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Nick Pinto

@nickpinto.bsky.social
8.7K followers 601 following 668 posts

Co-founder @hellgatenyc.com. Writing about cops, courts, jails, prisons and NYC. You may have known me on Twitter as @macfathom. nick [at] hellgatenyc dot com. On Signal at NickPinto.11

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Reposted by Nick Pinto
Sam Feldman @srfeld.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
I think this is the link you meant. This one goes to the actual decision on the merits of the appeal. www.nycourts.gov/courts/ad2/H...
nycourts.gov
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Nick Pinto @nickpinto.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
The Appellate Division, in its own restrained way, has just tossed the Brooklyn Democrats' autogolpist rump leadership out on its ear: iapps.courts.state.ny.us/nyscef/ViewD...
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Hell Gate *subscribe today!* @hellgatenyc.com · 25/09/2026
Hell Gate reporters are out in the streets talking to the people.
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Hell Gate *subscribe today!* @hellgatenyc.com · 24/09/2026
As the Israeli Prime Minister addressed the United Nations, dwelling at length on New York’s mayor, crowds outside demanded his arrest. hellgatenyc.com/netanyahu-ho...
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Jesse Myerson @jessemyerson.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Looks like Tony Kushner supporting
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Nick Pinto @nickpinto.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
A protest organized by @jvp.bsky.social has just blocked traffic on First Avenue at 39th Street to protest today’s speech by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
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Jessy Edwards @jessyedwards.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
"Can I make a motion to adjourn?" one party member asked from a floor microphone. "This seems like a fake meeting." Our latest dispatch from the Brooklyn Democratic Party saga!: hellgatenyc.com/brooklyn-dem...
hellgatenyc.com
Brooklyn Dems Hold a Meeting Befitting the Most Shambolic Political Organization in History
Meanwhile, an appeals court deliberated on the legality of their actions mere blocks away.
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Nick Pinto @nickpinto.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
The meeting begins—only to recess again for 20 minutes to allow for the ongoing collection of proxy votes. Meanwhile, 6th Vice Chairperson Renee Collymore takes the mic to warn everyone in attendance that Serial’s Sarah Koenig is with a microphone.
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Nick Pinto @nickpinto.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Three hours after its posted start time, the Brooklyn Democratic Party is piling into an auditorium to vote for its leadership for the next year. It's expected to do so under rule changes that have already been tossed out by a NY Supreme court, though the party is appealing.
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Nick Pinto @nickpinto.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Journalists getting threatened with federal arrest here in NYC for trying to find out what’s going on in new “black site docket” immigration courts…
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Nick Pinto @nickpinto.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Subscribe to @hellgatenyc.com, support worker-owned local journalism, and get your Stolen Tavern Penis news more than a month before the NYTimes picks it up without so much as a hyperlink. hellgatenyc.com/the-whiskey-...
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Nick Pinto @nickpinto.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
This may be the most important resignation letter I ever write: hellgatenyc.com/hell-gate-ai...
hellgatenyc.com
Why I'm Resigning: Hell Gate's Proprietary AI Has Grown Too Powerful
Someone should do something about this.
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Nick Pinto @nickpinto.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
As a person persuaded that an unransacked and financially stable news media is a necessary requirement for a healthy society, this thread makes me see red. These fucking sociopaths, ripping out the foundations of our home in broad daylight so they can sell the rebar. Hell is not hot enough.
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Nick Pinto @nickpinto.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
The NYPD has long been on notice that its Community Response Teams are responsible for disturbing levels of unlawful policing. As those warnings have mounted, the NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch has continued to assign cops with troubling histories to the units. hellgatenyc.com/jessica-tisc...
A Hell Gate analysis of public CCRB records, legal settlements, and officer histories shows that the commissioner has assigned at least 17 officers with troubling histories to CRTs, promoted at least 13 officers with significant histories within the units, and retained at least 10 officers with significant misconduct histories in leadership positions within the CRTs.
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Nick Pinto @nickpinto.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Just insanely amped and adrenalized by the New York City Council livestream hold music that I have been listening to for the last half hour. Ready to run through walls.
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Nick Pinto @nickpinto.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Worth the wait! @spectrumnewsny1.bsky.social has finally published their footage of Brooklyn Democratic Party Chair Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn hiding under a tablecloth while leading reporters on a crazed chase through a golf course on a fine summer night. ny1.com/nyc/brooklyn...
ny1.com
How local political parties control the judicial bench
Assemblywoman Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn hid behind a tablecloth so she would not have to answer NY1's questions.
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Nick Pinto @nickpinto.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
A reminder that a year before stadium-owning billionaires kicked Macklemore off a tour over his advocacy for Palestinian rights, public officials in NYC shut down a Kehlani SummerStage concert for the same reason. hellgatenyc.com/randy-mastro...
hellgatenyc.com
How Randy Mastro Killed the Kehlani SummerStage Concert—And a Whole Lot More
With Mayor Adams thinking about his next act, the former first deputy mayor to Rudy Giuliani is now "guiding every conceivable aspect of this administration."
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Nick Pinto @nickpinto.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
I have read a lot of Caldecott Medal recipients in my day and most were pretty good but the 1972 winner looks like a banger.
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Nick Pinto @nickpinto.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Hold up, NYTimes—You're telling me that these people are *receiving communications from the administration describing its endeavors and achievements*? And when they cover the administration, they stand to profit, *monetizing that coverage through advertising*? www.nytimes.com/2026/09/04/n...
The mayor’s office says that it does not pay the influencers. Still, their proximity and access to a figure as popular as Mr. Mamdani can help increase their own social media following and, by extension, potentially put them in a position to attract paid content sponsorships from commercial brands.
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Nick Pinto @nickpinto.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
I had the idea a couple weeks ago that someone should start putting up fake 7souls pieces that start out as a tonal match and then, over weeks, get progressively more politically pointed, until eventually its like “what if we kissed in the blood-gutters of the guillotine —@7soulsdeep”
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Reposted by Nick Pinto
Hell Gate *subscribe today!* @hellgatenyc.com · 28/08/2026
Who does the New York Times quote—and not quote—when it writes about Zohran Mamdani, Israel, and antisemitism? We crunched some numbers.
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Nick Pinto @nickpinto.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
We have achieved the singularity: Google's AI understands Roger Knifeback better than most of @hellgatenyc.com's human readers.
AI Overview        
         
Roger Knifeback is a recurring satirical character and fictional political consultant created by the New York City news publication Hell Gate.

Presented as a "savvy politics-knower" and the seasoned co-founder of the fictitious firm Empire Stratagem Partners, Knifeback serves as a vehicle for the outlet's political satire.

Profile Overview

Role: Fictional Political Consultant & Communications Mogul
Affiliation: Co-founder of Empire Stratagem Partners
Primary Platform: Columnist/Commentator for Hell Gate New York

Satirical Commentary
The character is utilized to write tongue-in-cheek op-eds, "insider" analysis, and strategic advice mocking the absurdities of local government and campaign trails. His commentary frequently targets prominent local figures and events, such as breaking down campaign slogans for the New York Democratic mayoral field or offering comedic damage-control advice regarding political missteps on major international issues.
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Nick Pinto @nickpinto.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn: autogolpist and... auteur? hellgatenyc.com/brooklyn-dem...
hellgatenyc.com
Unpacking the Brooklyn Dems' Typo-Riddled, Psychedelically Weird, Short-Form Victory Lap
The final few seconds of the video contain a fuckup that genuinely made this reporter gasp.
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Nick Pinto @nickpinto.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
What's new in the niche collector's market of NYPD challenge coins now that NYC has elected our first Muslim mayor? hellgatenyc.com/nypd-challen...
hellgatenyc.com
NYPD Challenge Coins: Islamophobia Edition
New York City has a Muslim mayor, and the world of NYPD collectables is as putrid as ever.
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Reposted by Nick Pinto
Jessy Edwards @jessyedwards.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
I asked former BK Dems chair Frank Seddio about the fact that prominent Democrats (from Hakeem Jeffries to Chuck Schumer to Kathy Hochul to Zohran Mamdani) had slammed last night's rule changes as an attempt to undermine voters. His response? "Where are they?" hellgatenyc.com/brooklyn-dem...
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Nick Pinto @nickpinto.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
LOL at an interview transcript revealing the NYTimes fairly begging Kathy Hochul to validate the Mamdani-spurs-antisemitism angle they've been flogging for months: hellgatenyc.com/kathy-hochul...
hellgatenyc.com
The New York Times Sure Wanted Kathy Hochul to Say Something About Zohran Mamdani and Antisemitism
The Times ran a story headlined "Hochul’s Advice for Mamdani: Focus on New York City," and outlined their disagreements on Israel. A behind-the-scenes look raises questions about that framing.
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Nick Pinto @nickpinto.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
Lord bless this mess.
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Nick Pinto @nickpinto.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
Saving this message from a Québécois clothes dryer for future commemoration of personal and professional achievements and also to comment on political horrors with weary knowingness.
Cycle terminé avec succès.
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Nick Pinto @nickpinto.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
Philanthropic Foundations Do Not Constitute a Stable Foundation for Journalism vol. MMCMLVII www.cjr.org/analysis/mov...
cjr.org
Political attacks and funders’ retrenchment have put movement journalism at serious risk.
Movement journalism has been a source of hope. But political attacks and funders’ retrenchment have put it at serious risk.
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Reposted by Nick Pinto
Howard French @hofrench.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
www.nytimes.com/2026/08/12/u...
nytimes.com
Johanna Fernández, Historian of the Young Lords, Dies at 55
She wrote an award-winning book about the leftist collective, a Latino counterpart to the Black Panthers.
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Reposted by Nick Pinto
Hell Gate *subscribe today!* @hellgatenyc.com · 13/08/2026
New York is trying to sue the popular prediction market out of existence. Kalshi says we're leaving an impossibly large amount of tax revenue on the table. But how exactly are they getting to $10 billion? hellgatenyc.com/kalshi-10-bi...
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Reposted by Nick Pinto
Gillian Brockell @gillianbrockell.com · 13/08/2026
Is it tho?
“TIMES EXCLUSIVE” highlighted

Headline: Homeland Security Paid $464 Million for Airplanes. Then It Parked Them.

Blurb: The agency used a no-bid contract to buy 10 used jets, saying they were urgently needed for deportation flights. But the fleet has largely sat idle for months.
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Nick Pinto @nickpinto.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
This memo is factually inaccurate. Bloomberg peer @hellgatenyc.com continues to cover 100% of employees' healthcare premiums, as any company with sufficient revenue should until the day this country recognizes that health care is a human right.
Max Tani tweet: "Per a memo to staff today, Bloomberg employees now have to pay healthcare premiums. The company previously covered the costs.

'Bloomberg’s approach of not asking employees to contribute to healthcare costs lasted longer than any of our peers,' the company told employees."
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Nick Pinto @nickpinto.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
Seeking reader input.
The Hell Gate FYI asks "Should Hell Gate share your user data with Palantir? Sound off in the comments!"
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Nick Pinto @nickpinto.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
🔥🖤🔥
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Reposted by Nick Pinto
Jessica Lussenhop @jlussenhop.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
I need to change the way I use this platform so it's not just a shotgun blast to the face everyday of rage and despair. One idea I had is to create more Lists — I'm building one of worker-owned newsrooms, who should I add? Already have @racketmn.com @hellgatenyc.com @weareravenous.com @defector.com
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Nick Pinto @nickpinto.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
Tapping the sign...
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Nick Pinto @nickpinto.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
Here at @hellgatenyc.com we have made massive corporate investment to build out next-gen fulfillment networks and systems and it is going great.
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Reposted by Nick Pinto
Jessy Edwards @jessyedwards.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
We asked a plaintiff in the pied-à-terre lawsuit if he really thought he'd been "irreparably harmed"? "I don't want to undermine my own lawsuit, but that's a lawyer line. I mean, I get your point," he said. "I just speak to neighbors, and they were nervous about uploading their tax returns."
hellgatenyc.com
Pied-à-Terrorized Property Owners Sue the City
Plus more news to start your week.
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Nick Pinto @nickpinto.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
War, they say, is months of intolerable boredom interspersed with moments of agonizing fear. OK, but the Brooklyn Democrats' judicial nominating convention is hours of boredom punctuated by some of the most chaotic and hilarious behavior you will find in politics. hellgatenyc.com/bkdems-2026-...
hellgatenyc.com
Brooklyn Democrats Nominate Supreme Court Justices Amidst Bad Optics and Light Mayhem
Frank Seddio just happened to nominate the protégé of the judge ruling on his sanctions case, before Democratic Party Chair Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn used a tablecloth to make herself invisible to jo...
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Nick Pinto @nickpinto.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
To my lasting dismay and regret, my phone battery died around 9:45 last night. Does anybody have video of the Brooklyn Democratic Party Chair's exit from the judicial convention they would care to share with me? My contact info is in my bio.
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Nick Pinto @nickpinto.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
Someone is making the rounds of major Democratic funding circles right now with a slide deck entitled “Where is the Savanna Cannon of the Moderate Center?”
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Nick Pinto @nickpinto.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
I don’t know what the sound permit for the event the 70th Precinct and the Flatbush Shomrim are throwing right now in the Parade Ground says, but I just clocked it at 103 dB, which, as I look it up now, is associated with the “average human pain threshold.”
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Nick Pinto @nickpinto.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
🚨Seddio Update🚨
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Hell Gate *subscribe today!* @hellgatenyc.com · 03/08/2026
With all the attention paid to the feelings of a small, wealthier subset of New Yorkers, you may have forgotten that some 70 percent of New York City residents rent their homes. Here's what four of them think of the pied-à-terre tax rollout: hellgatenyc.com/nyc-tenants-...
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betsy ladyzhets 😷 @betsyladyzhets.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
Obsessed with the fact that Wisconsin residents opposing a data center, with which Eric Adams is somehow involved, used the Hell Gate Table of Success to inform their advocacy. @hellgatenyc.com rules as always. (And this whole story is wild!) hellgatenyc.com/eric-adams-i...
Screenshot of a Hell Gate article, reading: "According to local residents, as well as a reservation system used to reserve a room in the library for Saturday's meeting, Adams was joined by Tiffany Raspberry, a former lobbyist and Adams confidante, who was New York City's director of intergovernmental and external affairs during Adams's tenure as mayor. 

Wisconsin Rapids residents said that they identified Raspberry's connection to Adams through Hell Gate's award-winning Eric Adams Table of Success. "That's how we figured out who this Tiffany character was and what his whole circle is about," Federwitz said."
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Nick Pinto @nickpinto.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
Hell yes
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Nick Pinto @nickpinto.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
The media and political establishment howling that Mamdani violated sacred norms of moderation, fairness, sensitivity to all New Yorkers, and keeping a narrow municipal focus when he talked about war crimes was awfully quiet while all this other stuff was going on: hellgatenyc.com/how-mamdani-...
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Nick Pinto @nickpinto.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
🔥🖤🔥
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Nick Pinto @nickpinto.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
Everybody: Don’t do it. Hell Gate staffers: [cackling among themselves] Everybody: Nobody thinks the “Roger Knifeback” bit is funny except you. It’s confusing and annoying. Hell Gate staffers: LOL Everybody: If you publish another Knifeback blog, we’re gonna be pissed, seriously. Hell Gate:
hellgatenyc.com
How Zohran Mamdani Can Avoid Another Major Misstep on Israel-Palestine
Some advice for the mayor from one of New York City's savviest politics-knowers.
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