Ritchie Torres is a straight-up political opportunist & traitor to the history of justice movements that made it possible for him to be in congress. He lies without guilt (incl wishful myth-making abt himself) & he's a warning to those who think "identity" dictates politics 🧵 Imagine being a Black, Puerto Rican queer from the Bronx joining far-right Republicans to censure & smear the 1st Palestinian congresswoman because she wants to end violence & genocide. That’s Ritchie Torres.

Not the 1st time he's gone hard for right-wing, authoritarian causes.

Almost 6 YEARS since Delrawn Small was killed by NYPD Wayne Isaacs.

Delrawn was killed day b4 Alton Sterling, 2 days b4 Philando Castile. Those cops are gone from depts; Isaacs is still NYPD 🤬

Cop union lawyers (PBA) are playing games to shield Isaacs from finally being fired. TY to the 26 city & state electeds standing w/Delrawn Small's fam & NYers.

They sent a letter to Mayor Adams & NYPD Commish Sewell urging them to reject the latest attempt by police union lawyers to block @CCRB_NYC from doing discipline trial of Wayne Isaacs. TY for acting fast!

Today is 23 years since NYPD plainclothes cops killed Amadou Diallo in a hail of 41 bullets. 23yo Amadou was outside his home with his wallet in his hand.

Organizing + litigation shut down the Street Crimes Unit but City/NYPD protected the cops & revived the unit with a new name NYPD never disciplined or fired the cops who killed Amadou Diallo in 1999.

- Kenneth Boss promoted to Sgt in 2015, retired w/full benefits in 2019
- Edward McMellon/Richard Murphy became FDNY
- Sean Carroll retired, full benefits

No. US response to 9/11 accelerated decades of right wing priorities incl gutting rights, expanded military powers/wars, surveillance of Muslims, racial justice organizers, peace activists & more - & failed to care for NYers who lost loved ones & whose communities were devastated

https://twitter.com/JCColtin/status/1489379137810796544

Right b4 9/11 the UN held its world conference against racism, xenophobia & related intolerance. The US government walked out of that global convening & was condemned for that by US civil rights groups & other countries.

Today is 10 YEARS since NYPD plainclothes cops killed Ramarley Graham in what should've been safety of his home.

He was just 18yo & they shot him in front of his 6yo brother & grandma. Then they "lost" his body for days. His parents had to beg electeds to help them find his body NYPD fired ZERO cops but Ramarley Graham's mom (Constance Malcolm) organized relentlessly for 6 years to force 2 of them out of NYPD.

Took 5 YEARS w/support of many groups, electeds, ordinary NYers to force NYPD to do discipline hearing for just 1 of the cops. After, he resigned

Today marks 22 years since Amadou Diallo was killed by NYPD in a hail of 41 bullets.

His mom Kadiatou Diallo is still a key leader in NYC's police accountability movement.

NYPD murder of Amadou sparked organizing, litigation & movement-building w-lasting impacts in NYC today🧵 Founding members of @changethenypd organized together b4 & after Amadou Diallo was killed by NYPD, incl folks from @MXGMNyc @watchthecops @audrelorde @caaav + more.

Groups like @FIERCENYC & @DesisRisingUp were born in the wake of direct action organizing after Amadou was killed.

No time rn so fast thread bc some folks being a lil too quick to celebrate as if there's been some fundamental change at the NYPD

1) This announcement is smoke & mirrors, meant to demobilize the HUGE movement against police violence. Make no mistake, this isn't a "seismic shift"

https://twitter.com/Pervaizistan/status/1272613927537565696

2) Deja vu: NYPD has played this exact move b4. In 2002 as part of Daniels (lawsuit filed after NYPD murder of Amadou Diallo..filed by grps that founded @changethenypd), NYPD disbanded Street Crimes Unit -unit doing most stops at the time. SCU later ->> current anti-crime unit