In a recent development, Victoria Ruiz, a public defender from New York County, will retain her position despite the controversy surrounding her actions.
Ruiz was caught on camera last week, brazenly tearing down posters of hostages missing in the Israel-Hamas conflict. The incident, which quickly went viral, has been widely criticized.
The video shows Ruiz removing one of the numerous posters that have been displayed across New York City since the terrorist organization, Hamas, attacked Israel on October 7. Despite being questioned by the person filming, Why are you taking down pictures of missing children?, Ruiz continued with her actions.
The nonprofit watchdog, StopAntisemitism, identified Ruiz as the individual in the video. When approached by The Post, the New York County Defender Services (NYCDS), Ruiz's employer, described her actions as highly insensitive.
Lupe Todd-Medina, spokesperson for NYCDS, stated, It has come to our attention that one of our attorneys, Victoria Ruiz, recently attended a public vigil solely in her capacity as a private citizen. Some of her actions at the event have drawn sharp criticism and we strongly condemn them as highly insensitive.
However, following an internal review of the incident, NYCDS accepted Ruiz's apology and her commitment to improve her behavior. Todd-Medina added, Ms. Ruiz has apologized to those who were hurt or confused by her actions. After an internal review, and a pledge by all involved to do better, we accept this apology and now refocus on the vigorous pursuit of our mission: achieving justice and dignity for every individual we represent.
This incident is not isolated. Numerous individuals have been filmed vandalizing or tearing down posters of children and adults taken hostage in the Israel-Hamas conflict in New York City. Among these offenders are an NYU student who lost their job over the scandal and a Brooklyn man who was arrested after being filmed in a scuffle while attempting to tear down the hostage posters.
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