New York, NY—Citizen Action of New York joined the Working Families Party, New York City Public Advocate Jumanne Williams and Assemblymember Yuh-Line Niou to announce their endorsement of Tahanie Aboushi in the competitive race for Manhattan District Attorney.
As a progressive attorney for many years, Tahanie fought to demand fair treatment for people wronged by the criminal legal system. She has fought for victims of harassment, racism, and other forms of discrimination, and won. For Tahanie, the political is personal. When she was 14 years old, her father received a harsh prison sentence of 22 years. This devastated her family and ignited her passion to end mass incarceration.
“I could not be prouder to have the endorsement of New York’s progressive standard-bearers, the Working Families Party, Citizen Action of New York, New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, and New York State Assemblymember Yuh-Line Niou,” said Tahanie Aboushi, Democratic candidate for Manhattan District Attorney. “WFP and Citizen Action have an amazing track record of aligning themselves with candidates who are running for the right reasons and fighting for a fairer and more just system. Jumaane Williams and Yuh-Line Niou understand that for centuries, the power of our criminal justice system has been held by prosecutors at the expense of our communities. All of these progressive leaders endorsed our campaign because they understand the cruelty of our justice system and trust the impacted community to provide solutions that get at the core of the problem. Together, I know we will accomplish transformational change for Manhattan and the criminal justice system as a whole.”
“As an activist, public school teacher, and most importantly a Black woman–it is crucial to me that we elect a Manhattan District Attorney that will not target communities of color like Cy Vance has,” said Sherese Jackson, New York City Regional Board Member of Citizen Action of New York. “We need someone who will refuse to prosecute people simply because they’re poor, hold the police accountable for the harm they cause in our communities, and will truly be a progressive and transformational DA. That’s why we are proud to endorse Tahanie Aboushi.”
“We are proud to endorse civil rights attorney and activist Tahanie Aboushi in her run for Manhattan District Attorney,” said New York Working Families Party State Director Sochie Nnaemeka. “Tahanie has demonstrated a deep professional and personal commitment to delivering justice for the Black and brown New Yorkers who have suffered most under the punitive approach of the current Manhattan’s DA office. Given her legal career holding the powerful in New York City accountable, vision and policy to build safety and community strength, and first-hand personal experience with our broken criminal ‘justice’ system, we have no doubt that Tahanie is the right candidate for the job. We’re excited to join her team and help deliver the safe and just future New Yorkers deserve.”