Calling out the exploitation of tragedy
Late last month, the New York Times published an inaccurate and misleading story that misrepresented New York City’s sanctuary laws and furthered attempts by Mayor Adams and others to exploit a tragic act of sexual violence that recently occurred in Coney Island. To set the record straight, IDP published a 15-part X (previously known as Twitter) thread which has been viewed over 7,000 times.
The thread, also available on Instagram, names that individual actions should not be used to demonize whole communities or to dictate broader policies. The post highlights how sanctuary policies build community safety, helping survivors of violence come forward to get the help they need without fear of deportation. The thread also takes the NYT to task for elevating inflammatory, inaccurate language and for omitting fundamental facts about ICE holds.
IDP is continuing to work with partners to push back on inflammatory news coverage that dehumanizes immigrant New Yorkers and to uplift the voices of key community partners. A group of organizations which support survivors of domestic and sexual violence published an important statement this week addressing the Times’ coverage, cautioning against “attempts to misdirect the public’s outrage away from the crucial work of ending gender-based violence.”
