NEW YORK CITY COUNCILMEMBER CHARLES BARRON ENDORSES MARQUEZ CLAXTON FOR CITY COUNCIL

NEW YORK STATE SENATOR ERIC ADAMS ENDORSES MARQUEZ CLAXTON FOR CITY COUNCIL

MARQUEZ CLAXTON GAINS THE ENDORSEMENT OF NEW YORK CITY’S LARGEST PUBLIC EMPLOYEE UNION – DISTRICT COUNCIL 37

 

Newsroom

2009 News Releases

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 9, 2009

Contact: Zita Allen, Communications Director Molly Charboneau Rudy Orozco 212-815-1535

DC 37, the city’s largest municipal employee union, endorses candidates for New York City Council and Staten Island Borough President races

The Executive Board of District Council 37, the city’s largest public employee union with 125,000 members and 50,000 retirees, voted to endorse the following candidates for the New York City Council and Staten Island Borough President races for the Tuesday, September 15th Democratic primary election. [See list below.]

The vote by the DC 37 Executive Board follows the recommendations of the DC 37 Screening Committee.

“The DC 37 Executive Board endorsed this list of very qualified candidates because of their proven record in support of the issues important to the men and women we represent who work so hard to serve New York,” said DC 37 Executive Director Lillian Roberts. “We firmly believe that these candidates will best represent the interests of the labor community of our city and our state. Our endorsement brings with it a pledge to work diligently on their behalf with our powerful, sophisticated field operations to get out the vote. We have a proven record of successfully supporting our endorsed candidates”.

Roberts added, “I want to thank the DC 37 Screening Committee and the DC 37 Executive Board for their hard work and deliberations throughout this election season and most especially for their selections of our endorsed candidates.”

District Council 37 is New York City’s largest public employee union, with 125,000 members and 50,000 retirees.

 

 

 

 

District Council 37 Endorsements for the September 14th Primary, 2009 New York City Council
Manhattan
		1	PJ Kim (Gerson)
		2	Rosie Mendez
		3	No Recommendation (Quinn)
		4	No Recommendation (Garodnick)
		5	Jessica S. Lappin
		6	Gale A. Brewer
		7	Robert Jackson
		8	Melissa Mark-Viverito
		9	Inez E. Dickens
		10	Miguel Martinez
Bronx
		11	G. Oliver Koppell
		12	Larry B. Seabrook
		13	James Vacca
		14	Fernando Cabrera (Baez)
		15	Joel Rivera
		16	Helen D. Foster
		17	Maria Del Carmen Arroyo
		18	Annabel Palma
Queens
		19	Jerry Iannece (Open Seat – Avella)
		20	S.J. Jung (Open Seat – Liu)
		21	Julissa Ferreras
		22	Peter F. Vallone
		23	Mark Weprin (Open Seat – Weprin)
		24	James F. Gennaro
		25	Helen Sears
		26	James Van Bramer (Open Seat – Gioia)
		27	Leroy G. Comrie, Jr.
		28	Thomas White, Jr.
		29	Karen Koslowitz (Open Seat – Katz)
		30	Elizabeth Crowley
		31	Marquez Claxton (Sanders)
		32	Frank Gulluscio (Ulrich)
Brooklyn
		33	Stephen Levin (Open Seat -Yassky)
		34	Diane Reyna
		35	Letitia James
		36	No Recommendation (Vann)
		37	Erik Martin Dilan
		38	Sara M. Gonzalez
		39	No Recommendation (Open Seat – DeBlasio)
		40	Mathieu Eugene
		41	Darlene Mealy
		42	Charles Barron
		43	Vincent J. Gentile
		44	Simcha Felder
		45	Jummane Williams (Stewart)
		46	Lewis A. Fidler
		47	Domenic M. Recchia, Jr.
		48	Michael C. Nelson
Staten Island
		49	Debbie Rose
		50	James Oddo (R)
		51	Vincent Ignizio (R)
R =Republican

 

THE QUEENS CAMPAIGNER

MARQUEZ CLAXTON RECEIVES THE ENDORSEMENT OF THE ‘Social Service Employment Union-LOCAL 371′

SSEU LOCAL 371 ENDORSEMENT

JAMES SANDERS JR. RECEIVES A FAILING GRADE FROM THE ‘NEW YORK LEAGUE OF CONSERVATION VOTERS’

SANDERS FAILS ON ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES

MARQUEZ CLAXTON TALKS ABOUT CRIME AND COMMUNITY RELATIONS

CRIME AND POLICE-COMMUNITY RELATIONS

MARQUEZ CLAXTON PROFILED IN THE ‘QUEENS CHRONICLE’

QUEENS CHRONICLE CAMPAIGN PROFILE

JAMES SANDERS JR. PLAY POLITICS WITH COMMUNITY BOARD APPOINTMENTS

Council Candidate Claims Sanders Politicized CB
By Miriam Rosenberg

A candidate, looking to represent the east end of Rockaway and parts of the mainland, has been denied reappointment to a local community board by the man he hopes to unseat in this fall’s primary elections.

Marquez Claxton, a community activist and former police officer, alleges that Councilman James Sanders Jr. of the 31st Councilmatic District refused to reappoint him to Community Board 13 on the mainland because Claxton is running against him in the fall primary. “It’s an absolute, blatant, shameless political hit,” Claxton said earlier this week. “It’s political grandstanding on the councilman’s part.”

Claxton, who has been on the board for two years and was the chair of the public safety committee, says he met with Sanders earlier this year about his reappointment. “He told me he was going to appoint someone to the board who’s not running against him,” said Claxton. “He came straight out … that’s exactly what he said.”

Claxton said he had an excellent attendance record at all meetings and was very active on the board.

“The record speaks for itself,” he said. “There is no reason I shouldn’t have been reappointed.”

Despite CB 13’s March meeting being his last as a board member, Claxton says he has been to every meeting since then as a community member. He remains on the public safety committee after the board’s then-chairman Richard Hellenbrecht asked him to stay on as a community member, because of his experience in law enforcement. While Claxton says Sanders’ decision to not reappoint him to CB 13 was political, the councilman’s camp claims it is Claxton who is using the board for political reasons.

“That [politicizing of] the board is not the purpose of the community board,” said Donovan Richards, Sanders’ chief of staff. “The purpose of the board is to help the community [with] public safety, zoning … If a person is using the board for political reasons, that is not the purpose.”

Richards added that the councilman replaced Claxton “with a person who lives in Laurelton and seeks the betterment of the community – who wouldn’t politicize the board.”

Richards also denies the charge that Claxton was not reappointed because of the campaign.

“He [Sanders] uses the same standards he used the past two terms,” Richards said. “He appoints people who are serious about change and the betterment of the community. If that person has a narrow agenda, he will be removed. He is of no purpose to the board.”

Richards also said that Sanders still funds groups associated with other candidates who are running against him this fall.

“If he wanted to be political, he would cut [their funding],” said Richards. He doesn’t want to cut young people [which many of these groups serve].”

The Wave did ask to speak directly with Sanders, but Richards assured us that his comments exactly reflect those of the councilman’s.

Claxton, who also lives in Laurelton, did admit that Sanders was “within his jurisdiction” to not reappoint him. It is the reason that is of concern to him. “It is not about, as much, the person as it is about the community,” said Claxton.

“It’s about what the community loses when they lose a person of my experience.” Claxton pointed out that he has no problems with CB 13 – which covers Queens Village, Glen Oaks, New Hyde Park, Bellerose, Cambria Heights, Laurelton, Rosedale, Floral Park and Brookville.

MARQUEZ CLAXTON RECEIVES THE ENDORSEMENT OF THE ‘NEW YORK COMMUNITY COUNCIL’

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 25, 2009

The New York Community Council 217 N 7th Street, Brooklyn NY 11211

Contact Philip DePaolo: 347-200-2353

 

The New York City Community Council endorses Pete Gleason for Council District 1 The New York Community Council, an organization made up of activists from around the City, announced its endorsement decisions in New York City Council races, as well as the race for Mayor, Public Advocate, Controller, District Attorney and Borough President Contests. The vote was based on voting for candidates committed to the ideals, and principles of The New York Community Council. The New York Community Council will not be endorsing any candidate running for a third term. Any seat with “None” next to it means no candidate received the required number of votes, or a third termer was running unopposed. The full list of 2009 endorsements made by the New York Community Council is as follows: Mayor- Tony Avella Public Advocate- Norman Siegel Controller- John Liu Manhattan District Attorney- Richard Aborn Brooklyn District Attorney- Charles Hynes Manhattan Borough President- None – Incumbent – Scott Stringer Brooklyn Borough President- Eugene Myrick – Incumbent – Marty Markowitz Queens Borough President- None – Incumbent – Helen Marshall Bronx Borough president-None – Incumbent – Ruben Diaz, Jr. Staten Island Borough President- None – Incumbent – James Molinaro City Council Endorsement – Incumbent (M)District 1- Peter Gleason – Alan Gerson (M)District 2- Rosie Mendez – Rosie Mendez (M)District 3- Yetta Kurland – Christine Quinn (M)District 4- Daniel R. Garodnick – Daniel R.Garodnick (M)District 5- Jessica S. Lappin – Jessica S. Lappin (M)District 6- None – Gale Brewer (M)District 7- Monique Washington – Robert Jackson (M)District 8- None – Melissa Mark Viverito (M)District 9- None – Inez Dickens (M)District 10-Ydanis Rodriguez – Miguel Martinez (BX)District 11- None – Oliver Koppell (BX)District 12- Jerome Rice – Larry Seabrook (BX)District 13- None – James Vacca (BX)District 14-Fernando Cabrera – Maria Baez (BX)District 15- None – Joel Rivera (BX)District 16-Daryl Johnson – Helen Foster (BX)District 17- None – Maria del Carmen Arroyo (BX)District 18- Annabel Palma – Annabel Palma (Q)District 19- Steve Behar – Open (Q)District 20- None – Open (Q)District 21- None – Julissa Ferreras (Q)District 22- None – Peter Vallone Jr. (Q)District 23- None – Open – (Q)District 24- None – James Gennaro (Q)District 25- Daniel Dromm – Helen Sears (Q)District 26- None – Open (Q)District 27- Clyde Vanel – Leroy Comrie (Q)District 28- None – Thomas White Jr. (Q)District 29- Mel Gagarin – Open (Q)District 30- None – Elizabeth Crowley (Q)District 31- Marquez Claxton – James Sanders (Q)District 32- None – Eric Ulrich (BK)District 33-Jo Anne Simon – Open (BK)District 34-Gerry Esposito – Diana Reyna (BK)District 35- Letitia James – Letitia James (BK)District 36- Mark Winston Griffith – Al Vann (BK)District 37- None – Erik Dilan (BK)District 38- None – Sara Gonzalez (BK)District 39- Josh Skaller – Open (BK)District 40- Rock Hackshaw – Mathieu Eugene (BK)District 41- Tulani Kinkaid – Darlene Mealy (BK)District 42- None – Charles Barron (BK)District 43- None – Vincent Gentile (BK)District 44- None – Simcha Felder (BK)District 45- Rodrick F. Daley – Kendall Stewart (BK)District 46- None – Lewis Fidler (BK)District 47- None – Domenic Recchia, Jr. (BK)District 48- None – Michael Nelson (SI)District 49- None – Kenneth Mitchell (SI)District 50- None – James Oddo (SI)District 51- None – Vincent Ignizio

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MARQUEZ CLAXTON NOT RE-APPOINTED TO COMMUNITY BOARD 13 FOR CHALLENGING JAMES SANDERS JR.

http://www.yournabe.com/blogs/queenscampaigner/?p=824

 Sanders Boots Council Opponent Off the Community Board

Posted on July 1, 2009 by Howard Koplowitz

James Sanders 

A former Community Board 13 member and City Council candidate from Laurelton said City Councilman James Sanders (D-Laurelton) did not reappoint him to the board because he is challenging Sanders for his seat.

Marquez Claxton said he met with Sanders several months ago at the councilman’s Far Rockaway office when the councilman bluntly said he could not let him serve on CB 13 because he was running against Sanders in the Democratic primary.

“He said, ‘I’m not going to reappoint someone for the board who’s running against me,’” Claxton said.

“It’s disgusting, political gamesmanship and when you’re talking about effective representation, there’s no place for that,” he said. “What he tried to do was undercut me. What he ended up doing was a tremendous disservice to my community.”

Sanders aide Donovan Richards said the move was not “retaliation” for Claxton running and contended Claxton used the community board for selfish reasons, a charge Claxton denied.

“The community board shouldn’t be politicized and not used by anyone for a narrow agenda,” Richards said. “That’s not the purpose of the community board. The purpose of the community board is to help protect our communities.”

Richards said Sanders replaced Claxton with a Laurelton resident “whose goal is to see the local betterment of the community.”

Claxton, a former NYPD detective and member of 100 Blacks in Law Enforcement Who Care, was first appointed to the board by Sanders two years ago and served as chairman of CB 13’s Public Safety Committee.

He said Sanders could not have had another valid excuse for refusing to reappoint him because he attended all his committee meetings and was an active board member.

“He was just arrogant enough to put before me honestly why he wouldn’t reappoint me,” Claxton said.

The Laurelton resident said if he were in the same position as Sanders he would have reappointed a board member challenging him.

“When I’m the councilman, I won’t deal with things politically as Councilman Sanders did,” he said. “I’m not a political animal, as he is.”

Claxton’s last meeting as a CB 13 member was in March.  The board covers a number of neighborhoods stretching from Glen Oaks in the north to Queens Village and Laurelton along the Nassau border.

In the board’s April newsletter, then-CB 13 Chairman Richard Hellenbrecht said Claxton was welcome to stay on the Public Safety Committee “as a community member.”
Claxton has not been seen at CB 13 meetings since.

Late last month, CB 13 elected former Executive Secretary Brian Block as its new chairman after Hellenbrecht chose not to seek re-election.

MARQUEZ CLAXTON IN THE “QUEENS PRESS”

MARQUEZ CLAXTON ATTENDS THE ‘E.N.A.C.T. Candidates Forum’

CANDIDATES FORUM

MARQUEZ CLAXTON AT THE ‘NATIONAL ACTION NETWORK-HOUSE OF JUSTICE’

Marquez Claxton speaks at the National Action Network about the fatal shooting of Police Officer Omar Edwards

MARQUEZ CLAXTON APPEARS ON NORMAN GRAHAM’S ‘ON THE SPOT’ TELEVISION PROGRAM

\’ON THE SPOT\’ PART 1

\’ON THE SPOT\’ PART 2

\’ON THE SPOT\’ PART 3

\’ON THE SPOT\’ PART 4

\’ON THE SPOT\’ PART 5

\’ON THE SPOT\’ PART 6

MARQUEZ CLAXTON CONDEMNS THE ARREST AND ATTACK ON 71 YEAR OLD ELIZABETH GORDEN

Call for an Investigation into the arrest of 71 year old Elizabeth Gorden

Arrest of Elizabeth Gorden

MARQUEZ CLAXTON ON GANG VIOLENCE

Guns ’n’ roses

By NAYABA ARINDE
Amsterdam News Editor

Published: Thursday, May 7, 2009 12:04 PM EDT

Gun violence made headlines again this week.

The NYPD told the AmNews that “shootings to date are down 5.6 percent: 374 for this year compared to 396 for last year.”

Those stats, though, provide little comfort to families and neighborhoods terrorized by errant gunfire. This past weekend, Corey Squire, 17, was shot in the back of the head on a Harlem Street. The murder was captured on video and was promptly sensationalized by tabloid media. A week before, 13-year-old Christopher Owens was hit in the head by a stray bullet at a Harlem barbeque. His family switched off the life support machine a couple of days later. He is being buried on Monday.

On Saturday, May 9 from 1 to 4 p.m., mothers who have lost their children to violence will lay the shoes of their children across 126th Street, from Malcolm X Blvd. to Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Blvd., to represent the lives lost by small arms fire in the community. Organizers such as New Yorkers Against Gun Violence, Harlem Mothers SAVE (Stop Another Violent End) and Rev. Vernon Williams (Perfect Peace Ministry) are inviting all families of murdered children to attend and bring shoes labeled with the names and photos of their loved ones.

This, like Pastor Williams’ impromptu march through Harlem on Tuesday afternoon, is designed to strike at the nerve of those who allow or participate in the gun violence marring the inner cities.

“We don’t make these guns, dammit,” stormed an incensed Assemblyman Keith Wright, empha- sizing the widespread frustration that some feel is the uncontrolled influx of illegal weapons in urban communities.

“I’m so glad that Harlem Mothers S.A.V.E. is around because we’ve got too many guns on our streets. We have to get to the bottom of how these guns come into our community. We, as parents and legislators, have to do better. Young people playing with guns is a result of neglect.” The Harlem elected official continued, “It is an indictment on government, on the education system. And parents have to be more proactive and frisk their children before they go out.” Seeing a gathering of 30–50 kids on any inner-city street corner is nothing new in the spring-to-summer run-up. Idle hands find something to do, and what with the economic crisis and cuts across the board, plus the closing of community and recreation centers, a repeat of the crowds looks pretty likely as summer looms.

“Summer jobs will be in place, ”Wright assured. “There is $30 million for summer jobs citywide, but we need to do more. We need a whole change in the culture in how we handle the streets. We need to shoot off our mouths rather than our guns.”

Erica Ford, co-founder of Queens-based youth organization LifeCamp Inc., said, “The nature of our society is a violent society, and we subliminally reward people who are violent. The media hypes up crime and violence and scandal. We don’t get the same degree of attention for positive achievements.

“Money is put into incarceration, not sustaining positive behavior.”

“Unfortunately for us, when the sun comes out, so do the guns,” Brooklyn City Councilman Charles Barron told the paper. “We have to stop this madness, this self-destructive behavior. Our community must organize and unite so we get our youth off the street and into recreation centers and jobs. The city needs to prioritize the youth. The mayor needs to put more money into our youth than he does rich developers. He needs to build more youth centers, rather than these billion-dollar, tax-payer-funded sports stadiums. No police containment can end crime—only economic solutions, job creation and quality education.”

“Engaging the youth is the only option,” said New Black Panther Party Youth Minister Divine Allah. “We speak with the youth wherever we find them, whether they are coming home from school or just hanging out on the corner. You shouldn’t have to call the police on every situation. You should be able to call on a father, an uncle or a brother. Black on Black violence is a serious issue, but this circular oppression—as Franz Fanon described it—needs to be addressed from top to bottom [with] religious, economic, political and social solutions, not just law enforcement.” “Too many of our young people are allowed to rule our blocks,” said retired detective and Queens City Council hopeful Marquez Claxton. “They reject authority, family and community and operate as if they own the streets that they were raised on. Without the intervention of the community, these gangs will flourish and create war zones where we live. Because we ignored the early signs of gang behavior, we are now reaping what we sowed. This violence is now a pandemic that needs direct community correction. These killers are not outsiders, they are our neighbors and sadly, too often our children.”

“The shootings are not isolated incidents. They reflect the gentrification of the neighborhoods and the isolation and criminalization of our young people and the lack of proper funding for alternative programs in the inner cities across the U.S.,” said Shaka Shakur, chairman of the New York chapter of the New Black Panther Party and youth organizer for the Mosque of Islamic Brotherhood. “We need to get into the street and engage young people and patrol our communities—not only in the event of a crime—and show our youth that we care. It is time that Black men stood up to defend and protect.”

Jackie Hilly, executive director of New Yorkers Against Gun Violence, organized a “lie-in” last month to protest the easy access to guns, and to commemorate the second anniversary of the Virginia Tech shootings. Last month also saw the 10th anniversary of the Columbine High School shootings.

“This is why we need to enact sensible gun laws on a local and federal level,” Hilly told the AmNews. “We have two pieces of legislation going forward: Micro-stamping allows police to pick up gun casings at crime scenes and trace them back to the semi-automatic they were fired from. It’s like a DNA print, where each shell casing is imprinted with a number which goes back to the gun.” Hilly said the Assembly has passed this legislation already.

“We also have legislation on the federal level trying to close gun show loop holes. Thirty-two states do not do any background checks whatsoever, and that leads to an unending supply of illegal weapons into New York,” she told the paper.

Erica Ford recalled, “In 2006/2007, the City Council allocated, but never actually gave, money to prevent gang violence to over 50 organizations. Expecting the money, some organizations put their hands in their own pocket and spent what they had on their various programs, but the City Council never gave them the money. As a result, some valuable organizations folded, and some former gang members who had turned their lives around got frustrated and probably returned to the street.”

Fortunately, Ford contended, “If we come together, we can stop the minority who commit the violence. I urge people who have the power: radio stations, TV stations, print media, elected officials, athletes and entertainers—who sometimes play a role in hyping up the beef in our community—to instead support organizations such as the I Love My Life Campaign and the Bury the Beef Campaign to make peace and safety a reality for our children.”

For more information on Saturday’s rally, call Rev. Williams at (917) 545-4613.

MARQUEZ CLAXTON CALLS FOR REFORM OF THE NYPD ‘STOP & FRISK’ PROGRAM

CLAXTON CALLS FOR REFORM ’stop & frisk-DAILY NEWS’

DEMANDS FOR NYPD DATABASE OVERSIGHT 

STOP & FRISK – LAURELTON TIMES

MARQUEZ CLAXTON & NEIGHBORS FIGHT AGAINST ZONING VIOLATIONS IN LAURELTON

DEVELOPER IGNORES ZONING REGULATIONS IN LAURELTON

MARQUEZ CLAXTON JOINS THE NYS DEMOCRATIC CONFERENCE IN ANNOUNCING FUNDING FOR ‘OPERATION S.N.U.G.’

OPERATION S.N.U.G. RECEIVES FUNDING

MARQUEZ CLAXTON ATTENDS THE ‘ROCKEFELLER DRUG LAW’ REFORM BILL SIGNING

Marquez Claxton, '100 Blacks in Law Enforcement Who Care' & Pastor Doris Johnson join Manhattan District Attorney candidate Cyrus Vance Jr. at the Rockefeller Drug Law Reform package signing

Marquez Claxton & '100 Blacks in Law Enforcement Who Care' join Governor David Patterson at the historic 'Rockefeller Drug Law' reform legislation signing

MARQUEZ CLAXTON JOINS N.A.A.C.P. PRESIDENT HAZEL DUKES & THE F.D.N.Y. VULCAN SOCIETY TO CALL FOR SUPPORT OF CIVIL RIGHTS LEGISLATION-TITLE 7

Marquez Claxton joins N.A.A.C.P. president Hazel Dukes, the F.D.N.Y. Vulcan Society & 100 Blacks in Law Enforcement Who Care in defense of Civil Rights legislation-Title 7

MARQUEZ CLAXTON JOINS SOUTHEAST QUEENS RESIDENTS AT A ‘HOT SHEETS HOTEL’ PROTEST OUTSIDE OF THE RIVIERA HOTEL

Marquez Claxton joins Michael Duncan and Southeast Queens residents at a protest outside of the Riviera Hotel.