Queens has never had a woman as a District Attorney, so as its first, Melinda will bring a new perspective to the many crimes against women and the best means to reduce and eliminate them.

In the Assembly, Melinda fought for the Domestic Violence and Intervention Act to give law enforcement more tools to stop domestic violence and keep victims safer. As Director of Community Boards for Borough President Shulman, Melinda headed up her committee on Domestic Violence. As the Borough President, Melinda is the awardee of the Improving Criminal Justice Responses grant from the Department of Justice, to combat domestic violence using a wholistic approach.

Partnering with the Queens District Attorney and Safe Horizons, this grant is part of the Violence against Women Act, a federal program providing prosecution and social services to those families victimized by this crime. As our DA, she’ll work with police and women’s organizations to continue this work with education, intervention strategies, prosecutions and protection for victims.

Domestic violence is a particular challenge in immigrant communities, where women are often reluctant to report abuse to police because of fears of deportation. Through her Immigrant Justice Unit, Melinda will partner will immigrant advocacy groups to educate women about their rights, protect them from Trump’s ICE, assist them in leaving an abusive situation and prosecute abusers as appropriate.

Similarly, victims of human trafficking are double-victimized by the Trump administration, which sends ICE agents to wait outside the sex trafficking courthouse to arrest victims. Melinda will increase enforcement against sex traffickers and keep the focus on prosecuting perpetrators, not victims.