Progressives keep out of the 11th Congressional District race!
That seems to be the message as both Democratic candidate Vinnie Gentile and GOP candidate Dan Donovan continue to distance themselves for the very word progressive, and it’s having a bone-chilling effect on those with progressive values in the district.
“People have a misconception about their being no progressives in the district and that Bay Ridge and Staten Island only has conservative views,” said prominent Bay Ridge Arab-American activist Linda Sarsaur. “A lot of progressive people (in the district) really feel left out.”
Sarsaur said while she is backing Gentile, there isn’t really too much of a difference between the two.
“If you really get deep down into the issue of policing, Donovan and Gentile are very similar in their views,” she said, adding that Gentile voted against the 2013 Community Safety Act, which put a monitor above the NYPD top brass and gave greater rights for victims of police brutality to sue.
Kirsten John Foy, the Northeast Regional Director of Rev. Al Sharpton’s National Action Network, said the organization’s position on the election continues to be one bipartisanship.
“We are not particularly excited by any of the candidates in terms of how they behave as elected officials, and we’re not particularly motivated to support a non-progressive agenda from either candidate,” said Foy, “particularly with Staten Island District Attorney Dan Donovan, who we believe has been an appalling failure.”
Foy said Donovan has a regressive agenda that doesn’t even fit in with modern legislative philosophies as it relates to civil rights. He would be an opponent to the renewing of the Voting Rights Act, and considering his irresponsibility in not getting an indictment of the Eric Garner grand jury case, it is pretty clear where he will stand on criminal justice reform and police accountability, said Foy.
Foy noted it’s a very conservative district and even the Democrats that Gentile represents in the city council hold moderate to conservative views.
“Even some of the black church goers are conservative. There’s not a lot of progressives so he (Gentile) is stuck between a rock and a hard place,” said Foy. “I’m not sure where he will stand on police cameras and other criminal justice issues when they come before Congress.”
The 11th Congressional District covers Staten Island and parts of Southern Brooklyn. The special election is May 5.
