Make the Road Action Rally (Twitter: Make the Road Action)
April 4, 2019 By Alexa Beyer
Queens District Attorney candidate Tiffany Cabán received an endorsement from Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer on Thursday.
The endorsement is the first one that the 31-year-old public defender has received from a council member, in a Democratic primary where she appears to be emerging as the progressive left’s candidate of choice.
Van Bramer said that he’s endorsing Cabán in the June 25 primary because of her progressive approach to criminal justice reform.
“If we are serious about achieving social and economic justice we’ve got to be serious about criminal justice reform. Changing the system—not just tinkering with it—has to be the goal,” he said.
“I believe that Tiffany Cabán has the relevant experience to transform the way we look at systemic inequality in the law. She knows first hand that building people up, rather than tearing them apart, ultimately makes us all safer.”
Van Bramer’s endorsement follows those Cabán has received from the Queens branch of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), Real Justice PAC, Make the Road Action (MRA) and the Working Families Party. She also has the backing of many grass-roots organizers who got behind Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’ congressional campaign in 2018.
Cabán, who lives in Astoria, is taking on six other candidates in the crowded primary that includes Queens Borough President Melinda Katz and Council Member Rory Lancman.
Cabán is an advocate for the elimination of cash bail for all crimes and an end to the prosecution of low-level offenses like fare evasion and marijuana possession.
She also wants to decriminalize sex work and refuses to take contributions from corporations, a decision she says will free her to prosecute landlords who unlawfully evict tenants and corporations accused of wage theft.
She is opposed to the opening of new jails–including the Kew Gardens facility–while calling for the immediate closure of Rikers Island. Her policy is to reduce the inmate population down to a such a level where this could be achieved.
In his endorsement, Van Bramer noted that as a gay man, he was proud to endorse Cabán, who identifies as queer.
Cabán thanked Van Bramer for the endorsement.
“[Councilmember Van Bramer] has spent the entirety of his career fighting for the LGBTQIA+ community. This resilience and courage is an inspiration to me, especially as a queer woman. I am honored to receive this endorsement, and I look forward to working with him to make Queens a model for decarceral and restorative criminal justice reform,” she wrote.
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46 Comments
Cabán had my vote before Van Bramer endorsed.
She should reject his endorsement.
Is all this hate on Bramer because of the Amazon deal or is there something else ? Because Amazon chose to leave ya know. They were upset they were getting push back. So we should just let any big company come in and do whatever they want. Lets just bring in Wal-Mart then destroy all local businesses . Amazon could have negotiated but as soon as they started to hear the word unions they left. I support my local businesses and buy local if I can even if it’s more money. Screw Amazon they could care less about you and your life .
The NIMBYs were also butthurt about the bike lanes. ?
trump just passed prison reform to give convicted people a second chance. Jimmy and TRUMP are actually on the same page!! If Jimmy knew that he would change positions. Jimmys like that, kind of a phony.
Agreed, Trump is very similar to JVB
Cabán rules. She’s got my vote!
Not voting for her, and not for Melinda Katz who has fund fundraisers at know Mob owned venues.
(You should just not vote)
World’s worst thing to do. Do that if you don’t care either way. Not voting is a vote for the other side.
If you decide not to vote, don’t cry and throw a fit because your side didn’t get in. You have no one but to blame but yourself.
Finally some change for this town. We can’t keep feeding the machine. Queens is among the very last in the nation for reform like this and this would be a bold move forward.
Lasak is the only qualified candidate.
The comments on here explain why for 30 years we had the same DA pushing the same old way of thinking about criminal justice. Simply throwing people in jails hasn’t been the answer. Recidivism is highest when that is your only approach to crime. What reduces crime? Jobs, education, programming, services. Caban understands that the goal isn’t to simply punish people AFTER they committed a crime, it is to work to reduce crime BEFORE it happens. That is what makes us safer. She has a vision that the DA’s office can actually play a role in that process, by being smarter about how criminal infractions are handled. She wants to dramatically reduce recidivism and focus resources on the 6% of criminals that commit 60% of the crime rather than treating all offenders as if they are exactly the same. And eliminate the class and racial bias in a system that keeps people locked up prior to trial, prior to a conviction, merely because they can’t afford to pay bail. We need a dramatically new direction in how we address justice and the career DA’s and non-trial attorneys Tiffany Caban is running against are not the answer.
Some just can’t be rehabbed.
When you say “some” what percentage are you talking about? How about a number?
That’s inappropriate. You can try with everyone but it’s up to them to make the rehab stick. Some are just too used to what they are used to.
And then Gianaris and Van Bramer kill the Amazon deal, would work if Caban could deliver the jobs, but this is not the case. Caban won’t win and Jimmy ‘s endorsement is damaging to her. He is hated in his community right now – down in the projects he can’t show his face. Only small pockets within the community are willing to be seen with him — he’s persona non grata and this will trickle down to Caban.
Why is VB gay and Caban queer?
Vote Greg Lasak for DA. Only one that knows the job
Isn’t that precious! She’s a loser and maybe the worst of a bad bunch. Criminals will lover her! Hey, Sunnyside : what do you think of your good neighbor Jimmy Van Bramer? He is engaging overtime in identity politics and it is not good.
JVB endorsement- who cares???
JVB- you are now irrelevant- on your way out
Good riddance
I wonder if Ms. Caban’s campaign staff checked on the benefits of a Jimmy Van Bramer primary endorsement with the campaigns of Joe Crowley, Cynthia Nixon and Christine Quinn?
Gee, what a shocker.
If fare evasion is not prosecuted, why should anyone pay? Because it’s the right thing to do? Here’s one more vote for Greg Lesak.
Free Subway Rides for everybody!!!! Awesome!!!! Thank god we’ve got that extra $3 billion now to make up for any shortfall.
Unfortunately she’ll probably win because only the lowest rung of society shows up to vote, that’s how we get stuck with people like her.
to your credit, that explains the Trump presidency
We have the Trump presidency because of the electoral college, he lost the popular vote.
…and what determines the outcomes of the Electoral college? Wait for it….the vote.
Trump lost the popular vote/? Was he lying when he said he won it?? lmao
Thanks for the input “JH ‘everything is illeaguls fault’ resident”
You consistently miss the point of my comments, your comprehension level is very low.
I feel sorry for you.
Ah yes, childish name-calling. The last bastion of those with no argument at all.
Trump got in because too few Democrats ventured out to vote.
If you are Democrat and did not vote you have no one but to blame but yourself.
If you’re a Democrat and live in New York your vote only matters in the primary. The general election is a formality in presidential elections.
I started to write a snarky response to you all, but I obviously have a life – you should try it!
If the Post thinks of itself as local journalism, then it needs to limit posts to rational readers.
This isn’t The Post, doofus.
And yet you respond anyway. How is that “life” working for ya?
If you’re registered as a anything but a Democrat now is the time to change your registration. You don’t have to vote for the dem in the general election, but face it whoever wins the dem primary wins the general election.
Being Democrat is one thing. Voting is another.
VOTE FOR GREGORY LASAK Queens all the way most experienced candidate in the field was Qns DA bureau chief with 30 yrs experienced as a DA and Judge. Niw Why does everything have to be labeled? IS SHE QUALIFIED FOR THE JOB OR NOT? Don’t vote for her just because she’s queer and endorsed by JVB, let’s see where she stands on the issues and her qualifications for the Position as Queens DA. On a side note many of experienced DA’s looking to retire from The QNS DA’s OFFICE with the change looming and all the unqualified non legal experienced candidates looking to get voted into the job. THE DA’s office needs an experienced manager and prosecutor not political hacks vying to escalate their profiles on the security and backs of Queens residents.
Thank you Sunnyside Post for continuing to inform us who the Councilman supports. Sunnysiders are now informed to vote for another candidate. As the saying goes, “Birds of a feather flock together.” We will be sure to tell family and friends not to vote for Caban.
Thank you Sunnyside Post for warning us about caban.This is an actual real life F… the victims candidate and that snake Van Loser slithers up to her, unbelievable.
Yea you should just boycott this whole thing. Tell all your friends (ahem) to stay home, take it easy that day!
Anyone he endorses go against.
Wont be getting my vote
(You should just not vote)
That’s the worst thing to do if you are unhappy with how things are being run. How do you think we got in this mess we’re in now? Not enough Dems votes.