People who are shocked by what happened to Jazmine Headley, don't be. BE ENRAGED, but not shocked.
Police brutalize poor Black & Brown people all the time, they violently yank their babies away, then charge them w/ crimes to cover up their own.
Police brutalize poor Black & Brown people all the time, they violently yank their babies away, then charge them w/ crimes to cover up their own.
Prosecutors & judges are complicit in the system. People are held in jail. A judge did the right thing here & released Ms. Headley after 4 nights at Rikers.
The world was watching. Let's see how successful we are using this case as precedent to release others similarly situated.
The world was watching. Let's see how successful we are using this case as precedent to release others similarly situated.
Because there are hundreds of thousands. Hundreds of people are processed through Brooklyn arraignments every day & night.
Maybe you have read @ScottHech of @BklynDefender (the amazing organization that represented Ms. Headley) or my night court threads.
Maybe you have read @ScottHech of @BklynDefender (the amazing organization that represented Ms. Headley) or my night court threads.
Think for a minute how police acted here in this public space w/ so many people as witnesses, knowing that so many of them were filming. Like it mattered zero.
Now imagine how they act in private, when they are not being watched or filmed.
Now imagine how they act in private, when they are not being watched or filmed.
And the fact that this incident was caught on camera, doesn't mean police body cameras or increased surveillance are solutions.
The SNAP office had cameras, but it was individuals' cell phone footage that mattered.
Body cameras conveniently malfunction.
The SNAP office had cameras, but it was individuals' cell phone footage that mattered.
Body cameras conveniently malfunction.
What we need are are accountability & ownership by elected officials.
Not self-congratulatory self-serving tweets, like this one from @NYCMayor applauding @BrooklynDA for dismissing the charges against Ms. Headley when he was the one who brought them in the first place.
That's like someone breaking into my apartment, holding a gun to my head, destroying all my most precious possessions & also stealing $100 cash, then the next day giving the $100 back & @NYCMayor "applauding" them for doing just that.
Also, there's always part of me that hopes cases like this raise consciousness among White folks who don't have exposure to the criminal justice system - like wow, I really identify w/ Ms. Headley, if that were my son & I were waiting for 4 hours, I would do the same.
