Anyone looking for an example of how crime is killing the soul of New York need look no further than the case of Jose Alba. The outrageous arrest of the bodega worker who fatally stabbed a career criminal while defending himself perfectly illustrates the random danger of city life and the ass-backwardness of the criminal justice system.
The dead man, Austin Simon, was a thug who attacked the 61-year-old Alba, who was working alone at night in the small store on Broadway and 139th Street. Simon, 35, was on probation for assault and reportedly had been arrested at least 27 times previously.
Yes, you read that right, 27 arrests, and Simon reportedly did a stint in state prison for assaulting a cop. Yet there he was, free to hassle and attack an innocent man doing an honest job in a dangerous neighborhood.
In a sane and more just world, Alba never would have been charged. After all, any of the beleaguered citizens tired of living in fear and sick of the politicians who protect the guilty could end up in a situation similar to the one Alba faced.
Yet instead of recognizing Alba’s right of self-defense, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg predictably wants to lock him up. Bragg’s first move after charging Alba with second-degree murder was to push for bail of $500,000, which a judge cut in half.
New York DA was funded by George Sorros
The storekeeper did exactly as he should have done!