This morning The New Agenda issued the following press release:

Indicted State Senator Must Step Down

For Immediate Release

March 24, 2009

The New Agenda, a national non-partisan women’s rights group, is demanding that New York State Senator Hiram Monserrate step down immediately. Yesterday, a grand jury in Queens indicted Monserrate on three counts of second-degree felony assault and three counts of third-degree misdemeanor assault. Monserrate is expected to be arraigned later this week and faces up to seven years in prison.

Monserrate’s indictment comes on the heels of Chris Brown’s alleged abuse of Rihanna and the Buffalo NY murder of Aasiya Hassan, who was beheaded by her husband. “How many more women need to be abused and murdered at the hands of intimate partners before our country wakes up to the national crisis that is violence against women?” said Amy Siskind, President of The New Agenda.

The New Agenda is calling NY State Senate Majority Leader Malcolm Smith and the rest of the New York State Senators of both political parties to demand that Monserrate step down immediately. “What lesson are we teaching our children if we allow an individual indicted of felony assault to continue in a position of leadership? Is this the type of individual that we want our children to see as a role model?” said Amy Siskind, President of The New Agenda.

NOW-NYS is joining The New Agenda in calling for State Senator Monserrate to step down. NOW-NYS President Marcia Pappas said: “The presence of this indicted individual in the halls of the NYS Legislature is an affront to all the women who work there. In fact, it would be hard to imagine a more hostile work environment than this situation presents, what with a man indicted for assaulting women still in charge of making laws to protect women!”

According to the Human Rights Watch organization, the projected number of domestic violence incidents against women increased by 42 percent between 2005 and 2007. According to a study conducted by the Department of Criminal Justice Services, 55 percent of New York women murdered in 2007 were victims of domestic violence. As well, due to current recession, many domestic abuse shelters are now reporting a 20-25 percent increase in hotline calls.

Siskind said: “If Smith and other legislators think this is going by unnoticed, they are sorely mistaken. To allow Monserrate to continue as state senator despite being indicted of felony assault will cost them far more than their Senate majority: it will cost them their credibility, and it will leave New York ’s citizens with lawmakers who gave up their moral authority to legislate and lead.”

The New Agenda will hold a Violence Against Women Forum in New York City on April 18th at the Benjamin Hotel. The forum will include a panel of experts and advocates with bold ideas for preventing and stopping violence against women.

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