Discover and read the best of Twitter Threads about #QueensDA
Most recents (6)
.@ActingQDARyan speaks to Queens ADAs and friends at his final office holiday party. Feel-good speech lauded "best DA's office in the universe." 
.@MelindaKatz spoke first and told the ADAs they would change the office together.
She then said two significant things. First, lauded the "legacy" of the late #QueensDA, Richard Brown.
THREAD re: whether District Attorneys should be elected or appointed, responding to @JohnCun11960413, who asks in the context of #QueensDA election. #NYS is one of 46 states that elects its local state prosecutors (only NJ, Delaware, Connecticut, and RI don't). /1
Even more stark is that the United States appears to be the only country on earth where local #prosecutors are elected. /2
yalelawjournal.org/note/the-origi…
yalelawjournal.org/note/the-origi…
As John correctly points out, before the mid-19th century, NY prosecutors were appointed by the county courts. The reason we changed to elected in 1846 might seem paradoxical today: to get some of the ill-effects of politics out of the selection of District Attorneys. /3
At #QueensDA debate, @JoseNievesForDA says his conviction review unit would have an outside advisory board. Sort of like the program created in 2010 by @ManhattanDA.
.@RoryLancman says that he offered money in City Council to #QueensDA’s office for conviction review unit, and office refused. If that’s true, I agree - DA should have accepted and established the unit.
.@MinaMalikForDA distracted a bit from her impressive experience by saying that Ken Thompson started the @BrooklynDA conviction review unit, which isn’t quite right. Thompson greatly expanded the unit founded by Joe Hynes right after Cy Vance started the first one in #NYS.
Recent #NYS bail reform on agenda at #QueensDA race. @MelindaKatz says they’ll have “no cash bail.” Wow - even the legislation doesn’t go that far. No cash bail for, say, drug dealers who skip court & are undocumented & rob people. I don’t think she’ll be only one who says this.
@JoseNievesForDA says the same thing as Katz. I think they’re all imagining they’re in a world with fully-funded pre-trial services and readily available ankle monitors. The Legislature funded no such thing. Simply doesn’t exist on any kind of scale.
.@cabanforqueens: “Cash bail is wrong. Period.”
THREAD: Picture perfect article by @samarkhurshid about the very substantial question of whether @cabanforqueens @RoryLancman and @MelindaKatz are qualified to be #QueensDA, having never prosecuted a single case. /1
gothamgazette.com/city/8577-shou… via @GothamGazette
gothamgazette.com/city/8577-shou… via @GothamGazette
.@cabanforqueens is clearly unqualified, having expressed not the slightest interest in reducing violent crime in Queens, and really being much more of an iconoclast looking to blow up the system. /2
.@MelindaKatz is purely a politician. Her lawyer experience amounts to virtually zero. But probably has the best claim to knowing what constituency wants, being closest to the electorate. Still - never tried a case, nor been a prosecutor, nor been a defense lawyer. Not ideal. /3.
On November 25, 2017, Yang Song died after falling from a 4th floor balcony during a targeted police raid. Her personal messages revealed that in 2016, she was raped at gunpoint by an undercover police officer and she tried to report the incident 1/
Following her reporting of rape & sexual assault by an undercover officer, Yang Song’s texts & messages also showed months of harassment by Vice NYPD, with threats of deportation 2/
theappeal.org/family-former-…
theappeal.org/family-former-…
After a few months of investigating Yang’s death, despite evidence of targeted harassment, the Queens DA absolved VICE NYPD of any wrong-doing 3/
queenspublicmedia.com/queens-da-repo…
queenspublicmedia.com/queens-da-repo…
