Share this page!

Scott Hechinger Profile picture
Twitter logo
13 Dec, 4 tweets, 2 min read
A woman plows into Black Lives Matter protestors w/ her car. Gets a ticket. Charged w/ a misdemeanor. Released from precinct. If a Black teen gets caught w/ a gun after an illegal search, no use, only possession, it’s Rikers. Violent felony. Up to 15 years.nypost.com/2020/12/12/dri…
If only the people most targeted by the police for just living, walking down the street—Black & Brown communities in only certain neighborhoods—were treated with the same discretion, leniency, & care as a white woman trying to murder people speaking out against systematic racism.
NYC cops & prosecutors spent years fighting reforms requiring tickets like the one this woman received &/or freeing ppl for misdemeanors/felonies w/ no injury or no intent to cause injury. But run over BLM protestors? They’ll go out of their way to ensure your release.
It’s the same reason cops allow white supremacist “Proud Boys” free reign to take over streets & inflict violence in cities throughout the country, while gassing & assaulting BLM protestors for chanting. Cops support fascism & oppression. And are threatened by calls for freedom.

• • •

Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to force a refresh
　

Keep Current with Scott Hechinger

Scott Hechinger Profile picture

Stay in touch and get notified when new unrolls are available from this author!

Read all threads

This Thread may be Removed Anytime!

PDF

Twitter may remove this content at anytime! Save it as PDF for later use!

Try unrolling a thread yourself!

how to unroll video
  1. Follow @ThreadReaderApp to mention us!

  2. From a Twitter thread mention us with a keyword "unroll"
@threadreaderapp unroll

Practice here first or read more on our help page!

More from @ScottHech

Scott Hechinger Profile picture
15 Dec
REPORT: "10 states haven't included incarcerated people in any stage of their vaccine allotment plans." This is disgrace. It's also a public health failure.
prisonpolicy.org/blog/2020/12/0…
The states that do not include incarcerated people in any phase of their vaccine allotment plans are: Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, *Kansas, *Michigan, *Oregon, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, and *Wisconsin. Four of these states (with *) are run by Democratic governors.
Report Recommendation 1: "Incarcerated people and corrections staff should be prioritized for vaccination against COVID-19. States and the Federal Bureau of Prisons should not consider vaccination of staff as sufficient to stop the spread of COVID-19 in correctional facilities."
Read 7 tweets
Scott Hechinger Profile picture
14 Dec
OUTRAGEOUS: In Prince George's County, MD, judges routinely "authorize" release instead of set bail. Sounds good, right? No. It really means they pass the buck & the *jail gets to decide if/when a person is released. Result: People stay caged during COVID. taibbi.substack.com/p/what-public-…
"If the defendant is innocent but ends up unjustly jailed for a long time before trial, not the judge’s fault: they 'authorized' release. If the accused gets out & commits a serious crime, also not judge’s fault: it was Pretrial Services (the jail) that released the defendant."
"In the parody of the bail process, judges can punt crucial decisions. Although the system seems not to have been designed for this, as it currently stands, judges facing thorny decisions can buy the equivalent of a political options contract as an alternative to judgment."
Read 9 tweets
Scott Hechinger Profile picture
12 Dec
“My name is Cassandra Greer. I am the wife of Nickolas Lee. I’m calling calling calling the jail to no avail. His health is declining. He was gasping for air. I was telling him memories we had. Things we were gonna do. But God saw fit for something else.”
Cassandra's husband was one of the first to die in Chicago's Cook County Jail. She told her story. Local artists illustrated. This is part 2 of 132Calls.com. "I'm calling, calling, calling, to no avail. Calling Sheriff Tom Dart's office to no avail." More from her:
"I'm calling Cermak, which is the hospital on the jail compound. At Cermak there's not an operator or anyone you can speak with. All the while that I'm calling, trying to receive help, my husband's health is declining."
Read 15 tweets
Scott Hechinger Profile picture
11 Dec
Every year, hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers get trapped in a cycle of debt & criminalization simply because they can't afford to pay a traffic ticket.

The legislature passed a bill in July to end this travesty. Yet @NYGovCuomo has yet to indicate whether he'll sign it.
Since 2018, 10 governors from across the political spectrum have enacted legislation to end debt-based driver's license suspensions.

Not a single governor has ever vetoed this reform. @NYGovCuomo, don't get left out!

freetodrive.org/maps/#page-con…
Ending debt-based license suspensions is part of the Democratic platform.

Joe Biden campaigned on it: joebiden.com/justice/

The US Senate's Driving for Opportunity Act— cosponsored by Kamala Harris—also has broad bipartisan support: coons.senate.gov/news/press-rel…
Read 6 tweets
Scott Hechinger Profile picture
11 Dec
Outraged about Brandon Bernard’s death? There are over 2 million caged in jails & prisons facing death right now. Leaders in blue & red states are enabling COVID to infect & kill w/ little care. In Chicago, Cassandra called 132 times to save her husband:
In NY, Dino Caroselli. 64. Caged in Sing Sing prison. No masks to purchase. Social distancing impossible. Nothing changed since start of COVID. Haunted by the death of a friend. “I felt like the walls of my cell closing in on me, like a trash compactor.”
In Michigan, Yusef Qualls. 16 when condemned to die in prison. 41 now. Supreme Court ruled sentence unconstitutional. He's been waiting in prison for last 5 years for resentencing. Gov. Whitmer won’t do anything. Friends dying of COVID. "I might be next."
Read 12 tweets
Scott Hechinger Profile picture
11 Dec
As Brandon is about to be executed, his attorneys released a statement: “Tonight, those of us who love Brandon Bernard — & there are many — are full of righteous anger & deep sadness at the actions of the federal government in taking his life. Brandon’s life mattered.” More:
“Brandon’s life mattered to us, his legal team; to his 3 beautiful & talented daughters; to his mother, brother & sister; & to the countless people around the country who came to know him & his story in recent weeks.”
“Brandon made 1 terrible mistake at 18. But he did not kill anyone, & he never stopped feeling shame & profound remorse for his actions on the crime that took the lives of Todd & Stacie Bagley. He spent the rest of his life sincerely trying to show that he ‘was not that person.’”
Read 10 tweets

Did Thread Reader help you today?

Support us! We are indie developers!

This site is made by just two indie developers on a laptop doing marketing, support and development! Read more about the story.

Become a Premium Member ($3/month or $30/year) and get exclusive features!

Become Premium

Too expensive? Make a small donation by buying us coffee ($5) or help with server cost ($10)

Donate via Paypal Become our Patreon

Thank you for your support!

Follow Us on Twitter!

Like this author's thread?

Get emails when @ScottHech has new unrolls!

Check out other threads from @ScottHech!

Read all threads by @ScottHech