Black Leaders Call Out NY Candidate

NEW YORK - Calling New York State Republican gubernatorial candidate Carl Paladino a “threat to New York’s longstanding commitment to tolerance and equality,” New York state’s Black leaders released a collective statement last week after primary Tuesday addressing a new enemy: Paladino. They called on him to apologize for past remarks that they deemed insensitive and asked him to tone down his rhetoric.

The joint statement was signed by Arva Rice, president and CEO of the New York Urban League; Phil Banks, president of 100 Black Men’s New York Chapter; Hazel Dukes, New York State Conference director of the NAACP; former New York State Comptroller H. Carl McCall; former New York City Comptroller Bill Thompson; Assemblymen Hakeem Jeffries, Carl Heastie and Karim Camara; Assemblywoman Helen Foster; Councilman Jumaane Williams; Councilwoman Leticia James; New York State Sen. Ruth Hassell-Thompson; and Eric Stevenson, leader of the 79th District in the Bronx.

“Tuesday’s victory by Carl Paladino—an extreme, polarizing figure—should alarm all of us,” read the statement. “Mr. Paladino has effectively declared war on communities of color with a series of racially incendiary comments along the campaign trail. We got a taste of this early on when it was discovered that Mr. Paladino had been sending racially offensive e-mails to associates.”

The e-mails that the statement refers to included images of bestiality, along with images of President Barack Obama that the leaders said were “popular with white supremacists.”

Stunning pundits and the GOP establishment last week with his upset win over party favorite Rick Lazio in the New York’s GOP gubernatorial primary, Paladino said, “There’s a people’s revolution, I want everyone who opposed me in the Republican Party to know this: You’re welcomed to join the people’s crusade. Come aboard. You’re both welcomed and needed. If we unite, we’ll win. We’ll rebuild New York.”

While some believe that Paladino’s victory is a blessing for the Democratic Party, last week’s joint statement alleged that Paladino’s presence brings about a different danger.

“Our governor should be uniting our state and spurring economic empowerment statewide, not pitting one group against another,” said the leadership statement. “Yet Mr. Paladino has sent a clear message to minority communities: We are not welcome in his business nor would we be welcome in his administration.”

During his campaign, Paladino expressed his dislike for New York State’s social programs and benefits and suggested that welfare recipients be housed in underused New York State prisons. “Instead of handing out the welfare checks, we’ll teach people how to earn their check. We’ll teach them personal hygiene,” he said while campaigning, “the personal things they don’t get when they come from dysfunctional homes.”

Paladino stood by his hygiene comments when he said that he developed his opinion based on training troops from the inner-city in the Army. “You have to teach them basic things—taking care of themselves, physical fitness,” he added.

This is why, according to Dukes, local Black leaders had to speak up. “The remark he made, we didn’t make it up,” she said. “We heard it plain as day. I hope that Mr. Cuomo doesn’t get involved in mudslinging [with him]. We need to focus on the serious issues that face our state. We are in a crisis.

“And talking with this man will not get the state out of the financial bind we’re in,” said Dukes.

Dukes, among other Black leaders, have demanded an apology from Paladino for his remarks and have accused him of hypocrisy when it came to standing against government spending.

“His entire campaign is based on a lie,” the statement continued. “He rails against government spending and Albany corruption, except when the spending benefits him personally or the insider deals concern his real estate empire. Mr. Paladino has gotten rich thanks to Albany ‘s pay-to-play culture, giving half a million dollars to well-placed politicians and, in return, getting millions in government contracts, sweetheart deals and tax incentives.

“The African-American leaders who demanded that Mr. Paladino immediately issue an apology for his hateful remarks should be applauded,” the statement read.

“Characteristically, Mr. Paladino has not even dignified this request with a response.”

Paladino’s camp said they were not aware of the released statement by Black officials and asked the AmNews to send them a copy so they could respond. The AmNews sent them a copy and, as of press time, had not heard a response from Paladino or anyone running his campaign.

While New York Democratic gubernatorial candidate Cuomo is still a huge favorite to win in November, Paladino looks to kick up dust on the way there. New York State’s Black leaders will make sure to keep a watchful eye over the Buffalonian.

“Paladino represents the problem, not the solution, to the serious, systemic challenges facing this state,” concluded the statement. “He is unfit to be our governor, and we plan to do everything in our power to keep him and his dangerous ideas out of the statehouse.”

However, a recent Quinnipiac University poll shows that Paladino’s views might be gaining some traction. In the poll released this past Wednesday, Paladino trails Cuomo by only six percentage points (49 percent to 43 percent) among likely voters. Dukes believes that she understands the reason for the close result.

“People are not rational when they’re hurting,” she said. “I must agree with President Obama. I heard him speak Saturday night at the Congressional Black Caucus and it’s not a secret that people are hurting. People are angry and they don’t know who to be angry at.

“Children can’t go to college. The husband can’t take care of his family,” continued Dukes. “But they’re turning their anger to the wrong place and the wrong people.”

Black Leaders Call Out NY Candidate

STORY TAGS: BLACK , AFRICAN AMERICAN , MINORITY , CIVIL RIGHTS , DISCRIMINATION , RACISM , NAACP , URBAN LEAGUE , RACIAL EQUALITY , BIAS , EQUALITY