Clarke Introduces Federal Legislation To Remove Confederate Monuments From Military Bases
Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke (D-Crown Heights, Flatbush, Midwood, Sheepshead Bay) announced a plan to remove Confederate monuments from military bases, known as the “Honoring Real Patriots Act of 2017.”
The proposed federal legislation would require the Department of Defense (DOD) to change the name of any military installation or other property under its control currently named for individuals who fought against the United States during the Civil War or supported the Confederacy’s war efforts.
“The time has come for the Army to remove from Fort Hamilton and other military installations the disgraced names of men who waged war against the United States to preserve the evil institution of slavery,” said Clarke. ” Monuments to the Confederacy and its leaders have always represented white supremacy and a continuing attempt to deny the basic human rights of African Americans.”
Clarke continued, “As recent events in Charlottesville, Virginia, have made perfectly clear, these monuments are nothing more than symbols of white supremacy and a pretext for the violent imposition of an evil ideology that should never have persisted into the Twenty-First Century. For hundreds of thousands of Brooklyn residents, as well as troops stationed at Fort Hamilton who are prepared to fight for this nation, the monuments are an insult. Across the United States, cities and states are removing such monuments as an act of reconciliation and respect for people whose humanity has too often been denied. The time for change is now.”
“Monuments to the confederacy are a sad celebration of the most shameful parts of our nation’s history. Maintaining them in public places serves only to pay homage to the morally bankrupt ideology of white supremacism. Monuments reflect our values, and Americans everywhere recognized these memorials to racism belong in museums where we can teach our children about what we can never allow to happen again,” said ” said Congresswoman Nydia M. Velázquez (D-Brooklyn, LES, Queens).
Carroll Holds Anti-Hate Rally
Assembly member Robert Carroll (D-Windsor Terrace, Kensington, Park Slope) will host an “anti-hate” rally later today.
The “Flatbush Stand Together” rally will be in partnership with Ditmas Civic and other elected officials as a show of solidarity with the people of Charlottesville and across America against all forms of racism and hate.
On August 12, a so-called “ Unite The Right” rally in support of a statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee, clashed with a counter protester group in an outbreak of violence. Supporters of the statue included neo-nazis and white supremacists, while the counter protestors included members of the Black Lives Matter Movement (BLMM). The ensuing scuffle between these hateful fringe groups ended when an alleged white supremacist drove his car into a throng of people protesting these groups killing one person, 32-year-old heather Heyer.
The event is slated for 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., today, August 21, at the Newkirk Plaza Station (B,Q subway station) in Ditmas Park.
Cornegy To Honor Outstanding Small Businesses
City Council member Robert Cornegy Jr. (D-Bedford-Stuyvesant, Northern Crown Heights) will honor 15 small business owners at his Heart & Soul of NYC Small Business Awards today.
The event is being held on World Entrepreneurs’ Day and is the culmination of a months-long process in which businesses from each borough were nominated for an award in one of three categories:
• The Legacy Award – family-owned & operated for at least three generations
• The Innovation Award – using technology to best meet business and customer needs
• The “Rep Your Borough” Award – embodies the culture of their respective borough and/or community
In addition, honorees will receive a citation from Cornegy, in partnership with NYC Local Lending, that will be part of a program that helps them identify a need for funding for a specified purpose and helps them to attain that funding.
“Altogether, New York City’s roughly 70,000 small business owners represent the flavor and culture of the many diverse communities that make New York so great. The Heart & Soul of NYC Small Business Awards honors the contributions of New York’s outstanding entrepreneurs and helps them build their capacity to continue being great cultural icons and economic drivers for our City,” said Cornegy.
The event is slated for 6 p.m., today, August 21, at Brooklyn Borough Hall, 209 Joralemon Street, in Downtown Brooklyn.
Bichotte, Gentile Denounce Charlottesville Violence
Assembly member Rodneyse Bichotte (D-Flatbush, Ditmas Park) City Council member Vincent Gentile (D-Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights, Bensonhurst, Bath Beach) denounced the tragedy in Charlottesville, in which neo-nazis and white supremacists marched to keep a statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee up in a park.
The “Unite The Right” rally led to a brush with counterprotesters that included members of the Black Lives Matter Movement (BLMM) and the eventual death of Heather Heyer. Heyer was killed after being run over by 20-year-old James Alex Fields Jr, who plowed into a group counterprotesters with his car. Additionally, two law enforcement agents, Lieutenant H. Jay Cullen and Trooper-Pilot Burke Bates, died when the helicopter they were in crashed while patrolling the rally from the sky.
“The deep-rooted hate that launched this protest has long been embedded in the fabric of this country. It has managed to rear its ugly head again, after years and years of work to remove it, we have merely covered the surface with a more palatable, thinly layered veil.We can no longer continue to be a country that feeds into fear mongering, or oppressive behaviors. We must fight with and for love, morality, understanding, and justice. This animus can only be treated at the root. Only then will we begin to see the kind of America that we believe exists,” said Bichotte.
“The violence which we witnessed last Saturday in Charlottesville, Virginia was utterly tragic and reprehensible. I am appalled at the recent hate-filled and violent actions by neo-Nazis and white supremacist groups. These hate groups do not represent what the vast majority of Americans stand for. In America, we are guided by the rule “Equal Justice for All,” which means that ALL must be given due justice, regardless of color or ethnic background. There are no ‘two sides’ to that principle, and I will stand firmly with any victim seeking justice from violence and hatred,” said Gentile.
Nadler Pushes For Censure Resolution Against Trump For Charlottesville Comments
Congressman Jerrod Nadler (D-Brooklyn/Manhattan) introduced a censure resolution in the U.S. House of Representatives against President Donald Trump for his Charlottesville comments last Friday.
President Trump initial comments blamed “both sides” for the violence in Charlottesville, Virginia and excused the behavior of participants in the ‘Unite the Right’ rally.
Alongside Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ), and Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), the proposed resolution condemns the President for failing to immediately and specifically name and condemn the white supremacist, Ku Klux Klan, and neo-Nazi groups responsible for actions of domestic terrorism in Charlottesville over the weekend, and for doubling-down on his comments by attempting to create a moral equivalency between white supremacists and those counter-protesting the ‘Unite the Right’ rally.
The resolution, which was cosponsored by 79 Members of Congress, offers an official censure by Congress of President Trump for his remarks, and calls for the President to fire any and all advisors who have urged him to cater to white supremacist movements in the United States.
Nadler, Watson, Coleman, and Jayapal issued the following joint statement:
“The President’s remarks following the violence in Charlottesville over the weekend are a moral outrage. Refusing to completely and unambiguously denounce white supremacist groups and individuals provides encouragement for their bigoted, nationalist ideology and policies. This is not the position of the United States government, and we must send a clear message to President Trump that his comments are not only wrong, but an affront to the moral convictions and ideals of this country. History will remember how we responded, not just in tweets and prepared statements, but through action and a unified voice. It is incumbent on all Members, from all parties, to not only condemn the President’s remarks, but to issue this censure of the President for the way he has represented our country and constitution.”
