FROM THE PUBLISHER
Vote for Carolyn
Change-making is not ‘a spectator sport’
COURIER LIFE, JUNE 19-25, 2020 21
The great Jackie Robinson,
the fi rst African-
American to play in Major
League Baseball, once
commented that “Life is not a
spectator sport.” You could remain
on the sidelines or in the
stands, but in order to be an
agent for change, you had to be
on the fi eld.
During his career, Robinson
endured years of abuse and humiliation
due to the color of his
skin. He was forced to sleep in
separate hotels from his teammates
due to Jim Crow laws.
Fans and fellow players alike
hurled racist invective at him
when he was at bat. At one
point, he sustained a major injury
while playing fi rst base
when an opposing player gave
him a seven-inch gash from his
shoe spikes on Robinson’s leg.
Yet he persevered, and today is
credited with paving the way
for integration in Major League
Baseball.
The same holds true of policing
in our modern, racially
divided era. The anger over
the murder of George Floyd in
Minneapolis is completely justifi
ed, and refl ects the widespread
feeling among Black
Americans that this country
has had its knee on our necks
for too long.
I know this sentiment well.
When I was a 15-year-old living
in South Jamaica, Queens, my
brother and I were arrested on
criminal trespassing charges.
Shortly after, we were picked
up from school by offi cers and
brought to the 103rd Precinct.
Out of the blue, one of the offi -
cers — both of them were white
— asked us if we felt like a beatdown.
They then took us to a
room downstairs and kicked us
in the groin repeatedly. It was
only after a black offi cer poked
his head in the room and said
“that’s enough” that the beating
fi nally stopped.
For weeks after, I urinated
blood every day. I promised
myself repeatedly that if it continued,
I’d tell my mother what
had happened. Every blare of a
siren brought back traumatic
memories, and the glee the offi
cers took in emasculating my
brother and me.
A few years later, I was approached
by a group of black
leaders in the community with
a proposition that sounded
crazy to me at the time, as it
probably would to many people
of color today: Join the NYPD.
Change the department from
within.
The more I thought about it,
the more it made sense to me.
So I joined with a clear mission
in mind, and that mission
sustained me throughout my
22 years on the force. I committed
myself to rectifying the
systemic issues the department
was facing.
At times, my task felt like
Sysiphus rolling the boulder up
the hill. The entrenched hierarchy
within police departments
is often resistant to change –
and when it comes, it comes
slowly. But I retired from the
NYPD at the rank of captain
knowing that I and my fellow
reformers had made a positive
difference, drawing attention
to issues that have long plagued
the department and opening the
door to fellow change-makers.
Take Edwin Raymond. A
Lieutenant in the NYPD, Raymond
joined a group of 11 minority
colleagues in 2016 to expose
a policy of targeting minorities
in a transit patrol unit. He and
his fellow plaintiffs allege they
were explicitly told to go after
Black and Latino people for
low-level crimes such as jumping
turnstiles, and avoid “soft”
targets such as Whites and
Asians. When they objected to
this clearly unjust policy, they
claimed they faced retaliation.
They are now suing the department
for discrimination, and
the issue of quota-based policing
is now in public view.
People like Lieutenant Raymond
and his colleagues are
carrying the torch for reform.
The protesters on the streets
now are forcing a long-overdue
conversation about racism in
policing. But in order to effect
meaningful change, we have
to dispel this damaging idea
that change can come from
within. In 1947, Jackie Robinson
debuted as fi rst baseman
for the Brooklyn Dodgers. The
following year, the Negro National
League — a symbol of
baseball’s segregation — disbanded.
Eric Adams is borough president
of Brooklyn. He served 22
years in the New York City Police
Department (NYPD), retiring
at the rank of captain, as
well as represented District 20
in the New York State Senate.
Borough President Eric Adams.
BY VICTORIA SCHNEPS-YUNIS
Congresswoman Carolyn
Maloney works tirelessly to
serve three boroughs in an
extraordinary way.
As they say in the vernacular,
she’s “brought home
the bacon” to her district
in Brooklyn, which encompasses
Greenpoint and Williamsburg;
she has “brought
home the bacon” for her
Queens districts in Astoria
and Long Island City; and she
has “brought home the bacon”
for her districts on the Upper
East Side of Manhattan.
I’m proud to endorse her
for reelection to another term
in Congress.
She’s been an incredible
advocate for her communities
and brought in more than
$10.7 billion in funds for jobs,
infrastructure projects and
quality-of-life concerns.
She serves in the powerful
position as chairwoman of the
United States House Committee
on Oversight and Reform,
which is a critical place to be
in today’s world. She’s also a
member of the Select Subcommittee
on the Coronavirus
Crisis.
Not surprisingly, she was
rated the No. 1 leader in Congress
due to her outstanding
track record.
She has fought tirelessly
to keep services at the Manhattan
VA hospitals. Understanding
the power of a
great education having been
a teacher herself, she led the
task force to establish the Eleanor
Roosevelt and P.S. 151
schools.
Her advocacy for the Second
Avenue Subway line
helped to secure $1.3 billion
in federal funding. She has
championed equal rights,
building efforts for a strong
economy and expanding
healthcare while safeguarding
clean air and water issues.
Her list of accomplishments
can go on and on.
It’s important to reelect
someone like Carolyn, a
proven champion of the communities
she serves. I’m
proud to call her my friend
and a true public servant.
Make sure you make
your voice heard and cast
your vote, either in person
or via absentee ballot.
Victoria Schneps-Yunis
is the publisher of Schneps
Media.
Carolyn Maloney deserves our votes!
LESSONS LEARNED WHILE ON THE BEAT
WITH BROOKLYN BOROUGH PRESIDENT ERIC ADAMS