SO DAMNING: A NY Police Chief politicized a tragic death. Blamed justice reform. Media went wild. He lied: "The information was never disclosed to the defendants in the case —the new criminal justice policies had nothing to do with the murder." Reject fear.nytimes.com/2020/02/06/nyr…
The Lie (part 1): "Four days after a confidential witness in a case against the MS-13 gang was murdered on Long Island, the local police commissioner identified what he said was one of the causes of the brutal crime: the state’s new criminal justice policies."
The Lie (part 2): "Nassau County Chief Patrick Ryder said that bc of a new law, the witness’s information had been shared 'too early' w/ defense teams. Suggested the release of information had led to the murder of the witness a day before he was scheduled to testify in court."
Fearmongering & politicization of a tragedy based on The Lie: “We’re asking Albany to go back, rethink it, come back then with changes to that law. But it needs to happen quickly, before we have another victim, as in this case.”
The Truth: "But an examination of court records on Thursday indicated that in fact the information was never disclosed to the defendants in the case — and that the new criminal justice policies had nothing to do with the murder of Wilmer Maldonado Rodriguez."
The witness's identity remained protected under the old & new law: "Mr. Rodriguez’s identity was under protective order starting in December 2018. That order was modified in December 2019. But the identity remained under protective seal. The names were never disclosed."
The victim was a hero: "Stepped in to help 2 boys bullied by alleged members of MS-13. Stabbed & beaten w/ a baseball bat. Still, agreed to testify." This should have been the real story. But the police chief, under the guise of victim safety, used the victim for his politics.
When will media stop relying on police, prosecutors, & GOP lawmakers for information about criminal justice policy & reform without *at the very least* fact checking first with public defenders, the actual lawyers in cases, other advocates & experts, who don't politicize tragedy?
Meanwhile, @NBCNewYork is still somehow unwilling to delete their story parroting the Nassau Chief's lies. It's still up despite attempts all day for them to take it down. They even mistake which justice reform the Chief was blaming (discovery not bail).nbcnewyork.com/news/local/cri…
@NBCNewYork Justice Not Fear is updating their Daily Debunk to provide critical nuance to all the desperate lies, including a post today on this story & @NBCNewYork's continued unwillingness to delete & correct their story parroting the Nassau Chief's lies. justicenotfear.org/#debunk
