Statement on the 100th Anniversary of the NAACP
“The 100th anniversary of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is cause for celebration for all Americans who value social justice. We are a society transformed because of the outstanding and courageous leadership of the NAACP.
But for all our advances, there is still something wrong with a criminal justice system when nearly 1 out of 3 African-American men end up spending some portion of their lives in prison. We need to focus on stopping crime before it starts - by investing in our youth through after-school and community programs that keep kids off the streets and invest in themselves.
We also need to do more to improve relations between law enforcement and communities of color. As the independent investigator brought in to conduct an oversight analysis into charges of police misconduct in the aftermath of the Diallo shooting and the assault on Louima, I know that feelings of mistrust can shatter a community.
As DA I will make it my mission to ensure that every member of every community of our great borough believes that the criminal justice system works to both protect and empower them.”
Aborn has devoted his career to innovative ways of fighting crime the right way. He started his law enforcement career prosecuting violent felonies under Robert Morgenthau. He masterminded the Brady gun control bill — and became the NRA’s worst enemy. He was a leader in the expansion of the use of DNA evidence to both convict criminals and exonerate the innocent. As the managing partner of a law firm, he has supervised scores of attorneys. And his independent investigation of the NYPD took on police misconduct and brutality.
In recent weeks, Aborn has been also endorsed by former Police Commissioner Bill Bratton; the Working Families Party; Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney; State Senators Bill Perkins, Eric Schneiderman, Jose Serrano, Daniel Squadron, and Eric Adams (also the co-founder of the city-wide group, 100 Blacks in Law Enforcement Who Care); Assembly Members Jonathan Bing, Deborah Glick, Richard Gottfried, Brian Kavanagh, Daniel O’Donnell, and Linda Rosenthal; Councilmembers Gale Brewer, Rosie Mendez, and Melissa Mark Viverito; former DA candidates Catherine Abate and Richard Davis; long-time progressive voice Katrina vanden Heuvel; and numerous political clubs.
For more information on Aborn and his surging campaign, please visit: www.abornforda.com.
