Manhattan DA Drops Charges Against Photographer Alexa Wilkinson
Wilkinson was arrested after photographing a protest at the New York Times's headquarters.
Manhattan prosecutors have dropped their case against protest photographer Alexa Wilkinson, who was arrested and charged with a felony hate crime after documenting a protest at the New York Times headquarters last summer.
Terra Brockman, Wilkinson’s attorney at the Legal Aid Society, told Hyperallergic that the charge was dropped yesterday, February 24, because there was “insufficient evidence to prove the allegations beyond a reasonable doubt.”
Wilkinson, who uses gender neutral pronouns, was charged in September, months after they photographed a group dousing the New York Times in red paint in protest of the paper’s Gaza coverage last July.
In an email, Wilkinson told Hyperallergic the "egregious charges" nearly caused them to lose their day job. Police also seized their photography equipment, Wilkinson said, including their laptops, hard drives, and camera, which impacted their income.
"My housing security has been uncertain due to the trauma experienced by my neighbors and landlord," Wilkinson said. "This is mild, however, compared to the more than 300 Palestinian journalists Israel has killed for simply reporting on their own genocide."
Manhattan prosecutors had accused Wilkinson of aggravated harassment in the second degree for social media posts that criticized 11 New York Times staff members for alleged pro-Israel bias amid the Gaza genocide.
The Manhattan District Attorney's office confirmed to Hyperallergic that the case was dismissed "following a thorough investigation," and declined to comment further.
A complaint reviewed by Hyperallergic in September alleged that Wilkinson made “a threatening social media message targeting the Jewish editor of the New York Times” and referenced police body camera footage from the vandalism that allegedly showed Wilkinson holding a camera.
The DA's office told Hyperallergic in September that Wilkinson's charges were related to social media posts, not their presence at the newspaper's headquarters. However, Brockman, Wilkinson's attorney, suggested otherwise in a statement shared with Hyperallergic.
"From the outset, we have said that Alexa is a respected photojournalist with no criminal record who did not participate in or encourage any unlawful activity," Brockman said, "and the allegation that documenting a protest could constitute a hate crime was wholly unfounded."
The photographer said they remain committed to practicing journalism.
“I look forward to continuing in my role as a photojournalist and a credentialed member of the New York City press,” Wilkinson said.
The New York Times has not responded to Hyperallergic's request for comment.
