Author: Rock Hackshaw

Fidler On The Black Roof (Part Two)

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Since I wrote part one of this column, I have had many phone calls and e-mails about it. It seems that Lou Fidler does have many friends in the black-community (not that I didn’t know this); and all those who contacted me assured me that Lew Fidler is not behind the candidacy of Harry Schiffman (40th council district/ special election/February 20th, 2007). So Lew, I will personally grant you the benefit of the doubt, even though some of my more militant political acquaintances (who just happen to be black/lol), seem to want to dig further into this Schiffman candidacy. To me however, let’s let sleeping dogs lie. Lew Fidler said that he is not behind it and I believe him.

Do the Clarkes (Yvette and her mother Una) owe Nick Perry anything?

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One thing about blogging that makes it attractive to many is the fact that you can sound off anonymously in the threads and not be called into account. There is no one to hold you responsible when the things you predict turn out to be “duds”; no one will castigate you when some of the outrageous things you claim are glaringly refuted. That’s unfortunate, but it’s the reality of the “blogosphere”. That’s why I use my name when I write: I want to be held responsible for what I say or predict. It’s the only honest and serious way to do this; it’s also the brave way to do this. To me, it’s also the right way to do it.

Fidler On The Black Roof (Part One)

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A rather militant black political-activist associate of mine, called a short time ago, and uttered this remark in apparent disgust; “why is it that Lew Fidler seems to always involve himself in the politics of black districts?” My reply was ambiguously nuanced yet simple, to wit: all politics is local, and all local elected officials have a right to be involved; more so when the jurisdiction that he or she represents, has contiguous borders with districts where the racial make-up maybe somewhat different to his or hers. He then retorted; “but do you see local black elected officials in the middle of things in say Bensonhurst and/ or Bay Ridge?” He further queried; “do you ever see black elected officials interjecting themselves in the elections that take place in these white areas and amongst the white candidates?” I didn’t respond to those questions. No sireee Bob; I couldn’t touch them with even a ten-foot pole. Fact is, I don’t recall at anytime- in my near 34 years involvement in Brooklyn’s politics- where black electeds were deeply involved in white races. Maybe Gatemouth could help me out here, since he has a firmer grasp on the political history than I- especially in the white areas of Brooklyn.

Can The Clarkes (Una and Yvette) Successfully Handpick Their Successor To The 40th Council District Seat Out Of Brooklyn?

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Brooklyn’s 40th City Council district came into existence in 1991, when via charter revision the city council expanded from thirty-six to fifty-one districts. It also came about because many Caribbean-American political activists, demanded lines be drawn that were favorable to electing one of their ilk. The 40th and 45th districts were drawn with that objective in mind somewhat, cutting through the heartlands of areas where Caribbean-Americans live in majority. That same year, a pugnacious Jamaican-born woman, stubbornly insisting that she was a “maroon”, emerged victorious. And the ‘icon” that many now refer to by one name, was born. She was Una Clarke. Una held the seat for ten years, before she was eventually term-limited out of office.

David Yassky again?

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Brooklyn's "Flatbush Life" newspaper is about to break the story that the race (special election) for Yvette Clarke's 40th City Council seat, will see one white – Jewish candidate up against a number of black candidates, just as the last congressional race in this said area. One of the newspaper's erstwhile political reporters (Helen Klein) is putting out a piece this week, that reeks of a David Yassky redux. Ms. Klein is a reputable, reliable and credible source. Fasten your seatbelts folks; and stay tuned-in.

The Race For Yvette Clarke’s Seat Is Warming Up Folks

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Wellington Sharpe called to inform today, that he is seriously considering a run for the 40th City Council seat being vacated by Yvette Clarke- who becomes a congresswoman from January 1st, 2007. Sharpe, a longtime Caribbean–American political activist, as well as a successful businessman in the Brooklyn community, has run for this seat before, when he was one of seven candidates who vied for the seat in 2001. He also ran for the State Senate in both the 20th and 21st districts.

Like Una Clarke-who first represented this district in 1991- Sharpe was born on the island of Jamaica, West Indies; this will surely help him in a district with a high immigrant population. When pressed as to why he is now considering a race he had earlier seemed reluctant to run in, Sharpe said that “the support for my candidacy here has been mind-boggling”. He went on to state that of the presently declared candidates, no one seems to be emerging from the pack. Sharpe further added that his phone has been ringing off the hook about this race, ever since Yvette won the congressional primary; with people inquiring about his intentions and speculating about his chances of winning. “Every where I go, people keep asking what was I going to do”, he also said. This is the back-drop for his reconsideration to enter here. He has also been approached about running by various leaders in the community, who seem leery of the present crop of entrants.

Charles Barron Considering Run for Public Advocate

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Fresh off of a spirited challenge for the 10th Congressional District this past summer, New York City Councilmember Charles Barron is now considering a run for Public Advocate in 2009. This morning, Barron informed me that given his frustration with the institutional responses to the “police brutality” issue, he believes that he could use the office of the Public Advocate as a platform for seriously dealing with issues like police abuses, racial discrimination, black-unemployment, and the like. He said that my recent challenge to him to run for public advocate, as a way of fighting for address to some of his hot-button issues, makes a lot of sense and he is now considering it. He said also that running for citywide office is so much more difficult than running for a congressional seat that he has to give it long hard thought. He will make a final decision sometime late next year, but intends to start exploring it with his main supporters and his organization “Operation Power”, ASAP.

Taking The 51st Shot

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About ten years ago I happened to be one of three guests on a television show, along with present NYC councilmember Charles Barron and activist-attorney Colin Moore. The name of the show was “Caribbean Roundtable”, one of the better Caribbean-American talk shows still around. The hostess (Verna Smith) was a Jamaican-born journalist, who just happened to be quite active in Brooklyn’s Caribbean-American political circles; thus her questions were not of the powder-puff variety; not at all, since Verna can be a tough interviewer at times. On Sunday mornings, you can usually catch the show on Cablevision, and at other times on Time Warner cable. The gist of that show was basically an analysis of the results of the 1997 Democratic primary elections, which had taken place a few weeks before. Just before the show ended, the topic of “police brutality” crept in. Given that Barron and Moore brought to the table, tremendous knowledge in this area, they immediately jumped on the issue, offering some insight into the whys and wherefores. When it was my turn to speak, I got a few things off my chest that I had wanted to say publicly for quite some time. My opinions riled both guests. I wasn’t really surprised. The events of last weekend brought back memories of that roundtable exchange. I will get to that in a second.

Chris Owens Should Run For The 40th City Council Seat

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This advice is unsolicited. It comes after taking a long look at the field of entrants for the 40th City Council seat that Yvette Clarke must vacate soon, as she steps up to Congress. It comes after reading the response from Chris Owens to my “Grapevine #8” column, last Saturday (see “comments” section of the thread). I believe that Chris Owens will make the best candidate in this upcoming race; the problem is that he doesn’t intend to run.

Since that column, there have been a few new developments in the race, for example, recent rumors have Roy Hastick (founder of Caribbean Chamber of Commerce) moving to the head of the line and reconsidering his stance on running or not. I am told that the Clarkes (Yvette and Una) will support Roy if he decides to go. It’s also said that Haitian-American Michelle Adolphe is seriously considering the race, so too Wellington Sharpe. Then there are at least two possible entrants that I am not at liberty to divulge at present, and someone named Victor Babb who is nothing short of a political unknown.

Of Spitzer, Faso, Hevesi, Pirro, Gay Marriage, Gatemouth, Wonk and Cheap Shots.

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Right here on Room Eight- over a month ago (9/28/06) – I proffered that John Faso was absolutely correct in calling for Alan Hevesi’s resignation as State Comptroller (see my column “Faso/Spitzer”). I also felt that up to that point in time Eliot Spitzer had downplayed the seriousness of Hevesi’s actions. I proffered that Hevesi had lost his credibility and had abused the public trust. I stated flatly that I couldn’t vote for him. I even went further to state that he was unfit to hold this office. I also said that Spitzer should be moving “to establish and uphold higher standards of ethics, decency and behavior” (observe that I never used the word ‘morality’ here) for public officials. That was over a month ago.