Public defender Tiffany Cabán is not pulling any punches as the primary draws near for the Queens District Attorney’s Office.
On Monday she rallied at Diversity Plaza in Jackson Heights with Rachael Rollins, the first woman and person of color to become a district attorney in Boston, as she bids to make a historical win of her own as the first queer Latina district attorney of Queens.
“It is my honor to be here to endorse this candidate as district attorney,” said Rollins. “So I’m standing here today next to my sister because I want you to understand the momentum and the time we have is unheard of. This is like a Halley’s Comet.”
The last competitive race for district attorney in Queens was 42 years ago and the late District Attorney Richard Brown, who passed away earlier this year, served the borough for nearly 28 years.
“You don’t get opportunities like this,” said Rollins. “The community needs take advantage and you are going to see that when women of color standup and want to be at the table, people come up out of the woodworks saying why they are not qualified.”
Rollins is certain that Cabán is the right person for the job.
“Bold change requires exceptional leadership, period – end of story,” said Rollins. “I am very proud to endorse you.”
For VOCAL-NY leader, Carl Stubbs, this would be his first time voting in a district attorney election.
VOCAL-NY is one of the leading grassroots organizations that represents working-class people and people-of-color throughout the state.
“The reason I’m voting for Tiffany Cabán is because she is young and inspires me,” said Stubbs. “Everybody out here needs to get out and vote on June 25th and make sure you out there and bring your friend, your mother and everybody out here because we are going to win this.”
Cabán said that the endorsement from Rollins “meant the world” to her.
“DA Rollins is part of the reason I ran in this race,” said Cában. “Seeing you breaking barriers and getting the job done was something that empowered me on my journey to getting to this place. You have led the charge in justice reform.”
During the rally, Assembly Members Ron Kim (D-Flushing) and Yuh-Line Niou (D-Manhattan) also endorsed Cabán.
“For decades, our criminal justice system has targeted and penalized the most impoverished and disenfranchised communities in America, pursuing a broken system of mass incarceration that has criminalized being poor and harmed countless working-class families,” said Kim. “Tiffany Cabán will fully transform the Queens District Attorney’s office into one that treats all New Yorkers with unconditional equality before the law, regardless of their income, race, or lack of connections or resources.”
On Tuesday, Sunrise NYC, a climate change organization, endorsed Cabán. Last week she also received endorsements from city Comptroller Scott Stringer and the Center for Popular Democracy, an advocacy group based in Brooklyn that promotes progressive politics.
