Free Jose Alba; Fire Alvin Bragg

Last week, a hard working Hispanic store employee in Manhattan, Jose Alba, age 51, was attacked by two violent criminals.

Alba was trapped behind the store counter, beaten and stabbed, in an attempted robbery. Then Alba grabbed a knife, and stabbed one of his attackers, Austin Simon, age 34, killing him.

The other attacker, a 32 year old woman, who had stabbed Alva several times, then fled the scene.

Simon was fresh out of prison, for assaulting a police officer. It was another nasty violent attempted robbery - with a tragic end - in the increasingly nasty, crime-infested City of New York.

But what happened next has shocked the City and all decent people: The new Manhattan District Attorney, Alvin Bragg, chose to indict Alba for the "murder" of his attacker. Alba was arrested, charged with the felony of Second Degree Murder, held on $500,000 bond, and after several days in Riker's Island, was released only when bail was reduced by the Court to $5,000.

The woman attacker - who instigated the attack and stabbed Alba repeatedly in the arm and abdomen - was not arrested nor charged with any crime by Bragg.

To call this an "injustice" is a gross understatement. Here the violent muggers and robbers are protected. And an innocent man just trying to save himself from being murdered is arrested. In Alvin Bragg's screwed-up universe, up is down; murder and robbery are "justice;" and self-defense is "murder."

In New York, the Governor can remove a District Attorney who refuses to follow or enforce the law. And a Governor can pardon someone who is being wrongfully prosecuted.

Incumbent Governor Kathy Hocul (D-Buffalo) has refused to even condemn the injustice being perpetrated upon Jose Alba. And for all the wrong reasons: Hochul is busy currying favor with the left-wing Working Families Party that supports violent "street justice" against Hispanic working people like Jose Alba.

Republican Congressman Lee Zeldin (R-Suffolk) has already condemned Bragg and promised to fire him, if he defeats Hochul in the election for Governor this fall.

The Leader calls for both candidates to do the right thing: Pardon the innocent Jose Alba; and Fire the horrible Alvin Bragg.