Gotham Gazette

The Place for New York Policy and politics

Kenneth P. Thompson

Kenneth P. Thompson

  • At 'Begin Again,' Signs of New Approach to Broken Justice System

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    DA Thompson, center, with Council Members Williams & Cumbo (@JumaaneWilliams)


    During Father's Day weekend, hundreds of individuals received the gift of a new beginning. The Brooklyn District Attorney's office held a 'Begin Again' event to lift open arrest warrants related to summonses for low-level offenses ranging from public intoxication, the most common violation, to being

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  • Are DAs Doing Enough to Overturn Wrongful Convictions?

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    Brooklyn DA Thompson, left, & Council Member Reynoso (photo: @BrooklynDA)


    What is the price of winning? For prosecutors in wrongful conviction cases, it can be a life.

    Last year, there were a record 131 exonerations nationwide according to the National Registry of Exonerations. Of those exonerated, six were serving time on death row.

    During that same time period, six new Conviction Integrity Units (CIUs) were established at district attorney offices across

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  • License to Carry: New York's Gun Permit Laws

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    Gov. Cuomo signs the SAFE Act, Jan. 2013 (photo: Governor's Office via flickr)


    Riders on a Brooklyn-bound 4 train fled in terror when a man responded to taunts from two younger men by pulling a gun and loading a clip. As the confrontation escalated and the train stopped, the melee spilled into the Borough Hall station, with threats and shoving until Gilbert Drogheo, one of the younger men, was lying dead of a

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  • Three 2015 District Attorney Races Set to Begin

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    Former SI DA Dan Donovan is sworn in to Congress (@dandonovan_ny)


    Voters can look forward to soon having a clearer picture of the potential contenders for the district attorney races on November’s ballot.

    Three of New York’s five district attorney positions will be voted on this fall — in Staten Island, Queens, and the Bronx — and signature petitioning to get on the ballot begins the first week in June. Brooklyn’s District Attorney, Ken Thompson, and Manhattan’s District Attorney, Cyrus

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  • The New Yorker's Guide To The New City Government

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    Photo by Bill Alatriste/City Council

    NEW YORK — The historic overhaul of New York City government this year goes well beyond the mayor's office.

    There are 21 new members of the City Council, four new borough presidents, and fresh, yet familiar, faces in the offices of Brooklyn district attorney, comptroller, and public advocate. With the city’s politics taking an increasingly liberal turn, there are few outright conservatives left in city government.

    “Reapportionment and term limits combined to make the City

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