Author: Rock Hackshaw

Rock Hermon Hackshaw

The 20th Senatorial District mainly covers pieces of Crown Heights, Flatbush, Kensington, Clinton Hill and Park Slope. It is roughly 63% black, 18% white, 13% hispanic and 6% other. For about two decades, current Borough President Marty Markowitz was the incumbent. When Marty was elected  Boro Prez in 2001, a special election to fill the created vacancy, saw Carl Andrews (Dem.) defeat Frances Purcell (Rep.); he successfully defended the seat later that year, in a primary election against Wellington Sharpe and  Mickey  Haller. Last year Andrews had no primary challenge, and we really don’t have to discuss what happens in Novembers in this district. It’s a foregone conclusion that once you have the Dem. party line, you win the general election.

Rock Hermon Hackshaw

Ten years ago, Bill Clinton signed into law an anti-terrorism measure, that has turned out to be one of the worst pieces of legislation impacting on the Caribbean and Latin-America. One of its provisions included repatriating immigrants-both legal and undocumented- for  infractions here. It also expanded deportation programs which targeted those undocumented, even though undocumented aliens are amongst the most law-abiding (with the obvious exceptions, of course) of people living here. Within a year, some were deported for as simple a thing as jumping the subway turnstile in New York City. Initially, there were many who seemed to see no problem in all this, after all, if you are residing in a host country, it behooves you to obey the law – probably, even moreso than if you were still residing in the country of your birth. Well, not really. Only one country saw the deeper problem that this new policy would manifest. That country was Argentina.

Last week I took a deserved "spring break", since being out of the city for a bit is always re-invigorating. Thanks for the e-mails and phone-calls from those of you who missed me here and were concerned. I am fine , except for a lil hypertension- which is genetic. I must admit that I was surprised (and no, Gatemouth wasn’t one of them), it tells me that people are reading "Room 8". So let’s take our hats off to Ben Smith and Gur Tsabar. Real pioneers in this day and age.

I walked right in to the poll showing Spitzer still leading big, and yes I am a bit taken aback that Suozzi hasn’t cracked the twenty- percentile as yet. I am still hopeful though. I hate coronations even more than I hate royalty. I like a good old- fashioned horse race. After all, in November we democrats will be all lining up behind our nominee, to ensure that another Republican like Pataki ( "Potato-head") doesn’t trick us anymore. 

Yesterday was Palm Sunday, and true to form -like on most holy days – the "Christian" volcano within me started rumbling again. I must be truthful in saying that I have been long estranged from my christian roots. In fact, I presently consider myself  a non-conformist. However, on days like these ( significant in religious lore), perspicacity seems to always set in, and before you know it, I am off  on some excrutiating mental journey. Yesterday was no different. And yes, my religious mama did say that there would be days like this. She did. 

Last week, in a Brooklyn Court House, far removed from the glare and scrutiny of the New York media, Senator Kevin Parker squared off with his political nemesis Wellington Sharpe ( through lawyers of course), once again. The last time these two had squared off  was fall 2004, when they both attended a birthday party for  NYC council-member Kendall Stewart, at Cafe Omar in East Flatbush, Brooklyn. This is where Sharpe claims that Parker physically assaulted him for the second time that year. And for the second time Sharpe made a complaint to the NYPD.  The first complaint had come a few months earlier, after they had attended an event  in Brooklyn sponsored by Haitian-American activists. Don’t expect these two to be exchanging Christmas gifts any time soon folks. 

 An excited Charles Barron called early this morning, to inform that he has raised more money in 2 months running for Congress, than he had raised in 2 years running for Mayor of  New York City. Barron said that when he files for his congressional committee next week, it will show a total of around seventy-five thousand dollars raised in the last 2 months ( Feb. and March/2006). In his excitement, he forgot to mention that he had personally loaned the campaign twenty thousand dollars to kick-jump its late start. He stated that  he finally made his mind up about entering the race on 1-22-2006, and has been fundraising mainly over the phone ever since. He still has no official fundraiser and is running a typical unorthodox "Barronesque" campaign, relying heavily on grassroot popular support and committed volunteers. 

 Whilst the US Congress debates the thorny issues  of immigration and national security, all rolled into one great immigration reform package , the silence in Brooklyn of so-called Caribbean – American leaders is deafening.  But then: what’s new? In 1996 President Bill Clinton signed a supposed anti-terrorism bill, that turned out to be the worst piece of legislation afflicting the Caribbean, in the then 220 year history of this country. Ten years after this signing, the "islands" ( and all the mainland countries touching the Caribbean Sea), are suffering a crime-wave of anarchic porportions. For those unfamiliar with the issue, the US government  started a systematic deportation of lawbreakers, with no regard for  the impact. It has been devestating, especially in Trinidad, Haiti,Jamaica and Guyana.  

 Everyone surely knows by now that Assemblywoman Diane Gordon ( 40AD/ East New York/Brooklyn), has been directly linked to the whole sordid Clarence Norman  corruption mess. What is also known is that Ms. Gordon had failed to file campaign finance reports for almost 6 years or so.  Rumor has it that Ms. Gordon is close to an indictment for various political money shenanigans , especially when she pleaded "the fifth"on the stand, as a witness during one of Norman’s trials. It was stated some time aback that Ms. Gordon asked for immunity when Norman was before the Grand Jury. It was also stated that DA Hynes refused to grant her request.