Bangladeshi Community Endorses Barron for Congress

Brooklyn’s fast growing Bangladeshi community has given their full support the Congressional candidate Charles Barron. “We have given this endorsement much thought and we are convinced that Mr. Barron will be our voice in the United States Congress,” said community leader Mr. Ramel Adedin at a community forum on Sunday. Several key community elders join the Candidate and his wife Assemblywoman Inez Barron on stage to make the announcement to the throng of people gathered. Charles Barron thanked the Bangladeshi community for their endorsement and guaranteed that he would fight as hard as he could for education, affordable housing, jobs, and other issues effecting all the people in the district.

Thousands rallied outside and inside Brooklyn Technical HS on February 9 in protest of the annual Panel for Education Policy (PEP) as they voted to close 18 NYC public schools and truncate another five.  PEP is a panel of thirteen members in which eight are appointed by  NYC Mayor Bloomberg and serve at his pleasure. Needless to say Mayor Bloomberg is leading the call to close NYC “failing” schools and has Mayoral Control of NYC Schools.

Sponsors of the protest included the United Federation of Teachers union, District Council 37, Occupy Wall Street movement, parent associations, and student organizations. Many elected officials came out in solidarity including NYC Councilman Charles Barron who coined the slogan “Shut Down Tweed!” The headquarters of the Department of Education are located in the “Tweed Building” behind City Hall.

Congressional Candidate Charles Barron is stumping throughout the 10th District talking directly to his consistency in the streets. On Saturday, Barron rallied with the people in Bedford-Stuyvesant on the corner plaza of Malcolm X Blvd and Fulton Street. A huge yellow banner depicting Barron with the words “Our Voice! Charles Barron for Congress” was held high and many people waved posters and cheered.

Barron was at the top of his game. “We are here in Bedford-Stuyvesant to tell you know that I Charles Barron am declaring my candidacy for the 10th Congressional District of Brooklyn NY!”

The crowd roared “We are going to be the voice of justice, the voice of truth.” “We are going to say to Washington DC that you can not forget Brooklyn.” “We’re going to say to Washington DC, stop the wars.” “Why do you have trillions of dollars for war and no money for schools?” “No money for building homes for the homeless people.” “Something is wrong with a nation that is the wealthiest nation on the planet and you’ve got hungry children right here in New York City. Homeless people in New York City. Unemployed people in New York City.”

“Something is wrong with a country that steals all the land from the indigenous people and has them locked on reservations starving and dying. Something is wrong with a nation that goes and steals us African people to come here a built this land. How dare they not pay you your reparations!” Everyone chanted ‘Reparation Now! Reparations Now!’

“When we go to Washington DC we will all go together. We are going to be the voice of our people.”

Barron talk about the ongoing debate in the City Council on a living wage. “If all they want to give us is a minimum wage then we should pay minimum rent; make health care free, make education free. We are no longer going let the 1% of this nation have so much. This nation is too rich for the people to suffer so much. The federal budget is $3.7 trillion. New York state alone has a $135 billion budget.

Barron dubbed Governor Andrew Cuomo new tax scheme “3 Card Monte;” He said “Cuomo is trying to fool us with his tax scheme by promoted it as a tax the rich and cut tax for the middle class plan. But if you look at the actual numbers by income and compare the old tax code, the current tax surcharge, and Cuomo’s new tax surcharge, the rich are still paying less taxes. The tax reduction for the rich is 5 times greater than the middle class and the state would actually lose $3 billion a year in revenue.”

“I can’t wait till we get to Washington,” Barron exclaimed. “We are going to stand up fight for what is ours! We may not get everything we want but they will know we are there! People are rising up all over the world, we are tired of the failure of our governments. Politicians take care of rich white interests. We got to take care of our interests. The peoples’ interests.”

For more information call (347) 858-9049.

Well wishers included his family, community activists, parents, tenant association leaders, youth leaders, Freedom Party members, and labor organizers. Speakers told of Barron’s history as a tireless fighter for the rights of the people and the resources he has brought to his Council District (East NY and Brownsville) including affordable housing, health care, senior care, quality education and jobs, refurbishing and renovating parks, and planting trees throughout the communities.

When Councilman Barron stepped to the podium, the crowd started singing the campaign song Charles Barron for Congress! He began chanting, “Whose voice?” They responded ‘Our voice!’ “Our voice is going to Washington! When they extend the tax breaks for the rich, we say no!” Everyone shouted “no!” in unison. Barron continued, “When they say they’re going to cut Medicare, we say no! When they try to cut social security, we say no! When they say they’re going to continue the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, spending trillions of dollars on war and no money for our elderly, no money for our youth, we say no!”

“Our voices are going to be the voice of the 99%. Guess what? We are 99% of the 99%. They are occupying places all over the country. We support that movement. But we know we catch the most hell. They say, well Charles how are you going to impact Washington all by yourself? I say, I’m not. I’m bringing you to Washington. We are going to be the voice of our people,” he continued.

“I am sick and tried of the Democrats and Republicans, they should just have one party the Republicrats. They are both the same. It don’t matter who gets into office, we still have a corporate elite running the two party system. I’m going to put some fire under the Congressional Black Caucus and say ‘come on brothers and sisters, our time has come for us to stand and be the voice of the people. Even if you don’t get the vote, say it! Don’t just sit there like some political punks.’” The crowd cheered him on and applauded.

“I’m not going to be afraid to speak out against Israel and what they are doing to the Palestinian people,” he said. “We are going to tell it like it is. We are not going to go up there and be cowards. We are going to say, you should have never bombed Libya and murdered Colonel Gaddafi. He is an African hero. We are also going to stand up for Robert Mugabe, an African hero. He is taking land back from white people, who stole it from us in the first place.”

Congressional Candidate Barron concluded with, “They say, Charles you have to be for everybody. Well I am! But I’m Black and proud and strong. I will represent everyone in the district. But I will take care of Blacks and Latinos because we catch the most hell!”

Mr. Barron will be running against incumbent Congressman Edolphus Towns who has held on to his seat for fifteen terms. The 10^th Congressional District includes the neighborhoods of East New York, Canarsie, Brownsville, Bedford-Stuyvesant, Cypress Hills, Clinton Hill, Mill Basin, Midwood, downtown Brooklyn, Boerum Hill, as well as parts of Fort Greene and Williamsburg. For more information call 347-858-9049.

SEE VIDEO OF ANNOUNCEMENT SPEECH.

His other achievements are: targeting of the Meals on Wheels program for restoration to the city budget for seniors in his district; in collaboration with the New York City Housing Authority, securing $12.5 million for an East New York Recreation Center, and; fighting to obtain $1.2 million for the renovation of Sonny Abubadika Carson Park (Linden/George Gershwin) in his district.

Additionally, as chair of the Higher Education Committee, Barron spearheaded the restoration of over $10 million for students at the City University of New York colleges. He was also successful in maintaining the Peter Vallone Scholarship awards for CUNY students.