7 BRONX WEEKLY August 23, 2020 www.BXTimes.com
Cops bust suspect in Harris murder
21-year-old arrested for brutal stabbing of trans woman Tiffany Harris
BY PAUL SCHINDLER
The NYPD arrested a suspect
on Aug. 12 in connection
with the death of Tiffany Harris,
a Black transgender woman
who was murdered in the Bronx
last month.
Alpha Diallo, a 21-year-old
man who resides at 1849 Sedgwick
Ave. in the Bronx, was arrested
for fatally stabbing the
32-year-old Harris in the thirdfloor
hallway of 2575 Jerome Ave.
after 1:30 a.m. on July 26, the
NYPD announced. Harris was
rushed to Saint Barnabas hospital,
where she was pronounced
dead after 2 a.m.
Diallo faces murder and manslaughter
charges, as well as a third
charge for criminal possession of
a weapon.
Bronx transgender woman
was just 32 years old when she
was murdered
It is not clear why the two
were at an apartment building at
2575 Jerome Avenue in Fordham
Manor. Harris resided at 55 East
176th Street in Morris Heights,
about a mile from Diallo’s residence
at 1849 Sedgwick Ave, also
in Morris Heights.
The pair were suspected of
having met up for a sex work encounter,
police sources told the
Daily News, but cops said it is not
clear why Harris was stabbed and
the investigation into the case
is ongoing.
The arrest concluded weeks
of incremental updates from the
NYPD, which continued to release
new surveillance shots and video
of a man wanted for questioning
before finally making the arrest
on August 12. The police did not
immediately respond to the question
of whether the man whose picture
and videos they distributed
was Diallo.
The community held
a vigil for Harris earlier
this month.
The case, like many others involving
transgender women, has
served as a prime example of the
ongoing pattern of police and media
failing to respect the names
and gender identities of trans
and non-binary individuals. The
NYPD, before and now, identified
the victim as a woman but only
referred to her dead name, and
the Daily News misgendered her
in the headline of a news article
on August 13. The newspaper in
a story shortly after the killing
reported that Harris’ mother
identified her as a man but also
said, “I didn’t know much about
his lifestyle.”
Diallo’s attorney, according
to the Daily News, argued in
court that his client suffers from
serious mental health issues
that have been exacerbated during
the COVID-19 crisis due to a
lack of adequate access to necessary
care. The attorney also
tied his client’s mental health
issues to Diallo’s previous encounters
with the criminal
justice system.
The NYPD did not immediately
respond to an email seeking
further details about the
circumstances surrounding
the encounter between Diallo
and Harris.
Planned Parenthood endorses progressive candidates
BY JENNA BAGCAL
Planned Parenthood recently
announced its endorsement of two
of the Bronx’s newest progressive
Congressional candidates.
Ritchie Torres (NY-15) and Jamaal
Bowman (NY-16) received
the nonprofi t organization’s support
due to their backing of proreproductive
rights. According
to Planned Parenthood, the districts
in which the candidates are
running are majority Black and
Latinx, two groups who have suffered
from an unequal healthcare
system stemming from systemic
racism and economic oppression.
“I am honored to receive the
endorsement of Planned Parenthood
Action Fund,” said Bowman
in a statement to the Bronx Times.
“In the last four years, President
Trump and his administration
have rolled back women’s rights,
slashed millions of dollars in funding
for critical social services and
repeatedly threatened reproductive
health care, including abortions.
In Congress, I look forward
to working with the Planned Parenthood
Action Fund as we restore
these rights and fi ght to ensure everyone
has the right to choose, the
fundamental right to bodily autonomy
and access to reproductive
and preventative care.”
Both candidates have consistently
shown their support for
Planned Parenthood and its mission
to provide reproductive health
care to all. Back in January of this
year, Torres took to Twitter and
spoke in favor of women’s rights to
have an abortion.
“Women’s right to determine
their own health care & make the
decisions that are appropriate for
their bodies is under attack. We
must continue to fi ght on all fronts
to ensure women have access to
safe abortions,” said Torres on his
Twitter account.
During his time in offi ce, President
Trump has made several attempts
to strike down the Affordable
Care Act, making it harder
for Americans to access the basic
health care they need. In an effort
to repeal the ACA, the Trump
Administration attacked initiatives
like Title X, the country’s
only dedicated family planning
program and the Teen Pregnancy
Prevention Program.
“This November voters in The
Bronx have a chance to elect candidates
who are dedicated to protecting
their sexual and reproductive
health and rights. We are thrilled
with Planned Parenthood Action
Fund’s endorsement of Ritchie
Torres and Jamaal Bowman, allies
whose values align with New Yorkers
wants and needs,” said Pascale
Bernard, vice president of political
affairs and community organizing
at Planned Parenthood.
A recent Planned Parenthood
poll found that voters in the south
Bronx support access to abortion
and other high-quality sexual and
reproductive care. Voters in the
same poll also indicated that Congress
should address the issue of
maternal mortality, which studies
have shown disproportionately
affect Black mothers due to health
care bias.
The Centers for Disease Control
(CDC) found that Black, Native
American and Alaskan Native
women in the United States are
two to three times more likely to
die from pregnancy-related causes
than their white counterparts.
“New Yorkers are done seeing
the Trump administration and
out-of-touch politicians try every
trick in the book to chip away
at health care access and safety
net programs. We are ready for
bold leaders who will fi ght back
against these harmful policies,”
Bernard said.
Torres and Bowman will be
on the Nov. 3 ballot in the 15th
and 16th Congressional Districts
respectively.
Visit nyccfb.info/voterguide to
learn more.
Planned Parenthood announced its endorsement of Ritchie Torres and Jamaal
Bowman for Congress Photos courtesy of Twitter/Facebook
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