause that includes the internet as well. As you know, our law enforcement agencies already look into the social media profiles of those who commit crimes, in specific instances, in order to find a pattern of this behavior. So, ultimately, it might not be necessary for the bill, but it would just help build it up that much more. 

 

Dennis Sidwell: Can you elaborate on the RICO bill? 

 

Rudy Benson: I can't necessarily speak on the RICO bill. Since I was just inducted into the Senate a few days ago, I'm still working with my staff to get caught up on all of the current bills that are being discussed and on the table. 

 

Dennis Sidwell: What are your personal views on the RICO bill? Do you think that it'd be successful?

 

Rudy Benson: Well, if its goal is to tackle organized crime and those associated with their activities, I believe that both sides of the aisle will be for it. Assuming it's well-written, as I expect nothing less from my fellow Senators, then I believe it will be successful ultimately.

 

Dennis Sidwell: What can be done, in your opinion, to fix the poverty issue in areas like Davis and Rancho?

 

Rudy Benson: I personally believe there needs to be more supportive infrastructure. As Senator Jones spoke about before, far too many businesses are around with a typical life span of about a month. This is particularly present in the Southern portion of Los Santos, with a prime example being the Davis Mall. For the first week it was open, it was booming. But other than that, it shortly ceased after. I believe the root cause of this is that our citizens who live in those specific areas do not have the same resources that more well-off folks do. This is one reason I am striving to have more Community Centers opened up, for those areas. In order to enable our youth, the next generation, the ability to become members of society and not feel inclined to fall into an illegal pattern of life.

 

Dennis Sidwell: Mister Benson, what made you interested in politics? Is politics your passion?

 

Rudy Benson: Before I decided to come into politics, I was a Sheriff's Deputy under Sheriff Washington. He and his staff instilled the love of public service in me during my time there. Shortly after my departure, I wasn't necessarily keen on going back to law enforcement, specifically with the police department in the city. So, I decided that I wanted to work at a higher level. Something that could have a real difference. One of my friends suggested running for Senate, which was about three months prior to the election cycle at the time. And, then, the rest is history! I mainly just wanted to focus on serving the public again. Something to help benefit the people of this great state.

 

Dennis Sidwell: Recently, only a couple of days ago, a young person, aged 19, received the capital punishment. His name was Anthony Ramirez, who pled guilty on several charges, one of which, First Degree Murder of a police officer.

 

Rudy Benson: He plead guilty and still received the death penalty?

 

Dennis Sidwell: Yes.

 

Rudy Benson: Hm. If Mister Ramirez did, in fact, murder a police officer, then I do agree with the judgement of the assigned judge. I take it personally because I was nearly murdered myself at a traffic stop, and those types of people truly do not value human life. Our police officers and deputies are out there patrolling the streets for the safety of everyone. It's appaling that this occured and my heart goes out to the family of that fallen police officer. But, to sum up what I said, I agree with the judge because I trust the legal system. I would have to look into the case specifically in order to see what actually happened before I can speak further on it. But my point still stands.

 

Dennis Sidwell: Mister Benson, thank you for being our guest tonight. It has been a pleasure talking to you on air.

 

Rudy Benson: Thank you so much for having me tonight, it was a pleasure being here.

 

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