Quinn Tries To Lure Tech Voting Bloc, Attracts Affordable Housing Criticism

No doubt at the suggestion of the Partnership of New York City or her other Republican/Chamber of Commerce backers, Christine Quinn delivered a policy speech yesterday meant to attract the influential techie voting bloc. These folks are well informed and super inter-connected on the Internet. They know the real deal. Consequently, her speech was seen as being one-sided, only about how the tech industry could benefit the city, not the other way around, for example. But what was very telling was during the Q&A. "Ironically, the first question an audience member posed to Quinn after the speech had to do with a more old-fashioned city problem. He wanted to know the next mayor could make housing more affordable." Everybody knows how Speaker Quinn has enabled real estate developers to decimate the supply of affordable housing. Here's to hoping that the influential techie voting bloc posts and reposts this link ! (Quinn Touts Tech, Stumbles Over The Old-Fashioned Art Of Pronunciation * NYDN)

Christine Quinn rides CitiBike in stilettos ?

Christine Quinn rides #CitiBike in stilettos ? twitter.com/stopchrisquinn…

— Stop Christine Quinn (@stopchrisquinn) May 28, 2013

Is the Board Of Elections trying to screw up the vote counting for the mayoral election ?

The Media Does Not Ask Why the Board of Elections Commissioner Voted for Scanner That Cannot Do the Job truenewsfromchangenyc.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-me… @truenewsnyc

— Informed Voting (@informedvoting) May 26, 2013

NYC Board Of Elections: Inquests & Invoices nydailynews.com/blogs/node/135… @dndailypolitics @truenewsnyc #electronicballotscanners #PhilRagusa

— Informed Voting (@informedvoting) May 27, 2013

Even though she appoints members to the Board of Elections, @chriscquinn is silent about the voting machine scandal ny1.com/content/politi…

— Stop Christine Quinn (@stopchrisquinn) May 16, 2013

#icymi, our story in Sunday's News: No reform in sight for NYC Board of Elections soa.li/2bmfOjb

— NYDN Daily Politics(@DNDailyPolitics) May 20, 2013

Who Induced Heterosexual-Supremacist Erick Salgado To Run For Mayor ?

"In 1977, things got ugly when a large field of evenly matched Democrats went at it in a fierce primary. Remember 'Vote for Cuomo, not the homo?' Ed Koch ended up winning that contest with 19.8 percent of the vote, followed by Mario Cuomo at 18.7, Abe Beame at 18, Bella Abzug at 17, Percy Sutton at 14.4, and Herman Badillo at 11," wrote David Seifman in the NYPost. (Who’s screwed by Weiner’s entry * The New York Post) Is the Rev. Erick Salgado's role in this year's mayor's race meant to invoke a last-minute tirade of "homophobia" to benefit Christine Quinn's campaign ? What explains how or why the Rev. Salgado is even in this race ? (Anti-Gay Pastor And NOM Supporter Erick Salgado May Run For NYC Mayor * Joe My God)

Who enticed the Rev. Salgado to run for mayor ?

Stop And Frisk Leads NYPD To Beat Bronx Teen

Related : NYPD Cops Who Beat Jateik Reed Not Being Investigated By Bronx DA; Charges Against Reed Dropped

Exclusive video surveillance of an incident involving the arrest of a Bronx teen back in January 2012 has at least two former members of the force agreeing with a growing number of calls for the DA to press charges against officers involved. NY1's Dean Meminger filed the following report.

How did 19-year-old Jateik Reed end up bloody and handcuffed on a Bronx street? His lawyer says it was a classic case of illegal Stop-and-Frisk gone terribly wrong.

"Even if you don't have 20/20 vision. Even if you have some substantial clarity, you can see quite clear there was nothing, there were no bags in Jateik Reed's hands," said Reed's attorney, Michael Warren.

Officers swore they witnessed bags of crack and marijuana being carried by Reed. In the criminal complaint one officer is quoted as saying, "He observed the defendant to have on his person, in his hand, one (1) clear plastic bag containing a white, rock-like substance, which he threw to the ground. In his hand, two (2) clear plastic bags, each containing a dried green leafy substance with a distinctive odor, in public view."

Surveillance video from a nearby building shows Reed walking with his hands out, no drugs in view. John Eterno, a retired New York City Police Department captain, says it appears Reed shouldn't have been stopped.

"The officers would have to only go in their pockets if they had reasonable suspicion, if there was a weapon in there. And given what I've seen on the film I'm not sure they had that reasonable suspicion," Eterno said.

The Bronx district attorney later dropped the charges. As for the claims of hitting and kicking by police, the same criminal complaint said, "The defendant flailed his arms, refusing to be handcuffed at which time the defendant struck informant (the officer) in his nose with a closed fist."

It does appear Reed tried to get away. But on the video he does not throw a punch. Still, after the melee starts, an officer appears to be checking his nose. Also in the exclusive surveillance video, a female officer walks over and kicks Reed while he's handcuffed.

Reed's lawyer wants the Bronx DA to charge the officers with assault and filing a false report -- something Colleen Meenan, a former NYPD sergeant and lawyer, agrees with.

"They were looking to protect themselves for assaulting this young man, appearing to brutalize him. And so there was an effort to me to cover up what happened," Meenan said.

The officers involved in the arrest remain on modified duty during the NYPD investigation.

The DA says Jateik Reed won't speak with them about pressing charges.

His lawyer says the video speaks for itself.

Alongside Mark Carson Vigil, Activists Highlight Lack Of Emergency Trauma Level Healthcare

Photo Credit : Melissa Kleckner.

Could St. Vincent's Hospital have saved Mark Carson's life ? This peaceful demonstration took place alongside a vigil and march to honor Mark Carson. Mr. Carson was murdered in a vicious hate crime, and among the issues that the community of Greenwich Village confront are bias crimes, gun violence, and the lack of a full service, Level I Trauma Center hospital to replace St. Vincent's. This vigil took place on May 20, 2013.

Adam Feldman organized a midnight vigil for Mark Carson : Reflections by Dan Fishback

"Long-time activist and Stonewall vet Jim Fouratt pointed out something that SHOULD be obvious, but which hadn’t occurred to me — that there used to be a hospital TWO BLOCKS from that corner, but in the wake of St. Vincent’s closing, Mark had to be rushed to Beth Israel all the way across town. Perhaps, in the distance between these hospitals, Mark’s life could have been saved. In that sense, the politicians that allowed St. Vincents to be converted to a luxury condo high rise — politicians like lesbian mayoral candidate Christine Quinn — may have gay blood on their hands. Jim helped us understand how depriving a gay neighborhood of a hospital is inherently homophobic and violent."

"And while I’m sure individual NYPD officers were polite in the lead-up to this vigil, we cannot forget that the NYPD ritually harasses trans people and people of color in this city ! Trans women are arrested simply for walking down the street! So when we talk about how queer people need to be 'safe,' we have to ask ourselves what 'safety' really means — because the NYPD does not makes us safe ! It harasses and imprisons us ! We must reckon with these connections — that Mark Carson’s death is an extension of the violence that oppresses so many others, from the institutional violence of governments to the random violence of a crazy guy with a gun. ..."

Dan Fishback, the author of this post, added : "I wish I had specifically named the Stop & Frisk policy that makes queers and people of color vulnerable to police harassment. I wish I had called out Christine Quinn for supporting this policy." (Adam Feldman organized a midnight vigil for Mark Carson : Reflections by Dan Fishback)

Mark Carson Anti-Gay Bias Killing : No St. Vincent's Hospital For Victim

Marc Carson, 32, shot dead in anti-gay attack in Greenwich Village.on.dnainfo.com/13Dd94b twitter.com/DNAinfo/status…

— DNAinfo.com New York (@DNAinfo) May 18, 2013

Focus On Health : Anti-Gay Bias Killing : No St. Vincent's Hospital For Victim

The bias murder of Mark Carson is tragic and must rightly be condemned. But residents in all areas in New York City, including the Lower West Side of Manhattan, which were once served by the ten hospitals that have closed since 2006 -- when Christine Quinn became Speaker of the City Council -- deserve answers, too.

Could Mr. Carson's life had been saved, if, two blocks away from the scene of his violent attack, St. Vincent's Hospital was still open ?

How many lives have been lost, because of the collapse of so many full-service hospitals in New York City ?

How much worse has the Average Ambulance ER Turnaround Time become as a result of the closing of ten full-service hospitals in New York City ?

Why don't more politicians support a single-payer healthcare system, so that all hospitals could be funded to fully meet the healthcare needs of their patients ?

The Atlantic 12th Steps Christine Quinn On The First Amendment

Christine Quinn's Image-Making Machine

The candidate's disclosure that she has struggled with bulimia and alcoholism may make her more "relatable," but it doesn't change her record on First Amendment protections.

"Given her record, Quinn's sympathetic personal history seems largely irrelevant. Is she resilient? Apparently. Can she be trusted with power? Apparently not," wrote Wendy Kaminer in The Atlantic.

David Mixner Despairs Over Christine Quinn's Sinking Mayoral Campaign

The mayoral campaign for Christine Quinn has reached a new low : David Mixner has posted a desperate plea for endorsements, and it is pretty pathetic that he has to make such a hard sell. Read the despair in his blog post.

Not only has Speaker Quinn betrayed the LGBT community over and over again (never standing up to the NYPD over how the police profile, discriminate, and falsely arrest LGBT New Yorkers, as one example), but she cannot be trusted in office. She has a record of corruption (using fictitious accounts to hide slush funds in the city budget), and she has betrayed the Progressive values of New Yorkers (by watering down campaign finance laws, overturning two voter referenda in which the voters imposed term limits). Time and time again, Speaker Quinn sells out the community in favour of real estate developers. Some say the sound proofing in her office was installed so that people outside couldn't hear Speaker Quinn's screaming fits. Others say that the sound proofing was installed so that Speaker Quinn wouldn't have to hear the pleas and cries for help from her own constituents.

Queers Against Christine Quinn Announce Pride Parade Planning Meeting

Queers Against Christine Quinn is marching in the NYC Pride Parade on June 30 !

Come to our planning meeting on Saturday, June 1, from 1 - 2 p.m., so we can make decisions about what our march will look like. Help us plan our theme, our banners, and our flyers !

Date : Thursday, May 9, 2013

Time : 7:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.

Place : Queens Pride House, 76-11 37th Avenue, Second Floor, Jackson Heights. (between 76th and 77th Streets)

SUBWAY INFORMATION : Take E, F, M, R to Jackson Height/Roosevelt Avenue. Or, you can take the 7 train to 74th Street/Broadway.

Proposed Agenda :

I. Approval of Statement of Autonomy
II. Brainstorm ideas for our Pride Parade theme
III. Brainstorm ideas for our banner
IV. Brainstorm ideas for flyers to be handed out
V. Plan to recruit marchers and carry out preparations

We can go out and have lunch afterwards !

The Politically-Expedient Motivations Of Christine Quinn's Bulimia And Alcoholism Confessional

Christine Quinn "contacted The New York Times to tell her story, as her aides try to soften her often rough-edged political image and build a campaign that draws heavily on her personal appeal to women." Meaning that this article is in keeping with her campaign's politically-expedient strategy.

Christine Quinn Village Independent Democrats Endorsement Update

We waited a few days for confirmation about last Thursday night's endorsement meeting.

But The New York Post was the first newspaper to finally report that the Village Independent Democrats did not endorse New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn's mayoral campaign. Instead, the Village Independent Democrats voted to endorse New York City Comptroller John Liu's mayoral campaign.

"The Village Independent Democrats, located in the heart of Quinn’s district, instead opted to back City Comptroller John Liu — the most liberal in the race," reported Sally Goldenberg in The Post.

Two other Manhattan Democratic Party clubs also did not endorse Speaker Quinn in this year's mayor's race.

The Broadway Democrats and CoDA (Coalition for a Democratic Alternative), both progressive clubs in Manhattan, also threw their support behind Liu, whose campaign has been marred by the guilty verdict of two aides in a federal campaign-finance fraud case.

A source close to the Village Independent Democrats said Quinn was “livid” over losing that group.

“I think they were shocked,” the source said of the speaker’s election team. “Quinn’s ground game in Manhattan is off.” Campaign aides for Quinn and Liu did not comment.

Read more : Quinn is ‘left’ out.

Quinn Booed At Education Forum

Christine Quinn received a smattering of boos while answering a question from UFT president Michael Mulgrew about whether she would appoint someone with educational experience as Schools Chancellor. (Quinn struggles as Mayoral candidates court city's biggest teacher's union * DNAinfo)

Protest Against Christine Quinn - Jackson Heights - Flushing Meadows Corona Park

We learned a lot from tonight's demonstration. About a quarter of the people attending the New Visions Democrats meeting tonight had our fliers on their lap ! So, we had many allies inside the meeting. At one point during our demonstration, a friendly passer-by, not shown here, chatted with us for a long while. She then went to say, "Hi," to Daniel Dromm, once he arrived. She chatted with him for a while, and then she came back to us and reported that Daniel Dromm warned her not to believe what we had to say about Christine Quinn. Hmmmmmm...?

Protest against Christine Quinn's record of corruption and community betrayal Thursday night at 7:30 at the Jewish Center in Jackson Heights, Queens. See the flyer :

2013-05-09 Flushing Meadows Corona Park - FLYER by Connaissable

RSVP on Facebook : Protest Against Christine Quinn

Rudin Pay-To-Play St. Vincent's Deal Caused Intern To Quit Christine Quinn Mayoral Campaign

Rudin donations to fix St. Vincent's luxury condos deal caused intern to quit @chriscquinn campaign : christine-quinn-sold-out.blogspot.com/2011/02/rudin-… @nycisnot4sale

— Stop Christine Quinn (@stopchrisquinn) May 9, 2013

"Roots of Betrayal : The Ethics of Christine Quinn" - Chapters 1 and 2

Chapters 1 and 2 are now available of "Roots of Betrayal : The Ethics of Christine Quinn," an unauthorised political biography of Christine Quinn.

Roots of Betrayal : The Ethics of Christine Quinn - Copyright 2013 by Louis Flores - Uncorrected Proof Not... by Connaissable

Christine Quinn Endorsed Ruben Wills Before Corruption Scandal Broke Wide Open

One of the publicly-elected officials, who State Sen. Shirley Huntley was asked to wiretap and photograph by the FBI, was Queens Councilmember Ruben Wills, according to Politicker.

New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn endorsed Councilmember Ruben Wills for re-election in 2011, one day after he appeared in court to face a misdemeanor stealing charge. Councilmember Wills won a special election in southeast Queens in 2010 to succeed Thomas White, who died in August in 2010, and Councilmember Wills was re-elected in 2011 to continue to serve the remainder of White’s four-year term. Wills appeared in court in March 2011 on charges in connection with a 1996 incident. He’s accused of damaging a wall and removing a fan and track lighting at a downtown business. (The Wall Street Journal)

After his March 2011 court appearance, Speaker Quinn defended Councilmember Wills. "I'm extraordinarily proud of my City Council and proud of the members that I get to serve with every day on behalf of the people of the City of New York," she told The Daily News.

Speaker Quinn awarded Councilmember Wills $584,000 in discretionary funding in 2012. (The New York Daily News)

Brooklyn State Sen. John Sampson In Corruption Bust

More corruption : nydailynews.com/new-york/brook… Will prosecutors re-examine @chriscquinn's #slushfund ? If not Preet, how about Loretta ?

— Stop Christine Quinn (@stopchrisquinn) May 7, 2013

Will Quinn Approve MLS Stadium To Benefit Billionaire From Homophobic UAE ?

How low can Christine Quinn go ?

A proposed plan, if approved, would allow UAE billionaire Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan to take land for free from a Flushing Meadows Corona Park, destroying the park in the process, and may finally expose New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn as a total traitor of LGBT equal rights.

Will @chriscquinn destroy Flushing Meadows Corona Park for billionaire Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan's profit ? qchron.com/opinion/editor…

— Stop Christine Quinn (@stopchrisquinn) May 6, 2013

Will @chriscquinn allow billionaire from homophobic UAE to destroy Flushing Meadows Corona Park ? qchron.com/editions/queen… @mls @defeatquinn

— Stop Christine Quinn (@stopchrisquinn) May 6, 2013

Ever since she became Speaker of the City Council, not once has Christine Quinn ever said no to a zone-busting, community-crushing real estate development. If she approves the Sheikh's land grab, she would be diverting public park resources to a billionaire from a homophobic federation.

The Sheikh's wealth, community activists contend contend, is "only overshadowed by his nation’s trouncing of basic human rights, a laundry list that reportedly includes: a subtly aggressive relationship with Israel; dubious women’s rights under Sharia law; and hostility towards gays and lesbians," The Queens Chronicle reported.