Tahanie Aboushi’s Plan as Manhattan District Attorney: Prosecute Far Fewer People

Civil-rights lawyer says she saw firsthand how prosecutions destroy families when her father went to prison for 22 years

Civil-rights attorney Tahanie Aboushi is campaigning on overhauling the criminal-justice system, ending mass incarceration and declining to prosecute all but the most serious offenses.

By Deanna Paul

When Tahanie Aboushi was 14 years old, her father was convicted on charges of masterminding a federal conspiracy to hijack and rob truck drivers and sentenced to 22 years in prison.

“It opened my eyes,” she said, adding she learned that prosecutors have the power “to destroy—and without accountability.”

Now 35 years old, Ms. Aboushi is running to be Manhattan district attorney, hoping to harness the insurgent energy of the Democratic Party’s progressive wing and remake what it means to be a prosecutor. She is campaigning on an overhaul of the criminal-justice system, ending mass incarceration and declining to prosecute all but the most serious offenses.

A series of high-profile endorsements— Cynthia Nixon, Snoop Dogg and the activist Shaun King’s Real Justice PAC—and liberal-leaning politicians like Sen. Bernie Sanders (D., Vt.) and Rashida Tlaib (D., Mich.) have breathed life into her campaign ahead of the eight-candidate primary on June 22. The winner will be the prohibitive favorite in the general election in a heavily Democratic borough.

Ms. Aboushi hopes to harness the insurgent energy of the Democratic Party’s progressive wing and remake what it means to be a prosecutor.

Ms. Aboushi told The Wall Street Journal that she planned to run on the Working Families Party ticket if she lost the Democratic primary. The left-of-center party endorsed Ms. Aboushi in the primary, and its continued backing could give any Democratic nominee a challenger from the left in the general election.

The Working Families Party spokeswoman said it “will make any decisions about the ballot line once we reach the general.”

A spokeswoman for Ms. Aboushi’s campaign said that Ms. Aboushi hadn’t understood the Journal’s question and that the candidate was focused on the primary.

The child of Palestinian immigrants, Ms. Aboushi would be a historic district attorney if elected—the first woman and first Muslim to hold the office. She is running in the most diverse field of candidates to ever run for a position held by just two white men for the past 45 years.

Since graduating from Syracuse University College of Law in 2009, she has mostly practiced as a civil-rights attorney and said she sued to stop “abusive policies that discriminate against people of color” in the New York Police Department and Fire Department of New York.

Ms. Aboushi blames prosecutors for destabilizing her childhood and sending her father to prison. “I never doubted his innocence,” she said.

Her father, Ahmad Aboushi, lost the appeal of his 1999 guilty verdict on 17 counts involving the hijacking of tractor trailers holding cigarettes and distributing the stolen goods, according to court documents. Mr. Aboushi has since been released from prison.

Ms. Aboushi said her father’s experience drove her to become a lawyer and “make sure that we are focused on justice, not on revenge punishment or convicting at all costs.”

Ms. Aboushi’s campaign has largely focused on holding police and prosecutors accountable and promised to reduce the office budget by at least 50%, hire fewer prosecutors and staff her team with social workers, public defenders and civil-rights attorneys.

Defense lawyers and former executives of the Manhattan district attorney’s office have said Ms. Aboushi’s approach demonstrates that she doesn’t understand the job.

The Five Boro Defenders, a group of New York City-based public defenders and lawyers who oppose prosecutorial power, said that Ms. Aboushi didn’t recognize that her plan to have social workers assist in case assessment could violate people’s right against self-incrimination and the right to counsel, the group said. An open and honest conversation with a social worker, when the accused doesn’t yet have a lawyer, could be used to build a criminal case, the group said.

The Five Boro Defenders concluded that Ms. Aboushi “frequently lacked a clear understanding or vision for accomplishing her decarceral objectives,” though it noted her willingness to incorporate feedback to update her position.

Like some other candidates, Ms. Aboushi said she won’t prosecute low-level cases that stem from homelessness, mental illness and substance use. However, her decline-to-prosecute and diversion policy reaches further than any of her opponents’ plans.

‘There has to be a more efficient way to use the resources of the DA’s office to do more serious crimes,’ Ms. Aboushi said.

She wouldn’t prosecute dozens of misdemeanors and some felonies, including third-degree burglary, escaping from a correctional facility and offenses that resemble a recent attack on an Asian American in Manhattan. She also plans to offer an alternative-to-incarceration program “in every case. No exceptions,” including murder, rape and gunpoint robbery.

“Excessive arrests, prosecutions, and prison undermine public safety and community stability. They traumatize people, tear families apart.” according to a policy statement she released.

“There has to be a more efficient way to use the resources of the DA’s office to do more serious crimes,” she said, noting that the majority of cases handled by the office are violations and misdemeanors that end in pleas. Instead, her plan will “address systemic racism and weed out cases that come from the NYPD.”

Karen Agnifilo, who was chief assistant under Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. until December, said the incumbent district attorney has stopped prosecuting the vast majority of misdemeanors since he took office in 2009, reducing the office caseload from 100,000 cases to 40,000 cases in 2019. Mr. Vance, a Democrat, isn’t seeking a fourth term.

“What’s left going through the office are cases that the average person would say they still want prosecuted,” Ms. Agnifilo said of misdemeanors such as drunken driving, endangering the welfare of a child and subway groping.

According to district attorney data, 6,000 cases of third-degree assault continued past arraignment in 2019, nearly double any other misdemeanor. Ms. Aboushi plans to delay these cases for six months, along with other crimes including second-degree robbery, welfare fraud and gun possession. If the person has a limited criminal record and isn’t rearrested after six months, she will dismiss the case because “one mistake should not define a person’s life.”

“We have to be mindful of where the power lies and then also where the checks and balances and accountability lies,” Ms. Aboushi said.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/tahanie-aboushis-plan-as-manhattan-district-attorney-prosecute-far-fewer-people-11623858382

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4858954&forum_id=2#42642868)

“It opened my eyes,” she said, adding she learned that prosecutors have the power “to destroy—and without accountability.”

———————

This needs to be added to the peak clown world thread

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4858954&forum_id=2#42643048)

Fine. What if anything does she think should have been the appropriate resolution to the case once law enforcement caught up with her dad? No charges? 5 years? Surely that's the obvious follow up question so where's are media. LJL.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4858954&forum_id=2#42643208)

these people make it really hard to be humane.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4858954&forum_id=2#42643389)

Ms. Aboushi blames prosecutors for destabilizing her childhood and sending her father to prison. “I never doubted his innocence,” she said.

He a good keed; dindu nuffin.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4858954&forum_id=2#42646384)

It opened my eyes,” she said, adding she learned that prosecutors have the power “to destroy—and without accountability.”

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4858954&forum_id=2#42643253)

“There has to be a more efficient way to use the resources of the DA’s office to do more serious crimes.”

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4858954&forum_id=2#42649585)

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4858954&forum_id=2#42643054)

her flyers are littered with endorsements from colored people

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4858954&forum_id=2#42643112)

Aboushi was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York after her parents immigrated from Palestine to the United States.[3] She is one of ten children in her family.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4858954&forum_id=2#42643203)

Author: Watermelon

holy shit u know what other criminal family was able to immigrate to the US? hint: it rythmes with drumpf

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4858954&forum_id=2#42644330)

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4858954&forum_id=2#42649425)

Really they shouldn't have came in the first place, but they for sure should have all been gone once dad was sent away.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4858954&forum_id=2#42647215)

“It opened my eyes,” she said, adding she learned that prosecutors have the power “to destroy—and without accountability.”"

MAYBE HE SHOULDN'T HAVE BEEN A FUCKING CRIMINAL YOU STUPID BITCH!

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4858954&forum_id=2#42643254)

“It opened my eyes,” she said, adding she learned that prosecutors have the power “to destroy—and without accountability.”

i'm sure the plan was to kindly take trucks from drivers who would gladly hand over the keys to the trucks they had payments on and also happen to be their actual businesses. fuck this stupid bitch.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4858954&forum_id=2#42643372)

Ms. Aboushi’s campaign has largely focused on holding police and prosecutors accountable and promised to reduce the office budget by at least 50%, hire fewer prosecutors and staff her team with social workers, public defenders and civil-rights attorneys.

Defense lawyers and former executives of the Manhattan district attorney’s office have said Ms. Aboushi’s approach demonstrates that she doesn’t understand the job.

The Five Boro Defenders, a group of New York City-based public defenders and lawyers who oppose prosecutorial power, said that Ms. Aboushi didn’t recognize that her plan to have social workers assist in case assessment could violate people’s right against self-incrimination and the right to counsel, the group said. An open and honest conversation with a social worker, when the accused doesn’t yet have a lawyer, could be used to build a criminal case, the group said.

Like some other candidates, Ms. Aboushi said she won’t prosecute low-level cases that stem from homelessness, mental illness and substance use. However, her decline-to-prosecute and diversion policy reaches further than any of her opponents’ plans.

‘There has to be a more efficient way to use the resources of the DA’s office to do more serious crimes,’ Ms. Aboushi said.

She wouldn’t prosecute dozens of misdemeanors and some felonies, including third-degree burglary, escaping from a correctional facility and offenses that resemble a recent attack on an Asian American in Manhattan. She also plans to offer an alternative-to-incarceration program “in every case. No exceptions,” including murder, rape and gunpoint robbery.

“Excessive arrests, prosecutions, and prison undermine public safety and community stability. They traumatize people, tear families apart.” according to a policy statement she released.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4858954&forum_id=2#42643615)

----

‘There has to be a more efficient way to use the resources of the DA’s office to do more serious crimes,’ Ms. Aboushi said.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4858954&forum_id=2#42644179)

180

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4858954&forum_id=2#42644188)

There is actually another crazy shitlib running for DA who is a public defender (similar profile to Caban who nearly won the DA race in Queens 2 years ago).

Given the low turnout in these June primaries (I think all primaries should be moved to Sept) and the number of candidates and people's confusion over ranked voting these races are really worrying.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4858954&forum_id=2#42643660)

There’s no way she can win right?

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4858954&forum_id=2#42644099)

They'll vote for this.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4858954&forum_id=2#42646498)

Desperately want this for New York

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4858954&forum_id=2#42646420)

LOL she’s really putting it right out there

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4858954&forum_id=2#42646499)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anarcho-communism

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4858954&forum_id=2#42646736)