Next Wednesday, I’m going to New Jersey to meet the father of Christina Yuna Lee. Lee was stabbed 40 times by a homeless man who broke into her apartment after following her home. After neighbors called 911, police arrived in under 5 minutes. Then they waited in the hallway, for an hour and 20 minutes. They claimed the door was “barricaded” (you know, like in Uvalde) but I’ve been to Lee’s apartment in Chinatown—a drunk frat guy could have turned over a trash can to stand on and reach the fire escape to get in through her window.
Thank you for covering stories like these! It’s so important to have the facts about what police do (and fail to do).
As a white kid growing up, I was taught to trust cops -- and the detective shows I watch reinforce that message.
But I’ve become more cynical. Policing in this country actually has its roots in slave patrolling (in the South) and controlling immigrant, pro-union workers (in the North). Their core purpose was to protect the “property” of wealthy families.
To this day, the bulk of police department expenditures goes to detaining drug users in marginalized communities. They are the foot soldiers in the war on drugs which was designed to help candidates win election, and also makes prison/surveillance corporations very rich.
So, I’m not clear that we should expect police to help protect us from criminal behavior like sexual assault, domestic violence, or even stranger violence. (We can be pleasantly surprised when they do, which happens sometimes.)
Unfortunately, this won't go anywhere, because the Supreme Court has decided that police have no responsibility to protect any specific individual. Check out this decision in Town of Castle Rock v Gonzales:
Let me see if the people who know her are interested in talking ... I don't know the family at all, they are out in Arizona. There's a FB page dedicated to her memory, it's under her name Alayna Hardy.
Tana - here's a news story along the lines of your subject matter. The police were at this woman's apartment a few hours before her boyfriend came back, broke in and killed her. It's a horrible case. The killer has been arrested and is on Rikers Island awaiting trial. I had met the young lady once - she was a friend of a friend - she seemed so sweet, really enjoying life in NYC.
Thank you for covering stories like these! It’s so important to have the facts about what police do (and fail to do).
As a white kid growing up, I was taught to trust cops -- and the detective shows I watch reinforce that message.
But I’ve become more cynical. Policing in this country actually has its roots in slave patrolling (in the South) and controlling immigrant, pro-union workers (in the North). Their core purpose was to protect the “property” of wealthy families.
To this day, the bulk of police department expenditures goes to detaining drug users in marginalized communities. They are the foot soldiers in the war on drugs which was designed to help candidates win election, and also makes prison/surveillance corporations very rich.
So, I’m not clear that we should expect police to help protect us from criminal behavior like sexual assault, domestic violence, or even stranger violence. (We can be pleasantly surprised when they do, which happens sometimes.)
Thank you for covering femicide on behalf of the daughter of a murdered mother.
I am so sorry. And thank you for your comment.
Unfortunately, this won't go anywhere, because the Supreme Court has decided that police have no responsibility to protect any specific individual. Check out this decision in Town of Castle Rock v Gonzales:
https://www.oyez.org/cases/2004/04-278
Disgusting.
Let me see if the people who know her are interested in talking ... I don't know the family at all, they are out in Arizona. There's a FB page dedicated to her memory, it's under her name Alayna Hardy.
Tana - here's a news story along the lines of your subject matter. The police were at this woman's apartment a few hours before her boyfriend came back, broke in and killed her. It's a horrible case. The killer has been arrested and is on Rikers Island awaiting trial. I had met the young lady once - she was a friend of a friend - she seemed so sweet, really enjoying life in NYC.
https://usdailyreport.com/2021/05/25/fernando-munera-alayna-hardy-police-new-york_n_22505.html
https://diplomatictimes.net/2021/05/21/harlem-new-york-woman-stabbed-to-death-by-ex-boyfriend-despite-police-restraining-order/
Oh my God! That is horrible! Would your friend be interested in talking?