Senator Marty Golden (R-Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights, Bensonhurst, Marine Park, Gerritsen Beach, Gravesend, Sheepshead Bay, Borough Park, Midwood) and Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis (R,C,I,Ref – Staten Island/Brooklyn) spoke out earlier today against Governor Andrew Cuomo and Democratic candidate for the 22nd State Senate District, Andrew Gounardes, for their involvement in allowing violent criminals to be released on parole.
The pair of lawmakers made the claims in front of a smoke shop located at 8313 3rd Avenue in Bay Ridge, which was the site of an armed robbery earlier this week. On Monday, the shop was robbed by an upstate fugitive who shot at police at the Ellenville Regional Hospital in Ellenville, NY. The neighborhood of Bay Ridge has been riddled with violence over the last three weeks including three shootings, multiple robberies and two stabbings.
Golden called out his opponent , Gounardes, over his nonchalant interest in the crimes that have been occurring in the neighborhood over the last weeks.
“He stands here just 20 blocks away, my opponent. Shame on you Andrew Gounardes, clearly you are out of touch with our community, you are out of touch with the people that live here in our community. There’s nothing more important than the people that have been able to call this neighborhood home, and the safety of our streets and families,” said Golden.
According to Golden between August and September of 2018, 500 felons that were released on parole were rearrested and sent back to prison, including cop killers, murderers and pedophiles.
Additionally, Golden called out the New York State Parole Board, who currently are majority appointees of Cuomo, on their most recent decision to release Herman Bell, who killed three police officers in 1971.
Malliotakis echoed these sentiments, calling out the board decisions to release convicted murders back into society.
“The Governor sends a real terrible message when his parole board, that he appoints all the members to, releases Herman Bells a cop killer and then releases two more cop killers. Then he releases a murderer of an assistant district attorney, then releases a man who strangled his wife to death, then releases a women who killed five children and you’re putting these people back in our society back on the street so that they could commit a crimes again,” said Malliotakis.
Golden and Malliotakis have been strong advocates of having convicted murderers remain behind bars, even pushing for changing the law that allows first degree manslaughter criminals from being released on parole.
“Shame on Andrew Gounardes and shame on this Governor for making our city, our communities less safe,” added Golden.
