As a group of black, Latino and white people who have decided to engage in the political process, the Black Lives Caucus (BLC) is extremely offended by the assertion that our actions are in any way motivated by money.
The BLC is a nonpartisan political action committee focused on bringing about positive change in our society through the democratic process. We strongly support the candidacy of Anne Swern for Brooklyn District Attorney.
This year, we have endorsed several candidates for New York City’s upcoming elections throughout several boroughs. We are paying special attention to the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Primary. Our movement is focused partially, if not totally, on the way in which people who harm or kill black and brown people are not prosecuted effectively. Thus, our involvement in a campaign for district attorney is of the utmost importance to us.
Our attendance at a political debate to support Anne Swern, our endorsed candidate, should have been expected based on our passion for creating a better justice system. However, we were relegated by the campaign of another candidate in the race, Ama Dwimoh, as merely hired help to a white woman. This candidate, in what can only be interpreted as a desperate attempt to remain relevant, inferred that we are “paid mercenaries.” I cannot even begin to express how racist and divisive these statements are. They lead people to believe that the only way that blacks and whites could possibly work together is if the people of color are in a subservient role, or unable to think for themselves. Anyone familiar with BLC knows that we will work with anyone, of any gender, color, party affiliation, sexual orientation or religious background in pursuit of justice and equality.
People who represent BLC are expected to wear a uniform. How is this different from any other non-profit, business, labor union, or political action committee that expects the same? We want everyone to know what we represent, and are proud of it, and the candidates we choose to support. Campaigns may come and go, but our brand and guiding principles will remain the same. Once again, I am extremely disheartened by the thinly veiled assertion that black campaign workers cannot think for themselves, especially when the assertion comes from a person of color. If an organized group of paid white supporters were present for Anne at the forum, as they clearly were for other campaigns, they would be referred to as political workers or consultants. The double standard here sadly comes from a place that can only be described as self-hating.
We have mothers and sons on our team. We have a set of twins accompanied by their older sister. There are ex-convicts, blacks, whites, Latinos, and gay folks. They are all working hard alongside Anne Swern to beat the acting DA, as well as other candidates who are apparently racially profiling people before they are even elected to office.
Just yesterday, police officers were cleared in the death of Ariel Galarza, a mentally ill Bronx man that was tased to death by officers from a precinct that shot another mentally ill senior citizen named Deborah Danner weeks prior. We approached Anne about working together because she created Brooklyn’s Mental Health Court, and is a proponent of proper policing and the fair treatment of mentally ill people who find themselves enmeshed in the criminal justice system. Anne Swern is the only candidate in the race who has worked as a public defender representing mostly people of color who were financially incapable of retaining an attorney. In 1989, it was Anne Swern who prosecuted and convicted a police officer who shot and killed an unarmed black man, in a time when that was even more difficult to do so than it is today.
As the black and brown people among us, we have the right to a chosen profession, and to be paid to canvass door-to-door to educate the voters in support of a candidate. Unlike many other political groups, campaigns and parties, Anne decided to hire local people who look like the community they are campaigning in, and care ardently about the issues they are discussing with voters. These workers are being paid to work in neighborhoods throughout Brooklyn, but their attendance at the forum was wholly unsolicited. They were there because they believe in Anne, her record, the issues she stands for, and her solutions to the problems we face.
Our involvement with Anne Swern comes from a sincere effort to see change in the lives of people unfairly treated by the system. We believe in her candidacy. We think for ourselves. We act on our own volition. We will continue to do so for the remainder of the campaign and beyond.
