The Queens Democratic Party (Queens Machine) has kept Richard Brown in power as the Queens District Attorney (Queens DA) for 28 years. "Historically, the Democratic Party has had enormous influence in choosing the city’s district attorneys. The races often attract little interest, and low voter turnout allows the favorites of the political machine to win, cementing long, unchallenged tenures. Nowhere has that been more true than in Queens, where the Democratic Party has picked the county’s district attorney for decades." With a Tough-on-Crime D.A. Stepping Down, Will Queens Turn to a Reformer?, by Jan Ransom, NY Times.

The Queens Machine now wants another loyalist to be Queens DA: Melinda Katz, Rory Lancman, or Gregory Lasak. Two term-limited Queens Machine politicians or an age-limited Queens Machine judge. NYS Supreme Court justices have a mandatory retirement age of 70. "All three figures have won campaigns with support from Crowley’s county machine. In 2013, the party-backed Katz for borough president and Lancman for councilman (representing Fresh Meadows); in 2017, Lasak was re-elected as one of the six State Supreme Court judges on the Democratic line. Although Lancman voted for him to remain party leader despite his defeat by Ocasio-Cortez, Crowley seems closest to Katz. Given that a new DA potentially could shake up the Queens courthouses, the party machine has a lot riding on the late June primary." Is Queens Ready For a People’s DA? by Theodore Hamm, The Indypendent.

We need Tiffany L. Cabán, a true reformer DA, not politicians like Katz and Lancman, that talk the talk of criminal justice reform during a campaign just because they're subject to term-limits in their current elected positions.

Tiffany L. Cabán is "running to transform the Queens District Attorney's office after years of witnessing its abuses on the front line." Unlike Cabán, who has spent her career practicing criminal law as a public defender, "Borough President Melinda Katz and City Councilman Rory Lancman, have no law enforcement experience. Neither has ever practiced criminal law. Neither has ever served as a prosecutor. Rather, both are career local politicians. Katz served in the state Assembly and lost a race for Congress. Lancman has run for just about every available office: Assembly (won), state Senate (lost), mayor (aborted) and Congress (lost)," Wanted: A prosecutor for Queens; The two leading candidates for district attorney are ill-equipped to lead the office by Ryan, former chief of the violent criminal enterprises unit for the Manhattan DA, NY Daily News. 

Mr. Murder knows where all the bodies are buried. Lasak spent decades in the Queens DA's office and earned the nickname "Mr. Murder"due to his number of murder convictions. According to The National Registry of Exonerations there were five Queens murder convictions during Lasak's tenure as the Queens DA office homicide bureau chief which were subsequently vacated and the persons exonerated. These wrongfully convicted persons, who were sentenced to 25 years-to-life, are:

      Kareem Bellamy (convicted in 1995, exonerated in 2011);

      Todd McCord (convicted in 1987, exonerated in 1994);

      Lazaro Burt (convicted in 1994, exonerated in 2002);

      Angelo Martinez (convicted in 1986, exonerated in 2002);

      Eddie Andre (convicted in 1988, exonerated in 1994).

53 years lost: each person on average was unlawfully deprived of over ten years of his life. At an unnecessary prison expenditure to NYS taxpayers of $3.2 million and an approximate total cost of $12.5 million. Four of these five, or 80% of these wrongful convictions involved official misconduct and they all involved people of color. Again, The National Registry of Exoneration defines "official misconduct" as, "Police, prosecutors, or other government officials significantly abused their authority or the judicial process in a manner that contributed to the exoneree's conviction." 

Talking the talk of criminal justice reform has gotten DAs elected, but once in office their reforms are slow and disappointing.

Tiffany L. Cabán will be the true reformer DAthat will fight to make the Queens DA's office take unapologetic, bold stances in favor of a fair and just criminal justice system.

Meet Tiffany L. Cabán.