Park Slope Turns Out To Hear John Murtha But Gets To Hear From Chris Owens, As Well.

The race for Congress in Brooklyn's 11th Congressional District is heating up. As readers of this blog will know, the contest pits progressive Chris Owens against three other candidates: David Yassky, Yvette Clark and Karl Andrews. You can read my other posts for more background-- click here and here.

The 11th district encompasses a vast area running from Cobble Hill on the west to East New York on the east. In between are diverse neighborhoods such as Park Slope, Prospect Heights, Crown Heights, Prospect Park Southwest and Windsor Terrace. Chris has hit hard against the war in Iraq and the proposed mega-development known as Atlantic Yards at Flatbush and Atlantic Avenues.

Large sections of this district are known for their liberal and activist voters. So it's no wonder that the three other candidates have, of late, become born-again peace advocates and fighters for "affordable housing" by meekly criticizing the size of Ratner's skyscraper city (while still supporting it). It wasn't always so.

The latest incarnation of these newly self-proclaimed fighters for peace came in a "Stand Against The War In Iraq" rally, featuring Congressman John Murtha and called by Congressman Anthony Weiner and Councilwoman Yvette Clarke. Weiner recently annointed Clark with his endorsement in what is widely viewed as a quid-pro-quo for his expected run for Mayor in 2009.

Now don't get me wrong. It's a good thing that politicians are calling meetings on behalf of peace. It shows that people are fed up with the war and that political leaders are feeling the pressure and the need to respond. In fact, that's what we've been workng so hard for: to push the Hillarys of this world to move away from their pro-war positions; to move them to oppose the war and call for a speedy return of U.S. troops.

Weiner has had a mixed record on the Iraq war. He initially supported it and voted funds for it. This year, however, he has voted against Bush's request for more money, joining most of the Brooklyn Congressional delegation in opposing any more spending on the debacle in the Mideast. He also signed on to the Murtha resolution which would rapidly "redeploy" U.S. troops out of Iraq. Good for him! Clark, too, has opposed the war but has never been known as a vocal advocate (in the City Council) or shown leadership on the question of peace.

So action on peace is good and very important and Murtha was welcomed, by those on all sides, to speak out against the war. But I'd be wrong not to also take note of what I believe to be quite a cynical maneuver -- that in the very last weeks of this campaign for Congress, Weiner and Clarke, who, to my knowledge, have never, ever participated in an organized peace event, decide that now is the time to call a peace rally! By the way, you might ask, did they then call to invite the participation of any local peace activists? Did they reach out to any of the leaders of the very strong peace movement in downtown Brooklyn? Um, no. It was as if a peace movement in this district was non-existent. I'm compelled to make the observation, therefore, that this was more a campaign rally for Yvette Clarke, in search of liberal votes, than a rally to genuinely advance the cause of peace.

People did turn out: the meeting, at the Park Slope Methodist Church, was packed with people eager to hear what Murtha had to say. By the way, this church is in Representative Major Owens' district, not Weiner's - a not-so-subtle snub of a Congressman who is, indeed, a long-standing ally of the peace movement and an uncompromising foe of Bush's war. Major insisted on attending the meeting. After all, he is the bona fide Congressman of the district. To her credit (or because she felt compelled to), Clarke introduced Major Owens who, in turn, introduced Murtha.

Chris Owens also attended the meeting. So did dozens of his supporters - who stood outside, calmly and with dignity, with their signs, flyers and buttons. They were there to support the cause of peace but they also insisted on letting residents know just who the real peace candidate is in this race; the candidate who has genuine peace credentials built from many years of participation in the fight against war and militarism; the candidate who is a member of his local peace organization; who has marched in peace marches; who has spoken at peace rallies; who takes his stand on the issue, not as just another point on a flyer that can attract liberal voters, but as the very kernel of his race for Congress.


Here's the flyer, distributed last night, at the Murtha Rally. Click on the image for a legible, pdf view of it.


Chris greets supporters and residents ouside the Park Slope Methodist Church.


Interviewed by the press, after the Murtha speech.

Why The Owens Race Really Matters - And Why YOU Really Matter.

The race for Congress in the 11th C.D. has been widely written about in the press and discussed on TV. This is a very clear cut race that pits a genuine progressive, on the one hand, against real-estate developers' money and corrupt Brooklyn clubhouse politics, on the other. The progressive community knows Chris Owens and what he stands for but that knowledge has not translated into the extraordinary support and activity that's needed to guarantee victory on September 12th.

These are terrible times we're living in. People are worried and demoralized. But these are also the days of Ned Lamont's victory in Connecticut and court rulings against King Bush and his wiretapping violations of our Constitution. So, to my point of view, things are looking up. But it takes action on the part of each and every one of us to translate hopefulness into victory. It's not too late. Each of us must make a determination to come out and participate so that voters of this sprawling district can hear the message and learn the vast difference that exists between Chris's campaign and those of the other candidates.

In case I haven't woken you up to the importance of the Chris Owens campaign, I'm gonna state it again ---

Chris is the one and only genuine progressive running. Thus, should progressives heartily embrace his campaign as their own. Thus, should every progressive actively support this race with every fiber of their being.

Yesterday, I stood on the steps of City Hall with some 100 other supporters as Chris held a press conference to showcase new endorsements. Assembly members Jim Brennan and Deborah Glick gave Chris strong endorsements. They saw a clear difference between Chris's campaign and that of the others running: Chris's consistently progressive credentials and positions on the issues: the war, runaway development, civil rights, democracy and so on.


Chris Owens addresses the press at City Hall.


Chris receving the strong endorsement of Assemblyman Jim Brennan.


Assemblywoman Deborah Glick giving her endorsement.

Other endorsers were present: the Sierra Club, the Brooklyn/Queens chapter of the National Organization of Women, One Hundred Black Women For Chris Owens, Develop - Don't Destroy (the leaders of the anti-Ratner/Pataki/Bloomberg plan for mega-development in downtown Brooklyn), labor leader Henry Foner and others from labor, activists from Brooklyn's peace movment and so on.

Later that evening, I attended an event at the Picket Fence, a new restaurant on Cortelyou Road. The Cortelyou Road Merchants Association had called a candidates' night. Some 60 people or so, some dining, some sitting around, filled the restaurant's pleasant back yard. Chris and his opponent, David Yassky (Carl Andrews came later) gave opening statements.

You could call me biased in Chris's favor but, trying to be objective, there was absolutely no contest. Chris scored a knockout in the first round! Amazingly, Yassky, though depicting himself in campaign literature as a supporter of peace, never once mentioned the most important issue facing the country: the war in Iraq. Not once! But he did point proudly to Chuck Schumer (who has a distinctly pro-war position) as his mentor. He rambled on, dwelling on what he said were his achievements in the City Council (hybrid taxis) and touted his support for affordable housing along the waterfront in north Brooklyn. Just how he could be a champion of affordable housing while, at the same time, receving vast financial support from big real estate developers was not mentioned.

Chris, on the other hand, was eloquent and passionate. His first point of reference was the war and how it has robbed the district of desperately needed funds for health and education. It was clear that he had a very firm grip on the issues and he was warmly received by the audience as he discoursed on questions of democracy, civil rights, impeachment (he's for it; Yassky said it was a diversion), women's rights, marriage equality, housing, etc.

It was clear to me that this man would make a great member of Congress...one who, once elected, would not waffle on the issues. In just these few minutes it was apparent that Yassky would be "just another Democrat" in the mold of Senators Clinton and Schumer and that Chris was offering a different vision: a fighting Democrat who would stand on principle and on behalf of people's needs.

But the huge chasm, in quality and position, between the Chris and the other candidates is not the obstacle in this race. The obstacle is getting the people of the district to see and hear those differences. The problem, of course, is money - which Yassky and Andrews have plenty of. Folks living in the district have been blanketed, over and over, with slick, glossy, color ads touting Yassky's benefits (and hiding his defecits).

Chris doesn't have the big bucks. The only thing that he has going for him is people. That's why it's so vitally important that each and every one of us pitch in to help this campaign. If it means a contribution, that's a good start. But, more important, it means bodies - leafleting, postering, canvassing, phoning - in short, reaching out to the people of Brooklyn's 11th C.D. and to get out the vote. Our participation can and will make a difference. But if we let someone else do it - it isn't going to get done and we lose the voice of a progressive fighter in Congress. It's as simple as that. Are you ready? Call to volunteer now: 718-604-7500.


Chris, last night, at the Picket Fence. Carl Andrews, left, wtih hands on hips and Davis Yassky, seated, right.

No Child

Do you do theater? You do? Good ... I got a play for you.

If you're a public school teacher, you're gonna love this play.

If you're a NYC public school student, you're gonna love this play.

If you're a parent of children in the NYC school system, you're gonna love this play.

If you attended a NYC public school, you're...oh well, by now you get the point. I can't think of anyone, even those who have nothing to do with NYC public schools, who is not going to get supercharged and blown-away by Nilaja Sun's one-woman show at the Barrow Street Theater.


Great theater that should not be missed.

Nilaja Sun is a young Black woman playwright and actor who has written a play based on her teaching experience in the Bronx's Martin Luther King, Jr. High School. That school is considered one of the city's toughest.

In an exceptional performance, Ms. Sun transforms herself, in front of your very eyes, into many different characters. The first thing that amazed me was the sheer elasticity of her face. This is a very attractive young woman, but what she does with her face in becoming an aged African-American janitor, a novice Asian teacher, a Carribbean school security guard, an Irish principal and an assortment of down-and-out kids is nothing short of incredible. And, of course, it's not only the face. Her voice, intonation, posture and personality change as well - instantaneously and back and forth.

The kids belong to the school's "worst" class. Poorest of the poor, from broken families and mean streets, they have been categorized in advance, by everyone in authority, as dregs, incapable of learning or behaving. The play takes this notion head-on but even the idealistic and energetic Ms. Sun gets beat up by a system that is literally falling down all around her and failing miserably in its goals of educating NYC's children.

There is a play within a play. Ms. Sun has been hired as a drama teacher who tries to mold this class of "misfits" into thespians. The goal is to produce a play for parents, friends and the rest of the school within the space of several weeks.

When we saw the play, the audience was quite diverse and there were quite a few Black youngsters who found the impersonations of the students very accurate. How do I know? From the tears of unrestrained laughter that were running down quite a few cheeks. Stacey, retired from teaching art at a city school, identified personally with the depictions performed by this brilliant actor.

This is a play that is hilarious at the same time that it is sad, depressing, angry and uplifting. It's a strong critique of government, both local and national, that has been dismembering public education under the obfuscating slogan of No Child Left Behind. I strongly urge you to see No Child. Take your kids, your family and your friends. Not to worry -- this is a play without the Broadway glitz and spectacle, but you will get to see more fabulous acting and drama in a short 70 minutes than you'll see in an entire season on Broadway.

Reduced price tickets are available on TDF (if you're a member) or, even better, on WBAI on David Rothenberg's program - Saturday mornings from 8:30 to 10:30.


Do not, under any circumstances, miss this exciting theater experience.

Why I'm Supporting Chris Owens For Congress

Actually, the title of this post should read - "Why I'm supporting and Working For Chris Owens For Congress." That's what I've been doing on many hot days this summer. And it's been a worthwhile endeavor. I recommend it to you.

Brooklyn's 11th C.D. was shaped, in large part, to guarantee representation in Congress to African-Americans, Latinos and other minorities who had been kept un-represented by means of gerrymandered districts and other devices. And so, in 1968, the fighting Black Congresswoman, Shirley Chisholm was elected to office to the newly-created district and represented her constituents, splendidly, for many years. Later, Major Owens, the current representative of the11th, continued in Ms. Chisholm's path. He has been one of the most consistently progressive members of Congress, in the forefront of struggles on behalf of labor, public education, civil rights and peace.

Major Owens announced his retirement this year and the race was thrown wide open. Progressives did not want the seat lost to "just another Democrat" who sees compromise and accommodation as their modus operandi. "Don't we have enough of them already?" they asked. They saw in Chris Owens, a man of principle molded in the same fighting spirit that motivated Chisholm and Chris's father, Major Owens.


Chris Owens for Congress. YES!!

The race has been a tough one. Other African-American candidates are in the contest - candidates who've been around, and sometimes inside, the fetid swamp of Brooklyn clubhouse politics. Their presence in the race has opened up the distinct possibility of a vote split among the Black candidates. And that has led, in the view of many, to a cynical endeavor by a fourth, white candidate, David Yassky (a councilman who didn't even live in the district) who would pluck the district out of the hands of its constituents on the back of a divide and conquer strategy. Yassky is heavily funded by the big real estate developers. And that's of particular interest, since Downtown Brooklyn is a huge target of big real estate. The proposed Atlantic Yards mega-development by Forest City Ratner, a land-grab of huge proportions that would overwhelm the surrounding low-rise brownstone communities, lies on the border of the district and is supportd by each of the candidates with the exception of Chris Owens. Yassky, if victorious, can be expected to strongly support the construction of this destructive project. You might imagine that he is not emphasizing his support of Ratner (or his financing by real estate moguls) as the project is widely hated in the liberal communities of Park Slope and Prospect Heights. Rather he attempts to hide his real agenda by emphasizing a liberal facade, parading as a born-again peace candidate and champion of affordable housing (huh??).

But it's Chris Owens, and not David Yassky and the others, that I have seen not just talking about peace, but marching for peace, time and again, with his kids, in peace protests. It's Chris Owens and not Yassky and the others, who speaks out, strongly and unbendingly, against out-of-scale, out-of-context mega-development, demanding instead measured development that would blend with, and offer aid to, the surrounding neighborhoods rather than destroying them and sending poorer folks fleeing the higher rents and unbridled gentrification that will inevitably result.


Chris Owens - he won't waffle on peace.

Out-of-control development and the fight in Congress against Bush's unending war - those are the two most important reasons I've devoted my spare time to the Owens campaign. But there are many other points that compel me to see his campaign as an urgent one for progressives to support:

• Chris Owens stands for a single-payer health care system. Even while almost 50 million Americans are without health insurance, this crucial question has taken a back burner instead of being seen as the national scandal that it is.

• Chris Owens stands for public education. He understands that public education is the backbone of a true democracy and must be funded and expanded, not belittled and cut to the bone. With his background on the local school board, you can expect him to be a leading spokesperson in Congress on behalf of our public schools.

• Chris Owens is a civil rights fighter. He sees that the fight for equality is incomplete. Recent Times articles document the decrease in enrollment by Blacks and Latinos in the leading colleges of the City University - a dramatic illustration of the attack on civil rights during the Bush/Giuliani/Bloomberg era. Chris believes, from the fabric of his soul, in the full equality of all Americans, regardless of their race, ethnicity or sexual orientation and he'll be a strong fighter in Congress for that concept of equality.

And on and on --- be it the environment and global warming or labor and opposing the free-trade agreements -- Chris is on the right side of each and every issue that matter to us so much.

This race is so important, in this the year that we want to recapture the Congress, that besides being out on the street, I've sent fundraising letters for Chris to all my friends and contacts, knowing that the Owens campaign doesn't have access to the millions that come from snuggling up to big real-estate. I succeeded in raising close to two thousand dollars (thank you my friends). But if you haven't yet sent a contribution, I'm urging you to do it now - it's the very least you can do to help advance democracy during these crucial times.

You can contribute on line by clicking right here: CONTRIBUTE TO CHRIS OWENS FOR CONGRESS

This election is on Tuesday, September 12th. That's soon! But you still have time to be helpful. If you've lolled away the summer that's great! But I'm asking you - my friends, to come to Brooklyn and give an hour or two or four. Not a lot...just a little. It'll make a difference and you'll feel a lot better because you will have been participating in helping to turn our country around.

You can volunteer by calling the CHRIS OWENS FOR CONGRESS headquarters at (718) 604-7500 or visiting the WEBSITE. JUST DO IT!


Chris, at work - One District, Many People.

As Summer Bids Goodbye

The summer of 2006. Remember it? Take a quick look before it's gone.

First there were the rains; lots and lots of rains; rains that seemed to go on for weeks - when we thought there couldn't be any more, down it came once again and by the bucket.

Then the heat -- record breaking temps, day after day after day. Sweat city. Power outages in poor neighborhoods that lasted for a week or ten days. People dying from heat -- in New York, in California, in Chicago. But, hey! Not to worry - according to the President, global warming is still just a theory - one that scientists are not really sure of. Get out and drive that SUV and then drive it some more!


One picture and five words....says it all.

But then the rains stopped and the heat abated. And the last few weeks have been a delight - a summer to enjoy. You could almost think that everything was all right with the world. That is, until the Mideast exploded. Two Israeli soldiers kidnapped in Lebanon gave the Israeli government the pretext to flatten and destroy a country. Using U.S.-supplied weapons ($3 billion a year!) Israel invaded, bombed and killed over a thousand innocent civilians, destroyed their neighbor's infrastructure and created an environmental disaster of immense proportions. A million Lebanese, just beginning to recover from decades of civil war and Israeli occupation, were made homeless. In return, Hezbollah fired missiles at Israeli cities, killing dozens of civilians and forcing thousands to flee their homes for safer places.

All the while, Bush and his evil emissaries, Rice ("we are re-making the Middle East") and the thug, Bolton, did their best to let the slaughter proceed, stalling attempts at cease-fire in what remains of international diplomacy -- the United Nations.

The world cried out in protest of this horrible war and the awful crimes being committed in the name of self-defense. But Americans never got to hear or see the massive world-wide protests, victims of the U.S. corporate media which turns reality upside down, making heroes of villains and blind sheep of citizens. Our Congress (with a few brave exceptions) rushed to support the aggression, shipping their ally more and more bombs and bullets, as if to say the hotter the better and never mind the possibilities of even wider conflict. The Democrats lined up to praise the President for his unbending support of Israel and his unending war on terror. One could imagine the smile of satisfaction on Karl Rove's ugly face as he manipulated the so-called opposition party to give their fealty to the war president. Pitiful.

In Brooklyn, as across the country, many citizens would not bow down to the war and the unfolding horror. Having opposed the occupation and destruction of Iraq, they could not remain silent as that war spread to the rest of the region. On Wednesday, August 9th, over a hundred Brooklynites, organized by Brooklyn Parents For Peace, marched through the heart of Downtown Brooklyn's shopping district with signs demanding "Enough! Cease-fire now!"


War is not the answer! Photo by Sam Koprak


Brooklyn marched for peace -- in Iraq and in Lebanon. Photo by Sam Koprak

Brooklyn Parents' vice-chair Rusti Eisenberg spoke eloquently of her anger and dismay at the level of violence that been unleashed against the people of Lebanon and pointed to the Bush administration as the root of the problem.


David Tykulsker, vice-chair of BPFP, called for pressure on Brooklyn members of Congress to oppose U.S. shipment of arms to inflame the crisis in the mideast. Photo by Sam Koprak

The committee has vowed to increase the heat against the members of the Brooklyn Congressional delegation who have been silent in the face of the terrible violence unleashed against innocents on both sides of the conflict. Notable exceptions have been Representatives Nydia Velasquez and Major Owens, both of whom signed on to the Kucinich resolution to demand an immediate cease fire.

To participate with Brooklyn Parents For Peace you should check out their website which lists schedules of their various committees. Click here!