Suspicious envelope at Torres’ office underscores growing fears over political violence

U.S. Rep. Ritchie Torres’ Bronx office received an envelope with a suspicious white powder inside — as did dozens of other public officials nationwide — highlighting a growing trend of political intimidation that runs from City Hall to the White House.

Police said around 1 p.m. on Oct. 16, officers responded to a call at 540 East Fordham Road, where they were told a suspicious substance in the form of white powder was found inside a mailed envelope. Six people were exposed, the fire department said, and hazmat units determined the substance was not hazardous. There were no injuries or signs of illness, according to authorities, and those present refused medical treatment.

Torres told The Press he wasn’t present when the letter was opened by his staff. There is a strict protocol when opening mail, he said, that involves gloves, a mask and a mail inspection hood. The uncertainty of opening white powder, whether a prank or a dangerous chemical, is unnerving for Torres, who remembers the 2001 anthrax attacks.

Political violence and intimidation aren’t unfamiliar to Torres, whose third day in office was Jan. 6, 2021 — the day of the insurrection on the U.S. Capitol. Since being elected, he has also received consistent criticism for his staunch support of Israel.

“I receive death threats,” Torres said. “People send me messages — ‘I’m going to put a bullet in your head, I’m going to beat you to death.’”

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service are currently investigating a series of suspicious mailings sent to various addresses nationwide, including Secretary of State and congressional offices, the FBI told The Press. Some of the letters contained an unknown substance, the FBI said, and the bureau is working with law enforcement partners to respond to each incident. 

“We are also working with our partners to identify the individual or individuals responsible for the letters,” the FBI said, adding it and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service “will continue to safeguard the public and secure elections for American citizens.”

According to the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs, there was a dangerous escalation in political violence last year that is continuing to intensify. Pew Research Center found the issue to be nonpartisan, with Republicans and Democrats near evenly agreeing that such violence is increasing. But both parties blamed the other, citing the source as left-wing extremism and right-wing extremism, respectively.

“I blame Donald Trump,” Torres said. “Once you have a president who legitimizes political violence — as he did on January 6 — it opens the floodgates. We are living through the Trump effect on American politics. He has emboldened extremism across the ideological spectrum.”

Council member Eric Dinowitz, who took office in 2021, said he has received online and in-person threats directed at both him and his family. He has also had to increase security measures at his Kingsbridge office. A couple of times a year, he said, incidents escalate to the point of police involvement.

Dinowitz credited part of the rise in political violence to social media. 

“The anonymity of it certainly helps people say whatever they want with no repercussions,” he said.

Assembly member Jeffrey Dinowitz has been in office more than three decades, and said before the rise of social media, it didn’t feel like electeds received many threats. Reaching a public official took effort back then, he said, remembering budget season when he would receive hundreds of handwritten letters from constituents.

In May, Assembly member Dinowitz said he was insulted and shoved by a man. In 2021, protesters gathered outside of his office in response to a bill that required all students to be vaccinated, and one woman held a sign showing what appeared to be hypodermic needles arranged into the shape of a swastika, The Press reported at the time.

“The polarization that has taken place is something which I would have never believed not too many years ago,” Assembly member Dinowitz said. “That is not good for our democracy, but that’s where it’s at.”

Candidates who had never been elected also experienced incidents where they felt threatened for their viewpoints, including Conservative Gonzalo Duran and Jose Vega with the Speak the Truth Party, both of whom are challenging Torres in the upcoming election. Duran and Vega both condemned political violence against Torres.