The incident started with four plainclothes police officers sitting in an unmarked car, when suddenly someone shot at the car shattering the rear window.
Thomas and a 17-year-old boy had been standing on a street corner and as two cops exited the car, Thomas began to run away.
The two cops immediately shot at him. One continued to pursue him down the street and fired twice more, striking him in the back, killing him.
The cops say they had observed either Thomas or the 17-year-old on the street corner, before the car was shot at, with a gun.
The department would not say today whether Thomas had pointed a gun at the cops as he ran away - which means he didn't, because 100% they would have if he did.
They also would not say whether the gun they claim to have found on Thomas was in fact the gun that was used to shoot at the police car.
Oh and let me just add, you know in light of the "fund the police" conversation, these four plainclothes police officers were there "investigating" a social media post allegedly made by the 17-year-old boy where he was posing with a gun.
They arrested him after they killed Thomas (because priorities) but let him go. If police have resources to do all that -like a literal undercover sting with four officers for a facebook post - please do not tell me they need more funding.
• • •
Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to
force a refresh
I should also mention that @washingtonpost's database is limited to police shootings, so if police killed people in police pursuits or in other incidents of brutality the percentage may be higher.
If I were hosting a webinar on bail reform and all the speakers were in favor, I would never promote it as a "both sides" event (I *wouldn't* host a "both sides" event) but apparently if you represent @NYCCOBA1 and stack the panel with vehement opponents of bail reform, you do.
You also invoke the name of Justice Constance Baker Motley who was a champion of civil rights, which honestly I can't even begin to comment on.
Why would I not host a "both sides" event? Because opponents of bail reform do not make good faith arguments based on accurate information.
This is one of the worst wrongful conviction cases I have ever seen.
Anthony Sims has spent 24 years in prison for a murder he didn't commit. He was prosecuted by the head of Brooklyn's Wrongful Conviction Unit who denied his application for review. cnn.com/2022/02/27/us/…
That ADA, Mark Hale, retired six months ago. He has a long and substantiated record of misconduct. Last year a court dismissed the conviction of Emmanuel Cooper, whose case Hale prosecuted and who had served 25 years in prison. nysfocus.com/2021/09/23/ant…
The *only* evidence linking Mr. Sims to the murder of which he was convicted was the testimony of a former friend, Julius Graves, who is widely believed to have committed the murder. Mr. Graves has since recanted that testimony in an affidavit.
More police propaganda splashed all over the front page of @NYDailyNews.
Stats show "rise" in "random street killings."
The article quotes NYPD stats showing an increase from 3% in 2020 to 5.3% in 2021.
But the article itself also shows why that figure is grossly misleading.
First, the stats only include people "killed on the streets" not the total number of homicides. So you are starting with an unreliable sample. People deemed not to have known each other, perhaps because they were transient, may in fact have known each other.
Second, the actual numbers are exceptionally small. 14 people deemed not to have known each other in 2020, 26 last year. nydailynews.com/new-york/nyc-c…
It is depressing, but predictable that @smh editor @BevanShields has appointed @KnottMatthew as its national correspondent on race, identity and culture, when as US correspondent he repeatedly showed a fundamental lack of understanding of race and racism in this country.
.@smh has some amazing Indigenous journalists who are much better writers and much more qualified to write about race in Australia.
So disappointing.
Take this recent article on Robin DiAngelo, which isn't even timely (the book came out six months ago).
He doesn't even consider whether it is appropriate for a White woman to be making $$ from teaching people about race and racism. It's like the question never occurred to him.