A Manhattan public defender, Victoria Ruiz, has resigned from her position following a disgusting incident involving the ripping down of posters of kidnapped Israelis during the October 7 terror attack by Hamas in southern Israel. Ruiz’s decision to step down was communicated to her colleagues in a memo from NYCDS Executive Director Stan Germán on Tuesday. The incident had created division among the staff, but it was ultimately Ruiz’s choice to resign. The incident in question was captured on video and shared by the non-partisan StopAntisemitism X account. The footage shows Ruiz smirking while tearing down posters, with someone questioning her actions, asking, “Why are you taking down pictures of missing children? Why are you taking down pictures of babies?” Ruiz did not respond and instead walked away with a smirk. In an apology letter obtained by 1010 WINS, Ruiz expressed regret for her actions during the vigil. She stated, “I apologize to anyone who was hurt or confused by my actions at a vigil last week that were depicted in a video that went viral over the weekend.” Ruiz went on to clarify, “This viral video misrepresented my actions and has led to false accusations. I regret taking down two posters that had egregious depictions and words justifying killing children.” (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)