Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Manhattan DA Bragg to meet with bodega groups as controversy swirls over stabbing charges
By
Michelle Bocanegra
Published Jul 12, 2022
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
MICHAEL M. SANTIAGO/GETTY IMAGES
By
Michelle Bocanegra
Published Jul 12, 2022
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg — facing mounting pressure over murder charges brought against a bodega worker who critics say was defending himself — will meet with two bodega associations on Tuesday morning.
Bragg, a progressive who took office in January, has fielded an onslaught of scrutiny in recent days over his office’s decision to bring charges of 2nd Degree Murder against Jose Alba, a bodega clerk who fatally stabbed a man seen accosting him behind the counter.
The meeting with the bodega associations, United Bodegas of America and the Yemeni American Merchants Association, will be centered on “the meaning of Self Defense,” according to a release from UBA. Bragg is scheduled to meet with them at 10 a.m., after which time the groups will hold a press conference.
“It is clear to UBA & YAMA that the Jose Alba case is a self defense case, we hope DA Bragg will agree with us,” said Fernando Mateo, a spokesperson for UBA, in a statement ahead of the meeting. “Self defense is not a crime when the alternative is getting killed.”
Though Bragg has faced heat from conservatives before, the new wave of criticism comes from across the political spectrum, with New York City Mayor Eric Adams, a centrist Democrat, publicly demonstrating a show of support for the bodega employee.
“This is the same message that I've been stating over and over again: That hard working New Yorkers, and Americans to be honest with you, should not be attacked in their place of work,” Adams said in an interview on WABC Radio.
Adams emphasized that district attorneys are “independent” of his office while reiterating his support for Alba, which he said was in line with his job as mayor.
“We're spending time defending people who commit crimes,” Adams added. “I'm going to defend New Yorkers who are doing the right thing.”
Tagged
crime
Alvin Bragg
bodegas
Michelle Bocanegra
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Retired NYPD detective charged in George Washington Bridge killing out on $1M bail
Victor Romero, who retired from the police department in 2001
By
Michael Sol Warren
Published Oct 25, 2026 at 10:25 a.m. ET
Suicides decline in NYC, but inequities persist across groups
New data shows suicide taking an outsize toll among Latino New Yorkers, even as overall deaths fell.
By
Jill Webb
News
Suicides decline in NYC, but inequities persist across groups
New data shows suicide taking an outsize toll among Latino New Yorkers, even as overall deaths fell.
By
Jill Webb
Cuts to rural healthcare become key issue for upstate votes in race for NY governor
By
Samuel King
NY Archdiocese will soon settle $800M clergy sexual abuse claims
By
Arya Sundaram
Chinatown residents file lawsuit against after-hours construction on new 'mega jail'
By
Arya Sundaram
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .