Colinford Mattis attended Princeton University, while Urooj Raham went to Fordham. The two law graduates from NYU earned their degrees in 2018 and 2019 respectively. By that time, they had been saturated with the self-righteousness and combustible politics of the left.
On May 30, 2020, the George Floyd Riots in New York ignited a spark. Mattis and Rahman were angry: Rahman recorded herself opining that “all the police stations” and “probably all the courts” need to be burned down and “the only way they hear us is through violence.” She never defined “they” and never explained why she and Mattis were appropriate messengers. Their message was never particularly clear, though the “raised fist” T-shirt depicted in Rahman’s mugshot tells you what you need to know.
Mattis and Rahman’s intent to destroy a symbol for law and order was evident. Mattis, driving a minivan, drove toward an NYPD Precinct located in Brooklyn around 1 a.m. Rahman, sitting in the front passenger seat and armed with Molotov cocktail, was in the backseat. Rahman jumped out of the van as they approached. He ignited his incendiary and threw it through the window of another police vehicle.
