Tahanie Aboushi: Transforming the Future of Justice

Tahanie Aboushi: Transforming the Future of Justice Reem Farhat

Tahanie Aboushi is changing the culture of justice in more ways than one. Aboushi is the Muslim Palestinian American attorney running to be the district attorney of Manhattan whose progressive campaign aims to make the justice system "into one that uplifts and builds up [Manhattan's] neighbors and neighborhoods." When she was younger, Aboushi and her nine siblings experienced the impact of this country's criminal justice system first hand. Today, she represents a wide range of people seeking justice, from elementary school students experiencing bullying and harassment, to individuals facing discrimination on the basis of race or religion. How have your life experiences influenced your decision to practice law?

When I was fourteen, my father was sentenced to twenty-two years in prison. This was a destabilizing experience for my family. I remember how uprooted our existence was. I decided to become a lawyer so I could find families like mine and help them navigate a system like the criminal justice system. Many of these issues, like immigration and contact with the criminal justice system, were common experiences for our communities, but no one knows where to get trusted help from. I wanted to be that person. How has your identity as a Palestinian woman affected your view of justice or career?

What it means to be Muslim, Palestinian and female has always been a topic of discussion in the public, media, workplace, and family. Society is telling you how you should be acting and who you should be before you begin to figure it out yourself.

In all of those categories, it is always a fight to make your own way and to work for equality and justice because people want to be equally represented and heard. We want to make our own way instead of being pigeon holed into these stereotypes. I have taken that fight to the court to advocate for justice and fairness for everyone.

Photo provided by Tahanie Aboushi

Do you have any advice for young women facing these societal pressures?

You have to have a reference point for your morals and values. If you are Muslim, it is probably Islam. For me, Islam is what keeps me tied to my course. Specifically, the Hadith that guides us to love for our brother what we love for ourselves. It allows me to renew my intention and I continually ask myself: What I am trying to accomplish? Why am I doing this? I've always wanted to be a voice for those who have been pushed into the shadows of society and be a source of help for anyone in need. I know that our existence is not permanent, and so I don't see things as possessions or personal gains for me, I 14

see myself as trying to make this world a better through counseling, employment, and support for place so it is easier for the next person. mental health struggles. By doing that, we can shift

Your "why" is your driving force and it will hold crimes. you accountable and help you navigate the great adversities that lie ahead for you. How has this pandemic affected the legal system? What is your why? home allowing public health to become the first pri

My why is to ensure fairness, equality, and jusority for everyone. In regards to the criminal justice tice for all. system- our jails, prisons, and ICE detention centers Why is it important for women to have representation in the legal field? We are an important voice in the legal field and we want to be represented and oftentimes, people want to speak on our behalf to our exclusion. The conversation is: this is what I think should be happening to Muslim women, this is how I think women should behave. But we are right here. We are right here and you should ask us or listen to the Muslim voices who are out there telling you what they want have become incubators for this virus. Since January, we have been advocating for the reduction of these populations because we know that the conditions of these facilities are not sanitary, do not provide PPEs and do not have adequate medical care. Although inmates have been tasked with producing hand sanitizer, they are not allowed to use it because it contains alcohol and alcohol is a contraband. People in these facilities, including employees, cannot socially distance and are not tested for COVID. and how they want to do things. We need to be There is a difference between jail and prison. more assertive in telling our Prison holds people who own stories. “Society is telling you how have already been convicted As District Attorney how do you plan to reform the legal system in Manhattan? One of the main problems with this system is that it provides the public with the false premise that in order to be safe, people have to be punished or put in jail. So the term "accountability" is decided for us and for people who have come in contact with the system. Instead of victims having a say in what happens, this office cuts them out and decides from amongst a handful of punitive measures such as: fines, jails, and monitoring. When you break down the statistics and see who are the bulk of people being prosecuted, they are black and brown people, low income people and people who are struggling with social ills such as drug addiction, unemand are serving a sentence. However, jail populations are made up of people who are waiting for their cases to be resolved- are legally innocent until proven guilty, and people who have committed violations of their parole. These violations include not updating your address or not checking in with your parole officer. If you miss any of these things, you have to go to jail and wait for a hearing date. There are hundreds of thousands of people across the country in jail unnecessarily. People have been advocating to get these people out of jail but the response has always been, "No, they have to stay there for public safety," even though there is no evidence that the public would not be safe or that they would be a danger. you should be acting and who you should be before you begin to figure it out yourself. ” ployment, and mental health. Prison culture is horriLeadership across the country have moved to ble, it is violent, unhealthy, and dangerous. It is not reduce jail and prison populations because COVID where people go to grow. has been spreading in these facilities at a higher rate What I want to do is remove this office from the frontline response to socio-economic ailments and instead rely on community-based organizations to help rehabilitate behavior, prevent crime and ensure people get the help they need. Community based organizations help people defeat their addictions than any country in the world. New York has already reduced it by twenty percent, but they can do much more. Now, 1,210 people on Riker's Island Jail in New York tested positive for COVID- 362 incarcerated people and 848 correctional staff and health workers, and it is still spreading. (Continued on page 16) 15 our focus to those committing high level and violent This pandemic transcends any field and every

Everyone keeps saying they want things to go back to normal, but normal is what got us here. I don't want us to go back to how things were. We have to do things better. I am hoping that all the changes that were enacted in response to COVID-19 become permanent and we are working as an efficient society that puts people first and makes public health the priority. Do you have any advice for young people hoping to advocate for justice?

Martin Luther King said, "It is always the right time to do the right thing." And Nelson Mandela said "It always seems impossible until it is done." My advice is to never let yourself be discouraged by the naysayers or the very difficult road of changing the world for the better. This is about healing, doing better and ensuring that society works from a posi

tion of justice and mercy. You can accomplish accountability and rehabilitation. You can be just and merciful while still dealing with tough things going on in society, -these concepts are not mutually exclusive.

Since our theme is future, what is the future you see for Manhattan with you as District Attorney?

The future I see is one of justice for all, one where people know they are going to come before the law and be equally treated and represented. I will make this office accountable, transparent and collaborative to prevent crime and support rehabilitation. One where communities can trust that it is not being used as a personal law firm for the privileged and the powerful. I see a District Attorney's office that addresses the socio-economic problems of society by providing more community resources and support instead of incarcerating some of the most vulnerable people among us.

حرفة صناعة الفخار الجزء الأول: الفخار عبر العصور رجاء غزاونة

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