Texas Rep. Crockett’s Comments On DEI Hiring Spark Debate: “You Should Hire Me…Because I’m Black”
https://x.com/libsoftiktok/status/1907527116918251825
Texas Rep. Crockett’s Comments On DEI Hiring Spark Debate: “You Should Hire Me…Because I’m Black”
By Danielle Shockey
April 3, 2025
U.S. Representative Jasmine Crockett, a Democrat from Texas, made remarks during a House Judiciary Subcommittee hearing on Wednesday that have ignited a debate about diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).
Crockett recounted her experience being hired as a public defender despite having no prior criminal defense experience. She stated that she told her prospective boss, “Listen, you should hire me,” and when asked why, replied, “Because I’m Black.”
Crockett explained that she believed her presence would allow her to establish a level of rapport and understanding with certain clients that her colleagues might not be able to achieve. Her boss ultimately hired her.
Crockett’s comments, made during a discussion about diversity in law enforcement, drew significant attention and criticism on social media. Many users, particularly on X, accused Crockett of admitting to being a “DEI hire.”
The Libs of TikTok account posted, “INCREDIBLE. Democrat Rep. Jasmine Crockett publicly admits that she only got her job as a public defender because she was Black. Crockett is a DEI hire, CONFIRMED.”
During the hearing, Crockett defended the importance of DEI in the criminal justice system, arguing that victims of crime should see law enforcement officers who resemble them.
She emphasized the value of having law enforcement that “looks like me,” stating that it helps ensure that cases are investigated fairly, regardless of the race or gender of the victim.
She expressed concern about an administration that “is continuously railing against diversity, equity or inclusion.”
New York City has given a guy named Halbert Burke permission to steal as many cars as he wants. So far, the city has arrested and released him 60 times.
By Daniel Alman (aka Dan from Squirrel Hill)
April 2, 2025
New York City has given a guy named Halbert Burke permission to steal as many cars as he wants.
So far, the city has arrested and released him 60 times.
I disagree with this policy.
But I don’t live in New York City, and I respect the right of its citizens to vote for policies that I disagree with.
Accused serial car thief struck in NYC more than a dozen times since December — but remains free without bail
By Joe Marino, Amanda Woods, and Jorge Fitz-Gibbon
March 9, 2025
He’s got the court system spinning its wheels.
A career criminal with a penchant for taking work vans on joyrides has struck a dozen times since December alone — but remains on the streets because of the state’s lax bail reform laws.
Halbert Burke, 58, who has 60 busts under his belt since 1990, went on his current van-theft spree on Dec. 22, telling cops, “I took it for a joyride,” according to a criminal complaint.
But he didn’t stop there — he kept getting busted and walking without bail as recently as Feb. 18.
“The DAs at this point are so exhausted that after that many convictions they just charge him with misdemeanors,” one frustrated law enforcement source told The Post.
Burke has 11 convictions since 2017 on his record — and 24 felony arrests since then, sources said.
And yet, the system can’t hold him because state lawmakers passed criminal justice reform measures in 2019 that bar bail for most criminal offenses — including the grand larceny and criminal possession of stolen property charges Burke keeps getting hit with.
His recent alleged spree began on Dec. 22, when he allegedly walked into a parking lot on Drake Street in the Bronx shortly before 4:30 a.m. and drove off in a truck parked there, prosecutors said.
Shortly after 8 a.m. the very next day, Burke was arrested again at Second Avenue and East 126th Street in East Harlem for allegedly making off with a van owned by Luciano Trucking.
The driver told cops he parked the van but when he came back it was gone.
Police caught up with Burke, who said he took it for a joyride, according to a complaint.
Burke was charged in a string of thefts and a slew of others on Jan. 18, when he was arrested for allegedly making off with 10 vehicles, most of them for work vans and trucks, according to authorities.
Released without bail, the crafty criminal was back in handcuffs on Feb. 4, when he was arrested on Washington Avenue in the Bronx around 1:30 a.m. and charged with making off with a 2016 car — even though the driver told cops she locked the vehicle and took the keys with her.
Burke was allegedly caught on surveillance vehicle stealing the car, according to a complaint.
Released again, Burke was nabbed on Feb. 18 after police said he drove off in a white two-door van around 12:30 p.m. on Southern Boulevard in the Bronx.
According to the complaint, a witness saw Burke behind the wheel and he was arrested again, this time hit with unauthorized use of a vehicle and fourth degree criminal possession of a weapon after police said he had a black dagger on him when he was busted.
He now has five open cases — two in Manhattan and three in the Bronx — but remains free.
“This is what 35 years of being a perp looks like,” another source said.
Burke’s public defender attorney could not be reached for comment.
I asked Grok, “In New York, a serial reckless driver named Miriam Yarimi killed three people. How many reckless driving incidents did she have before this? Why didn’t they lock her up before she killed these people?”
I asked Grok, “In New York, a serial reckless driver named Miriam Yarimi killed three people. How many reckless driving incidents did she have before this? Why didn’t they lock her up before she killed these people?”
This is the answer that it gave:
Miriam Yarimi, a 32-year-old driver involved in a fatal crash in Brooklyn on March 29, 2025, had a significant history of traffic violations prior to the incident that resulted in the deaths of a mother and her two daughters. According to various reports, the vehicle she was driving—an Audi with the vanity plate “WIGM8KER”—had accumulated over 90 traffic tickets since August 2023. These included at least 21 speed-camera tickets, five red-light violations, and numerous parking tickets, totaling nearly $11,000 in fines, with over $1,300 still unpaid at the time of the crash. While these figures reflect violations tied to the vehicle, it’s reasonable to infer that Yarimi, as the driver, was responsible for many, if not most, of these incidents, given her documented pattern of behavior and the fact that she was driving on a suspended license at the time of the crash.
As for specific “reckless driving incidents,” the exact number of prior events classified as reckless driving (a distinct legal charge in New York involving willful disregard for safety) isn’t explicitly detailed in available sources. However, her record of 93+ violations—including 20 or more speeding tickets and multiple red-light infractions—indicates a pattern of dangerous driving behavior. Some reports suggest she had bragged about speeding on social media, further supporting the perception of habitual recklessness. One X post even claims she was involved in a crash the day before the fatal incident, though this lacks corroboration from official sources and should be treated as unverified.
Why wasn’t she “locked up” before this tragedy? The answer lies in the structure of New York’s traffic enforcement and legal system. Most of Yarimi’s documented violations appear to have been camera-issued tickets, which are civil penalties, not criminal charges. In New York City, speed and red-light camera violations result in fines (typically $50-$100 each) and points on a driver’s license, but they don’t automatically lead to arrests or jail time unless the driver fails to pay or appear in court, triggering a bench warrant. Yarimi’s license was suspended at the time of the crash—though the reason isn’t fully disclosed in available reports—but a suspension alone doesn’t physically prevent someone from driving unless they’re caught and detained. Driving with a suspended license is a misdemeanor in New York (Vehicle and Traffic Law § 511), which can carry jail time (up to 30 days for a first offense), but enforcement typically requires police to apprehend the driver in the act, and penalties often escalate only with repeated offenses.
Yarimi’s ability to continue driving despite her record suggests gaps in proactive enforcement. For instance, while her car racked up dozens of tickets, there’s no indication police actively seized her vehicle or arrested her for driving while suspended prior to the fatal crash. This could stem from practical limitations—camera tickets don’t involve immediate police interaction, and tracking down every suspended driver isn’t feasible with current resources. Additionally, some speculate that her $2 million settlement from a lawsuit against the NYPD (for alleged abuse by an officer years earlier) may have made authorities hesitant to pursue her aggressively, though this is anecdotal and unproven.
Critics, including lawmakers and advocacy groups like Transportation Alternatives, argue that New York’s laws didn’t do enough to stop repeat offenders like Yarimi. Her case has fueled calls for legislation, such as the Speed Limiters for Repeat Offenders Act, which would mandate speed-limiting devices on vehicles of drivers with six or more camera tickets. Before this incident, no such law existed, and the system relied heavily on fines and suspensions—measures that clearly failed to deter Yarimi. Whether stricter penalties or earlier intervention could have prevented this tragedy remains a matter of debate, but her extensive violation history underscores why many now question the effectiveness of the status quo.
Air traffic controller charged with assaulting colleague in DCA tower
Archive: https://archive.ph/yRkFb
Air traffic controller charged with assaulting colleague in DCA tower
A work dispute led to an altercation between employees in the control tower at Reagan National Airport on Thursday night, people familiar with the matter say.
By Rachel Weiner, Ian Duncan, and Tom Jackman
April 1, 2025
An air traffic control supervisor at Reagan National Airport punched a colleague Thursday during a dispute in the control tower that forced others to step away from their duties to intervene, according to two people with knowledge of the incident.
Damon Marsalis Gaines, 39, of Upper Marlboro, Maryland, was arrested Friday and charged with misdemeanor assault and battery “following reports of an incident in the ATC control tower at DCA,” a Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority spokesperson said. He was taken to the Arlington County jail, served with a misdemeanor summons and released.
The two people familiar with the incident, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive law enforcement matter, said the altercation began after a disagreement about operations. Gaines, the people said, began yelling at the other air traffic controller and then punched him in the face.
Other controllers who were in the middle of communicating with aircraft had to leave their positions to restrain Gaines, the people said, a possible safety concern. The incident was first reported by the Daily Mail.
A spokeswoman for the Federal Aviation Administration said only that “the employee is on administrative leave while we investigate the matter.” The airports authority spokesperson declined to comment on the specific details of the altercation.
Gaines declined to comment Saturday. Online records indicate he has been an air traffic controller since at least 2015. The charges have not appeared in the Virginia courts’ online database, and it could not be determined whether Gaines was represented by an attorney.
The air traffic control system at National Airport has been under scrutiny after a midair crash between a military helicopter and a commercial jet occurred just beyond the airport runways in January, killing 67 people. The crash is still under investigation, but a preliminary FAA report said staffing at the airport’s tower on the night of the crash was “not normal.” FAA data indicates that 90 percent of its facilities were understaffed as of September.
On Friday, the day after the reported altercation, a Delta Air Lines passenger jet leaving National had to maneuver to avoid a potential collision with a group of Air Force jets, the FAA said. Audio of the incident indicated that the Delta pilot asked a controller if an aircraft was 500 feet below them, and the controller responded, “affirmative.”
The National Air Traffic Controllers Association, the union that represents controllers, declined to comment.
Dan from Squirrel Hill's Blog 