Remembering Kevin Peter Carroll
Be outraged over police attacks on journalists
COURIER LIFE, JUNE 5-11, 2020 13
OP-ED
BY PRISCILLA CONSOLO
“Darkness cannot drive out
darkness: only light can do that.
Hate cannot drive out hate: only
love can do that.”
Those words were famously
penned by Dr. Martin Luther
King, Jr. Today, I write those
words in remembrance of my
good friend, the late Hon. Kevin
Peter Carroll, who we lost a
year ago on June 2, 2019.
I met Kevin shortly after he
won his District Leadership position
in 2010 at the tender age
of twenty-four, which made him
the youngest person to hold the
post in the entire borough of
Brooklyn. From the moment I
fi rst met him, Kevin overfl owed
with vivacity – authentic, bold,
and unabashedly unlike any
other. He was the type of person
who could brighten a room
with his lively personality and
jovial demeanor, which, along
with his twinkling blue eyes,
characterized his identity as a
public fi gure.
As someone who has worked
in local politics, I know it can
be a cruel and callous profession.
Politics was in Kevin’s
DNA, which is not surprising
given that he grew up in the
New York political arena – his
father and uncles made names
for themselves as progressive
Democrats before Kevin was
even born. One might suspect
someone like Kevin – with deep
roots in politics – to be jaded
or embittered by the political
world. Instead, though, Kevin
was so shockingly full of life,
and at a young age, decided to
enthusiastically pursue a career
in public service himself.
A staunch advocate of his
beloved Bay Ridge community
where he lived, Kevin was active
in numerous organizations,
including the Bay Ridge
Community Council, Brooklyn
Irish American Parade Committee,
Brooklyn Community
Board 10, Bay Ridge Historical
Society, and 68th Precinct
Community Council. His passion
for activism led him to
found Brooklyn Democrats for
Change when he was only nineteen
years old. With an inherent
fi re always burning in his
belly, Kevin took action whenever
he saw injustice, supporting
countless causes and candidates
to make a difference.
Although many knew Kevin
as a civic and political leader,
advocating for redistricting reform,
volunteering at neighborhood
senior centers, calling for
affordable housing, or organizing
to restore the B37 bus line,
this was only one of his many
roles. The brightness exemplifi
ed in his community work
also embodied his adoration for
his family. Kevin was a devoted
brother to his sisters, a doting
uncle to his godson, and a dedicated
son to his parents. In fact,
Kevin aided his ailing mother,
letting her move in with him so
he could be her primary caretaker.
For months, he slept on
his couch and gave up his bedroom
so his mother would be
comfortable in there instead. It
is just one example of his glistening
kindness and compassion
that informed his work as
a District Leader.
For those of us who were
lucky enough to know Kevin
personally, it was obvious that
behind his witty sense of humor
and sassy attitude, there
was a soul bursting of love.
Kevin adored people and more
so, he enjoyed giving of himself
for the benefi t of others, even
though he faced his own hardships.
There was a glittering
gentleness and warmth that
poured out from within him.
Kevin would light up any room
once he walked through the
door with a beaming smile and
golden laugh (like the gleaming
“Brooklyn” pin which he
always so proudly wore) that
still to this day, is impossible to
forget.
Since his passing, I have
realized, now more than ever,
how Kevin was a true light
in this dark world. He had a
natural positive energy and
sparkling charisma that unsurprisingly
made him a luminary
within Brooklyn politics.
He had a glow of happiness
that could dazzle any crowd.
Like a magnet, he could pull
you in with his vibrancy and
captivate a room full of people
whenever he spoke. With his
deep Brooklyn accent, Kevin
communicated vividly, telling
stories with radiant animation
and plenty of hand movements.
In having a conversation
with Kevin, it was obvious
that one was in the presence of
real greatness.
Some nights, with the luster
of the shimmering moonlight
piercing through the dark sky,
I look up to the heavens and
fi nd comfort knowing that
while Kevin was taken from
us far too soon, he’s now shining
up there, like all the stars
in our universe. Although no
longer with us, his legacy lives
on, with his dazzling radiance
elevated among the cosmic galaxy
where it so rightly belongs.
Above us all, his sparkle is no
longer confi ned to the limits
of our humanly existence. Instead,
now the light Kevin offered
to illuminate our lives
can illuminate the whole
world. Now, free of mortal constraints,
he can everglow.
Priscilla Consolo, an attorney
and community activist,
was a close friend of Kevin Peter
Carroll for nearly a decade
until his passing and wrote this
piece with the blessings of Kevin’s
family.
GONE TOO SOON: A friend remembers Bay Ridge District Leader Kevin
Peter Carroll . Priscilla Consolo
BY JUDY PATRICK
Within the journalism community,
there’s outrage over
the assaults our fellow journalists
have endured covering
the unrest in America sparked
by the death of a black man,
George Floyd, in police custody
in Minneapolis.
We recognize that those reporters
are bearing witness
to the events unfolding before
them. They are there to hold
those in power accountable
for their actions. Attacks on
journalism diminish the people’s
right to the truth about
what government is doing in
their name. This is serious and
needs to be addressed.
America’s outrage is focused,
as it should be, on the
racial injustices that permeate
our society. To seriously
address these fundamental
problems, demonstrations and
protests need to be followed by
lots of dialogue, education, research
and real change.
Yet to be successful, the sun
must shine on that process. We
need to build understanding
and consensus, and for that
we will need journalists every
step of the way. Without them,
we will fail.
The ongoing attacks on journalists
in America, especially
by police, is truly unprecedented.
To be sure, journalists
in many other countries face
far more adversity. But this is
America, the leader of the free
world, where the free press is
one of our fundamental values
and sets the standard.
Covering protests, especially
chaotic ones, has always
been tough. Reporters are used
to getting jostled, taunted and
sometimes threatened with arrest.
And while the level of aggression
has been increasing
in the last decade, the number
of attacks of the past few days
are far beyond anything we
have ever seen before.
The U.S. Press Freedom
Tracker, run by the Freedom
of the Press Foundation and
the Committee to Protect Journalists,
typically investigates
100 to 150 incidents of attacks
on U.S. journalists a year. On
Monday, the group was investigating
more than 100 incidents
from the fi rst three days of the
current protests alone.
Journalists are getting
pushed and shoved, shot by
rubber bullets and pepper
balls, assaulted with pepper
spray and tear gas, punched,
slapped, detained and arrested.
Some of this is happening live
on air, before our eyes.
The danger can come from
either direction. Some protesters
are targeting journalists,
hurling rocks and other debris
at them, knocking them down,
beating them and setting their
vehicles on fi re.
Why this is happening
should be no big surprise.
Since taking offi ce, President
Trump has put a big fat “enemy
of the people” stamp on
every journalist’s forehead.
He affi rmed it with a tweet at
the height of the protests this
past weekend. He’s done more
than give the attackers license
to act; he’s emboldened them.
This is about far more than
journalists’ personal safety.
This is about democracy. This
is about the public’s right to
know. This is about an institution
that, despite its lapses,
strives to help us build a better
society.
Judy Patrick is the vice president
for editorial content at the
New York Press Association.