On Monday, the House Judiciary Committee will hear from several witnesses, including victims of violent crime, in a hearing that will target Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg (D-N.Y.) for his decision to prioritize a political persecution of President Donald Trump rather than focus on real crimes occurring every day in New York City.
According to the Daily Mail, at least three witnesses will speak before the committee’s hearing that will be taking place in New York City. One of the witnesses is Jose Alba, a deli employee whose convenience store was robbed by a man who violently attacked Alba before Alba stabbed him to death in self-defense; Bragg’s office initially charged Alba with murder before dropping the charges due to overwhelming backlash.
Another witness will be Madeline Brame, chairwoman of the Victim Rights Council, and the mother of a homicide victim. The committee will also hear from Jennifer Harrison, founder of Victim Rights NY.
The 62-year-old Alba faced second-degree murder charges from Bragg’s office following the incident at the Blue Moon Deli on July 1st, which was caught on film by the store’s surveillance camera. The 35-year-old suspect began viciously attacking Alba behind the counter while Alba was sitting down, forcing the employee to draw the knife in self-defense. The man attempted to steal a bag of potato chips for his girlfriend who couldn’t afford them, and when Alba resisted, the man began his assault.
Bragg ultimately dropped the charges on July 19th after widespread criticism, including from Mayor Eric Adams (D-N.Y.).
Brame is the mother of Army veteran Hason Corea, who was stabbed to death in Harlem in 2018. The 35-year-old father of three was beaten before being stabbed by a group of attackers outside an apartment complex. Subsequently, Bragg’s office struck a plea deal with two of Corea’s killers, with one of them being let off early on time served.
“You violated my rights as a crime victim to be fully informed, and to be heard,” saidBrame in a letter to Bragg’s office. “Why would you dismiss murder charges against half of the participants, when the murder and their roles were caught on video?”
Harrison, whose group Victim Rights NY is running its own targeted “fire Alvin Bragg” campaign, said she lost both her boyfriend and her best friend to a double homicide last year, where two of the assailants “went free” while the third was released from prison after “just a few years.”
The committee’s hearing will be held at the Javitz Federal Building. Several Democrats have vowed to boycott the hearing by refusing to attend, calling it a “political stunt.”