Barron as Boro Prez: The Implications for Brooklyn?

Hell no.

Posted by: Anonymous at July 23, 2007 9:12 AM

Scary thought.

Posted by: Anonymous at July 23, 2007 9:17 AM

Only if David Duke represents Harlem

Posted by: Anonymous at July 23, 2007 9:22 AM

After all these years with Marty Markowitz, even Charles Barron looks good now.

Posted by: Anonymous at July 23, 2007 9:31 AM

The only important point is this: there is NO WAY that Charles Barron can score a political victory beyond his little ENY bubble. His base of support is too small and his financial backing is nil.

Plus, his effectiveness is doubtful. Last year he topped the list of council members who missed the most sessions. He's all about the flash and spends more time trying to get his face on NY1 than he does serving his constituents. He loves to raise his fist and cry racism, but when it comes to genuine solutions, he has nothing substantive to say (naming street signs? yea, that'll do wonders to improve the quality of life for NY residents of color).

Typical vapid 60s relic.

Posted by: Anonymous at July 23, 2007 9:55 AM

Didn't one of his aides suggest that another council member be assassinated? Who would vote for someone who condones that kind of behavior?

Posted by: Anonymous at July 23, 2007 10:02 AM

BZoo, not a comparison, just illustrating a point. Anyway, Barron dresses better.

Posted by: Anonymous at July 23, 2007 10:10 AM

Today's quote was "I'm not going to represent everyone but I am going to represent black people which is good for everyone."

Isn't that a little condescending to black people? or is that just whitey-me talking

Posted by: Anonymous at July 23, 2007 10:41 AM

am I the only one who likes Marty? I like that he is committed to Brooklyn and isn't using the position as a stepping stone to bigger things.

I think he's been good for Brooklyn

Posted by: Anonymous at July 23, 2007 10:52 AM

this ain't about color if the candidates don't make it about color. it's about his politics...he has not changed his song since his BP days and I don't want someone so radical stepping up. change is good, change is necessary but in this case it would be all about controversy and taking steps backwards...so my vote is NO

Posted by: Anonymous at July 23, 2007 11:16 AM

I also like Marty. I think he's done a fine job and will miss him once he's gone. I think that DeBlasio will also be running.

Posted by: Anonymous at July 23, 2007 11:20 AM

Markowitz is a filthy traitor who'd sell his own mother down the river. His betrayal of Brooklyn will not be forgotten. I wouldn't vote for Barron, though to be honest I think the next Borough Pres will have to be a step up from Markowitz.

Posted by: Anonymous at July 23, 2007 11:25 AM

I agree anon 10:41. Represent black people? What does that mean? Does he represent the black doctor across the hall for me or the black wall street attorneys that I work for? Doubtful...

Posted by: Anonymous at July 23, 2007 11:27 AM

I agree with 11:16. Barron's political approach would have been suitable for 1968, but not for today. Barron reminds me of the soldier in Gilligan's Island who, having been trapped in an errant submarine for years, believed that WW2 was still going on.

Posted by: Anonymous at July 23, 2007 11:29 AM

Barron is a hater and a scoundrel.
He is a dyed-in-the-wool racist who would set back civil rights and civil discourse decades if not centuries.
A genuinely evil person in my opinion.

Posted by: Anonymous at July 23, 2007 11:32 AM

We don't need to imagine it, it is understood dave...

Posted by: Anonymous at July 23, 2007 11:45 AM

markowitz is a good guy, and he has a top-notch staff who are helpful.
Could you imagine Barron's staff? The
"assassinate our critics" crowd? This is not comical. Fortunately I do not believe he has any chance of winning. What politician says: "I only care about one group of people"? We should thank our lucky stars he is so artless and inept.

Posted by: Anonymous at July 23, 2007 11:47 AM

Anon 10:52 - Marty is using his position as a stepping stone to run for mayor. If you genuinely think he did good things for the boro than that is your opinion and you're entitled to it. But his ultimate goal is to continue his career. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with that, he's no different from any other politician certainly, but he's no saint.

Posted by: Anonymous at July 23, 2007 11:50 AM

I live in brooklyn heights, am white, and make a lot of money, but i rent. I'll vote for him to help crush real estate prices -- yuppies go home.

Posted by: Anonymous at July 23, 2007 11:57 AM

Let's see, there's Barron, who cares about black Brooklyn and there's Markowitz who doesn't give a rat's ass about Brooklyn but only about himself.

On comparison, Barron looks pretty good.

Posted by: Anonymous at July 23, 2007 12:28 PM

Welcome to Brooklyn, where the so called minorities are the MAJORITY. I'm not sure if he'll win, it is unlikely. HOWEVER he will have an significant have an impact on the race.

You white folks will never get a guy like Barron, or his core group. He's a FOR the underserved. Markowitz, Quinn, etc. are for the status quo. I guess that doesn't bother you because so are you.

Posted by: Anonymous at July 23, 2007 12:49 PM

Actually, if you look at the latest Census questionaires former minority groups (such as Puerto Ricans) are no longer hispanic and now officially white.
The white majority marches on.

Posted by: Anonymous at July 23, 2007 1:04 PM

I believe you, thats part of the devil's plan: divide and conquer.

Posted by: Anonymous at July 23, 2007 1:15 PM

Hispanic people come in all races.
The English and Dutch brought African slaves to the Carribean and Brazil as well as to the US.
Later, Chinese Immigrants streamed into Latin America, especially after the US prohibited Asian immigrants around 1910.
A lot of Jewish people, especially Sephardim, live in Latin countries as well as irish, Italian, and of course, Iberians. Most Latino immigrants, documented or not, have litle in common with American Blacks. Same is true of the folks from the old English colonies like Trinidad and Jamaica who now live in Brooklyn. Barron has painted himself into a corner saying that he will primarily serve the needs of African Americans in Brooklyn. You can't win an election that way in a diverse city.

Posted by: Anonymous at July 23, 2007 1:18 PM

Say what you want; but when the police gun down a black guy in the street they don't check to see if they are from the caribbean or Africa or Central America. They just see Black.

Posted by: Anonymous at July 23, 2007 1:25 PM

You are trying to change the subject, 1:25. 1:18 makes an excellent point about inclusion. Barron is too divisive to win this race.

Posted by: Anonymous at July 23, 2007 1:33 PM

1:25, all the black men gunned down in the streets of this borough this Summer were shot by people of their own color. Try focusing on that problem instead. It'll do more good for our community than some tired and dated rant about racist white cops. Like you know, the white cop that was killed in Brooklyn this month, risking his life to keep guys off the streets who DO go around shooting their fellow black men.

Back to candidates, so many candidates in in Brooklyn run on a platform of affordable housing but with no actual, concrete, real proposal for what they are going to do about it. It's an empty promise just to get votes. But go ahead, let it sway you.

Posted by: Anonymous at July 23, 2007 2:20 PM

Yep anon 12:49 all minorities are poor. Give me a break.

Posted by: Anonymous at July 23, 2007 2:40 PM

OH, crap. I just bought my place and now I'll have to sell it? No way I'm living somewhere represented by such a blatant and unapologetic racist.

Posted by: Anonymous at July 23, 2007 2:41 PM

OH, crap. I just bought my place and now I'll have to sell it? No way I'm living somewhere represented by such a blatant and unapologetic racist.

Posted by: Anonymous at July 23, 2007 2:46 PM

2:20, I agree. Affordable housing is such a common refrain it may as well be programmed into a cell phone ring. Most "leaders" simply screech about the large number of condos, but offer little, if anything, in the way of alternatives.

Posted by: Anonymous at July 23, 2007 2:47 PM

Just want to thank Anon at 2:20 for remembering a good cop doing his job who took a bullet that would probably otherwise have made it into someone whose eventual murder may not even have made the news. The racism in our police force is there because it's in our society; it's not a separate thing for which we civilians bear no responsibility. At the same time, just as there are members of our society who have little if any hate in their hearts, there are plenty of honorable cops. This was a kid who could have done anything and been a world beater at it, and he took a tough job at a crap salary instead because he was committed to making a difference in our lives. I wish we had politicians who would put themselves on the line like that, giving up perques and prestige and choosing to take risks to protect the people in Brooklyn most in need. I know Barron wants to project that vibe, but I'm not receiving it. It's vital for a politician to put the needs of his constituents first--all politics are local--and I would respect Barron if that was his goal. Being pro-black isn't the problem. Being anti-white is--that just paints us all with the same brush--and some of us have been here a real long time, aren't rich, and share the same problems black Brooklynites and not "Brownstone" Brooklynites have.

Posted by: Anonymous at July 23, 2007 2:55 PM

I live in affordable housing. My secret?
I stretched myself financially twenty years ago to buy a nice property, which I could baely afford, and now it is almost paid for and very cheap to live in.
That's affordable housing!

Posted by: Anonymous at July 23, 2007 3:09 PM

I think tom has it right, this will let him raise money, match it with public funds, skim some off the top, hire friends, rent a nice office, with a back room, get himself in the papers, and did I mention skiiming funds?
That's what it is about.
Oh and also about his deep commitment to the less fortunate in the African American community. Ha Ha Ha!

Posted by: Anonymous at July 23, 2007 3:50 PM

Did anyone see Mr. Barron quoted in the newspaper articles of the upstanding, hardworking young man who was gunned down in Brownsville over the weekend?

Me neither.

If this young man had been shot by a white police officer, then you can bet your right arm that Barron would have found the time to show up.

Posted by: Anonymous at July 23, 2007 4:04 PM

Well said, 2:55pm.

This Barron is disgusting. He's seeking to profit from whipping up racial tensions, plain and simple. Whether it's profiting by getting votes, or profiting by getting attention and paid TV appearances like Sharpton, it's repugnant. Karma!!

Posted by: Anonymous at July 23, 2007 4:15 PM

So true, 4:04pm. Where are Barron and Sharpton when such a wonderful young black man is killed, but not by a white cop? Their lack of comment on tragic events like this is horrible, and shows a complete LACK of leadership in the black community.

Posted by: Anonymous at July 23, 2007 4:18 PM

Very little new in this conversation. Race and class are the most complicated issues facing our community and country. Online forums are not great places to discuss these difficult issues. My hope is that everyone here will develop meaningful personal relationships across the divides.

Posted by: Anonymous at July 23, 2007 11:10 PM

African Americans were freed from slavery with the passage of the 13th Ammendment in the 1865. Shortly thereafter they got the right. In fact a few freed slaves held several state and federal government offices. However, with the election of (please correct me if I am wrong) of Johnson and the implementation of "Jim Crow," they were disinfranchised once again until the 1960's. My grandfather took me with him when he voted in South Carolina. I also remember him being spat upon by a local man who obviously was not pleased that Blacks were aloud to vote once again and I am only 44 years old. It pains me to see young men killing each other, Black on Black or otherwise, when so much was sacrificed for us to have a better life. A side note to the passage of the Civil Rights Act is that it opened immigration to people from many Third World countries. I know that we have all heard the story of the hard working immigrant but the flip side are the criminals who came here and brought their Third World crime mentality with them. Old time American gangsters like the Mafia, The Westies and Nicky Barnes in Harlem did not kill cops. There was honor among thieves, so to speak. But in underdeveloped countries where cops were corrupt and got no respect they were open game. MaraSalvatrucha, DDP - Dominicans Don't Play and the NY Bloods - started by Jamaican immigrants on Rikers have no respect for the police. Barron is home grown but seems to have picked up the same mentality.

Posted by: Anonymous at July 23, 2007 11:19 PM

11:19, all the young people who do so much complaining these days should sit down and hear the stories elders like your grandfather have to tell. There's not enough appreciation for what the older generation had to endure, to gain the rights and freedoms young people have today.

The real divisions these days are economics. The haves and the have-nots. Of any race. Any candidate still blaming only race and racism is uninformed and misguided, and is not going to accomplish much at all for low income families in NYC or around the country.

Posted by: Anonymous at July 23, 2007 11:48 PM