If endorsements were a poker hand, Acting District Attorney Eric Gonzalez drew four aces today.
That after the straight-faced Gonzalez landed the endorsement of all four of the Brooklyn’s Democratic Congressmembers – Reps. Jerrold Nadler, Nydia Velázquez, Yvette D. Clarke and Hakeem Jeffries.
The federal lawmakers cited Gonzalez’s reformer credentials, and his success in overturning wrongful convictions, reducing the reliance on incarceration, protecting Brooklyn’s immigrant communities from unnecessary deportations, and ensuring equal justice in Brooklyn.
The group also slammed the failed “tough on crime” policies of the 1980’s that have recently resurfaced under President Trump and U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions. A recent memo by Sessions to all federal prosecutors requires them to seek the highest possible charges in every case, carrying the highest sentences.
This approach, which led to record numbers of people imprisoned for non-violent offenses, has been widely discredited and runs counter to smart on crime policies that have driven down crime in Brooklyn to the lowest levels in history.
“Donald Trump and Jeff Sessions are trying to take us back to the discredited ‘War on Drugs,’ which has resulted in the United States being the world’s biggest jailer,” said Nadler (D-Western Brooklyn, Manhattan). “I support Eric Gonzalez because he is pushing back against the Trump agenda by treating drug use as a health issue rather than a criminal justice issue. Eric is providing addicts with the treatment and other services they need to break the cycle of addiction.”
Gonzalez is also fighting back against the Trump administration’s mass deportation policies, implementing a first-in-the-nation immigration unit to handle cases involving immigrants. Gonzalez hired full-time immigration attorneys to make sure that low-level cases do not result in disproportionate punishment, such as deportations.
“Progressive policies that take a smart on crime approach, including ‘Begin Again’, young adult court and bail reform, have helped reduce recidivism and led to crime in Brooklyn to historically low levels,” said Velázquez (d-Northern Brooklyn, Lower Manhattan, Queens). “Eric Gonzalez will continue these innovative approaches, and that is why I am so proud to support him for district attorney.”
Clarke (D-Crown Heights, Flatbush, East Flatbush, Brownsville, Sheepshead Bay) lauded Gonzalez’ progressive vision that will help keep our streets safe while providing equal justice for all Brooklynites, including our immigrants.
“As the child of immigrants, I know just how important their contributions are to the fabric of New York City, and District Attorney Gonzalez will do everything in his power to keep families here and resist the pernicious agenda of the Trump administration,” said Clarke.
Gonzalez has taken steps to keep Brooklyn safe while at the same time creating a fairer criminal justice system. He has stopped asking judges to set bail in most misdemeanor cases so that defendants in low-level cases are not held in jail just because they cannot afford bail.
Additionally, Gonzalez has directed assistant district attorneys in Kings County to decline to prosecute low-level offenses like turnstile jumping, along with the district attorney’s policy of not prosecuting low-level marijuana cases – both examples of offenses where the overwhelming number of people arrested are people of color who in most cases have no other record of criminal involvement.
“In a short period of time, Ken Thompson dramatically transformed the criminal justice system in Brooklyn,” said Jeffries (D-Central Brooklyn, Coney Island). “He then handed the baton to Eric Gonzalez, who picked up where DA Thompson left off. Under Eric’s leadership, the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office continues to pursue a progressive criminal justice approach that promotes both public safety and fairness. Without question, Eric Gonzalez is best qualified to continue the transformative change started by his predecessor, and that is why I am proud to strongly endorse his candidacy.”
Gonzalez thanked Brooklyn’s House members for their support and lashed out against the Trump agenda.
“These strong leaders of Brooklyn are fighting day in and out for the people of Brooklyn in Washington, D.C. against the destructive Trump agenda. Whether it’s his mass deportation policies or his backward-looking approach to criminal justice, they understand that policies that rip apart families and push our immigrant neighbors into the shadows make our communities less – not more – safe,” said Gonzalez.
“That’s something we also understand in the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office, and why we are fighting back and continuing to implement needed reforms to our criminal justice system,” he added.
