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Charles Barron

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Charles Barron

Charles Barron is a former Black Panther, and a Democratic New York City Councilmember who contemplated running for mayor of New York City in the 2005 election, and in 2006 was a primary candidate for a seat in the U.S. Congress.

Political beliefs

Barron is on the left wing of the Democratic party. His major issues include affirmative action, reparations for slavery, and improving the living conditions for blacks through closing the wealth gap, reducing police brutality, and fighting racism. He has described himself as "pro-black" and has great interest in establishing more representatives for the black community, so that they can control their own economy and political future. [1]

He also believes the police and the government are enemies more often than allies, citing violence and surveillance by the police and the government departments as proof. He has often spoken against police brutality, saying that crime is not the fault of the black community. Rather, it is economic plight that brings crime, he believes, and crime can only be reduced by economic opportunities and advancement.[2] In fact, he went on to say that without economic opportunities for blacks, "every black community is a powder keg."

Barron has taken on an array of issues, such as voting for non-citizens, and has welcomed illegal immigration with the phrase, "don't criminalize, legalize." He appeared on the television program The O'Reilly Factor[3] and said the entire "immigration problem" is really a black-white issue. He argued that Germans, Jews, Poles, Greeks, and Italians who immigrated to the United States during the late 1800s were welcomed because of the color of their skin, but now, "All of a sudden when the complexion of immigration changes, now it's 'these people'." He rejected rebuttals from host Bill O'Reilly on the grounds that the original white European immigrants had received preferential treatment, stating "They had enough black people here already that were skilled and couldn't get the jobs that your people [referring to European-Americans] were able to get." O'Reilly accused Barron of trying to "let everyone into the country" simply "to change the complexion of America". Many viewers responded to this episode, upset that Barron would not concede that white immigrants indeed were discriminated against as well.[4]

The "browning of America"

Barron feels his issues and his consistency will win in the future because of changing demographics. When asked about a mayoral run in 2002, he said he believed that it would be very possible because New York City's population would be predominantly black and Latino. He maintains that the "browning of America" will change the United States drastically and will be a threat to white European-Americans, who will have fewer socio-economic advantages to keep themselves as the dominant force of American society.

View of U.S. history

Charles Barron has frequently raised eyebrows by trying to change the presentation of history in the United States. He is very vocal about publicizing black history, including erecting portraits of Martin Luther King and Malcolm X, as important leaders of American history. In his view, many of the current monuments erected to the founding fathers and original white American leaders subtly represent slavery. George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, for example, were slaveowners who he feels are remembered as false liberators because they still supported the institution of slavery. He has often proposed changes in New York City such as renaming buildings and schools as well as decorating them with mementos of black history to better represent the black community's struggle and contributions to the United States.

Barron has long criticized the prominent statue of Thomas Jefferson in the City Council chamber he works at, which he claims represents a "white, slave-owning pedophile."[5] However, when he criticized the new speaker for the Council, Christine C. Quinn, his seat was changed to one next to the statue, which was seen as a punishment. Quinn's spokespeople stated that it was merely coincidental. Barron did not expess bitterness against Speaker Quinn, saying, "I don't think it was deliberate, but it does bother me to be placed so near Jefferson, who was a slaveholder, a hypocrite, and a rapist."[6]

Barron says he does not salute the flag or believe in the Pledge of Allegiance, saying the entire pledge is "a lie" that states equality and justice for all, which are not true in America and were especially untrue in black history.[7] In 2004, he strongly objected to a move by the City Council that would begin each meeting with a voluntary Pledge.[8]

Criticisms

He is often regarded as a radical leftist, holding to beliefs he formed while in the Black Panther Party, which is no longer in existence. Some critics have called Barron a die-hard rebel fighting for black issues that are no longer relevant. He claims that criticisms of him being a "revolutionary" or "over-the-top" on black issues are simply the result of ignorance on the part of his white colleagues; he has, however, used the term "elected revolutionary" to describe himself[9]. He is adamant on his issues, claiming that they are still important today, such as the issue of reparations for slavery:

"America—from 1789 to 1865, America—American government supported the institution of slavery. You don't tell Jewish people to forget about the Holocaust. We don't tell the Japanese people to forget about their oppression. When you are engaged in those kinds of crimes, you have to pay the debt. They don't mind inheriting the riches from slavery. Nobody says, 'Well, all of this money that was generated by the government, by private corporations, by private estates'—if you can inherit the wealth from slavery, then you must inherit the crime and responsibility from slavery."[10]

Barron received reprimands and a certain amount of notoriety[11] for a remark he made during a 2002 reparations rally:

"I want to go up to the closest white person and say, ‘You can’t understand this, it’s a black thing’ and then slap him, just for my mental health."

He has also shown support for Venezuela's Hugo Chavez, in a interview with Tucker Calson, calling him a "Humanitarian".

Political career

2006 Congressional campaign

On Feb 12, 2006, Charles Barron officially announced that he would be running in the U.S. House of Representatives Democratic primary for the 10th Congressional District of New York, which includes his New York City district.[12] He ran against the 24-year incumbent, Democratic Representative Edolphus Towns.

On September 12, 2006, Barron lost to Towns by approximately eight percent. Many observers attributed the victory of Towns to an anti-incumbent vote, which Barron split with another primary opponent, Roger Green.

2005 New York City mayoral campaign

Charles Barron considered running for mayor of New York city in the 2005 election because he felt that "white men have too much power in this city" and he had to do his best to redistribute the political power.[13] He announced his plans to run for mayor of New York City in 2005 and went so far as to raise funds and campaign before he reconsidered.

His campaign was not as successful as he had hoped: he was always in direct competition with C. Virginia Fields, the only other black candidate on the ballot, and was short on necessary funds for running a viable campaign, especially against Democratic heavyweights such as Fernando Ferrer and Gifford Miller. Therefore, he had no choice but to drop out.

Instead, he chose to endorse Fields from the Democratic Party rather than attempt a long-shot campaign. "I think two blacks in the race cancel each other out." he said, indicating a fear that the black vote would be divided and made weak by two candidates.[14] He supported Fields because he felt she was the best candidate to beat Michael Bloomberg.

He also denounced another Democratic contender, Fernando Ferrer. He was especially upset with Ferrer's comments regarding the Diallo shooting, which was a hot topic among black voters in the election. He said the comments brought "irreversible" damage to Ferrer's campaign and hoped he would drop out of the race and endorse Fields.[15]

Party affiliation

He has expressed dismay with the Democratic Party on several occasions. He considers the party too right-wing and says "the leadership of the Democratic Party has lost their connection with the once loyal black masses."[16] The Republican Party, on the other hand, he feels "is not an option" for black voters, and so he believes a new third party should be made to represent American blacks.

Labor support

Charles Barron strongly supports New York City's unions, notably the predominantly African-American Transport Workers Union (TWU). During the 2005 transit workers' strike, Mayor Bloomberg called the TWU "thuggish", causing Barron and Rev. Al Sharpton to challenge the mayor. Barron said, in answer to the remarks:

"We will not tolerate any racist remarks about our union and our workers. We want leadership from the mayor."[17]

Mayor Bloomberg denounced Barron's actions as "injecting race into the situation."

Issues with City Hall

Charles Barron is a strong opponent of Mayor Bloomberg and loathed Rudolph Giuliani. When he was combatting bias crimes in New York City, he said:

"We have suffered under a mayor - Rudy Giuliani - who inflamed racial incidents in the city. Now we suffer under a mayor - Mayor Bloomberg - who is clueless about racial inequality."[18]

Education and racism

He criticized the City University of New York for increasing its admission standards through the use of entrance exams and the elimination of remedial courses, saying, "I think racism comes behind standards."[19]. Barron believed the universities had ulterior motives that drove them to raise the academic standards which restricted access to minority students. He went further, saying that college-age students shouldn't be denied admission to four-year colleges because of failures in the school systems they grew up in. He also cited the fact that CUNY's four-year colleges had open admission at one time, when admission was predominantly white. However, CUNY has reported that the number of black students at its four-year colleges increased in the three years following the end of open admission, while changes in the proportions of other ethnic groups were minimal.

Civil unrest

Charles Barron participated in the "day of unrest" on December 21, 1987 to protest racism in the city. The demonstration, which ended in the arrest of over 70 people, stalled service on the IRT subway lines for hours and created great tumult in the city. He, along with Rev. Al Sharpton, Rev. Timothy Mitchell and scores of protestors were found guilty of criminal trespassing and disorderly conduct, forcing him to spend 45 days in jail.[20]

Barron was arrested during his time as head of the Black United Front's Harlem Chapter. In 1982, Charles Barron was arrested with Preston Wilcox from the Institute of African Research because they, with roughly 12 to 20 protestors, attempted to "forcibly remove" a white employee from the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. They intended to remove Robert Morris, a white historian, who was appointed chief archivist for the Center. They were charged with harassment and criminal trespassing.[21]

Barron sought clemency for three people he considered "political prisoners", Anthony Bottom, Albert Washington, and Herman Bell, who were responsible for killing two police officers in 1971. When he proposed this issue to the City Council in 2002, it led to a heated debate and was rejected.[22]

Zimbabwean politics

Barron was host to Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe, who came to the United States and spoke on the steps of City Hall. Mugabe is often considered a dictator by much of the West, but was praised at the event with cheers by the black audience. Mugabe's action of removing white farmers from Zimbabwe's farms was blamed by the United Nations for lowering corn production by 70% and leading to the starvation of more of Zimbabwe's population.[23]

See also

References

  1. ^ Cardwell, Diane. "But Some Say Charles Barron Risks Going Too Far." New York Times. Jul 10, 2002. p. B.1.
  2. ^ Sean Hannity & Alan Colmes. Televised on Fox News. "Is Cincinnati Facing a Crime Wave?", Jul 25, 2001.
  3. ^ Bill O'Reilly. Televised on Fox News. "New York Councilman Leads Charge to Let Immigrants Vote. Apr 11, 2006.
  4. ^ Bill O'Reilly. Televised on Fox News after news entitled "Most Ridiculous Item: War on Christianity." Apr 12, 2006..
  5. ^ Hu, Winnie. "Council Critic of 3rd President Gets Seat in Jefferson's Shadow." New York Times. Jan 19, 2006. p. B.2
  6. ^ Boyd, Herb. "Barron made to sit with "rapist" in City Council." New York Amsterdam News. Jan 26, 2006. Vol. 97 Issue 5, p. 11
  7. ^ Edge with Paula Zahn. Televised on Fox News. "Is the American Flag a Salute to Slavery?" Jul 3, 2001.
  8. ^ Pledge Of Allegiance Is Divisible Issue At Council. New York Post. Sep 12, 2004. p. 23
  9. ^ "Rallying ’Round Reparation", CBS News, http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/04/13/national/main506099.shtml, accessed on May 26, 2006
  10. ^ Edge with Paula Zahn. Televised on Fox News. "Controversial EDGE: Should the U.S. government Pay Reparations to Black Americans for Slavery?" Mar 12, 2001.
  11. ^ Greg Gilderman, "King of East New York", New York Press, http://www.nypress.com/17/3/news&columns/feature.cfm, accessed May 26, 2006.
  12. ^ Hicks, Jonathan P. "Councilman Plans to Challenge Veteran Brooklyn Congressman." The New York Times. Feb 13, 2006. p. B2
  13. ^ "Barron's Mayoral 'Race'; Running Because 'White Men Have Too Much Power'". New York Post. Dec 4, 2003. p. 20
  14. ^ Hu, Winnie. "Councilman Expects to Quit Democratic Mayoral Race." New York Times. Feb 9, 2005. p. B.6
  15. ^ Saul, Michael. "Barron wants Ferrer to quit and back Fields." Daily News. May 23, 2005.
  16. ^ Arinde, Nayaba. "Republicrats: Barron calls for a political audit of city Democratic Party." New York Amsterdam News. Jan 19, 2006. Vol. 97 Issue 4, pp. 4,26.
  17. ^ Rev. Al Blasts Mike's Thug Crack. New York Post. Dec 22, 2005. p. 4
  18. ^ Pols March Against S.I. Bias. New York Post. Sep 2, 2003. p. 9
  19. ^ Pol Rips Tougher CUNY as 'Racist'. New York Post. Feb 20, 2002. p. 7
  20. ^ "Sharpton Convicted in '87 Demonstration." New York Times. Feb 14, 1990. p. B4.
  21. ^ "the City." New York Times. Nov 16, 1982. p. B3
  22. ^ Steinhauer, Jennifer. "Resolution on 'Political Prisoners' Roils council." New York Times. Jun 27, 2002. p. B2.
  23. ^ Cardwell, Diane. "President of Zimbabwe Visits City Hall." New York Times. Sep 13, 2002. p. B.3
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