The Facts on Hiram Monserrate — his history of mental health problems, his indictment for the felony assault of girlfriend Karla Giraldo, and his continued role as a NY State Senator
March 31, 2009
by Sheryl Lee
|10 Comments
Monserrate’s History of Mental Health Problems
- A former marine and NYC police officer, in 1999, Monserrate filed for a disability pension from the NYPD, “citing mental problems, including post-traumatic stress syndrome”, as well as depression and anxiety;
- Police seized Monserrate’s guns after a psychological assessment, ordered as a result of the claim, was completed;
- On Sept. 10, 2001, Monserrate was reportedly arrested for running over the leg of a tow-truck driver who was attempting to tow his vehicle;
- Perhaps owing to the date of the incident, the case was never processed.
Facts Surrounding the Indictment of Monserrate
- A quarrel between Hiram Monserrate and girlfriend Karla Giraldo is alleged to have erupted Dec. 18th at Monserrate’s Jackson Heights apartment when he found another man’s police union card in Giraldo’s wallet;
- Security camera footage shows Giraldo running to a neighbor’s door and shouting before Monserrate grabs her violently and pulls her away;
- Individuals who viewed the video report that Giraldo appeared “scared out of her mind” as she screamed and pleaded at a neighbor’s door for help;
- Monserrate is in security camera footage forcing Giraldo out of the building before driving he
r to a hospital 20 minutes from his home; - 20 to 25 stitches were required to close the gash around Giraldo’s eye;
- At the hospital, Giraldo claimed that Monserrate had deliberately slashed her face;
- Monserrate was arrested Dec. 19, 2008, and charged with felony assault and possession of a weapon for stabbing his girlfriend, Karla Girlado, in the face with a broken drinking glass;
- Giraldo later made a statement recanting those allegations, claiming she had been coerced by police into making the earlier statement;
- Monserrate and Giraldo both now claim the injury occurred when he tripped while carrying a glass of water, and they “stumbled into each other”;
- In preliminary court proceedings, a judge upheld a protection order that would keep Monserrate from seeing Giraldo despite her request for it to be withdrawn;
- On March 23, 2009, Monserrate was indicted by a grand jury on six counts of felony assault;
- On March 27, 2009, Monserrate was arraigned on felony assault charges;
- Monserrate entered a Not Guilty plea.
Monserrate in the NY State Senate
- Monserrate was sworn in to the NY State Senate on January 7, 2009, with felony assault charges pending against him;
- The NY State Democratic Party has a senate majority for the first time in four decades; without Monserrate, they might not be able to hold on to that majority;
- Monserrate had initially declined to support the nomination of Malcolm Smith as Senate Majority Leader, but after a reported negotiation with Smith, Monserrate gave him his support;
- Subsequent to his swearing-in, Monserrate was appointed by Senate Majority Leader Malcolm Smith to chair the Consumer Relations Committee;
- Monserrate had said he would forego the salary ($12,000) provided by that appointment;
- On January 31, NY NOW held a press conference to demand that Monserrate be removed from his position as Chair of the Consumer Protection Committee until the charges against him are resolved;
- A group called Women in Defense of Women held a counter-protest outside NOW’s press conference;
- Some of the women defending Monserrate belong to organizations that have been recipients of funding directed by him;
- Monserrate temporarily stepped down from his chairmanship of the Consumer Protection Committee and Senate Majority Leader Malcolm Smith defended his handling of the issue;
- Monserrate has allegedly used some left-over campaign money to pay a PR firm to rehabilitate his image;
- The New Agenda has been contacted by this PR firm.
Related posts:
- http://thenewagenda.net/2009/01/09/wheres-the-line-between-political-expediency-and-evil/
- http://thenewagenda.net/2009/01/29/press-conference-saturday-now-nys-will-speak-out-against-hiram-monserrate/
- http://thenewagenda.net/2009/02/02/hiram-monserrate-poster-boy-of-domestic-violence/
- http://thenewagenda.net/2009/02/06/the-new-agenda-sent-out-the-following-press-release-on-hiram-monserrate/
- http://thenewagenda.net/media/press-releases/the-new-agenda-calls-on-ny-senate-to-force-monserrate-to-step-down/
- http://thenewagenda.net/2009/02/07/monserrates-reputation-manager-contacts-tna/
- http://thenewagenda.net/2009/02/28/monserrate-goes-back-to-court-and-a-letter-from-a-dv-expert/
- http://thenewagenda.net/media/press-releases/indicted-state-senator-must-step-down/
- http://thenewagenda.net/2009/03/26/open-letter-to-ny-state-senators-regarding-the-indictment-of-hiram-monserrate/
Thank you, Sheryl, for your terrific writing, and for keeping us up to date with Monserrate the Monster.
So this is what a NY State Senator looks like? And Monserrate allegedly continues to collect his $79,500 base pay . . .
ACTION PLAN:
1. Email the NY state senators demanding that Monserrate step down immediately. Some suggestions:
• Note that a Grand Jury charged Monserrate with 6 counts of assault, 3 of which are a Class D felony.
• He has been arraigned in State Supreme Court on 6 assault charges
• Is this what a NY state senator looks like?
Here are the emails of all of the NY State Senators, including Monserrate’s: http://www.senate.state.ny.us/.....e?openform
2. Malcolm A. Smith, the NY State Senate majority leader, held a fundraiser for Monserrate last week. Let Smith know what you think about this.
• You can email Smith here: masmith@senate.state.ny.us and
• Leave comments on his website via his contact form here (scroll down): http://www.nyssenate14.com/14/Contact.aspx
3. Formally Valerie Jarrett and the entire White House Commission on Women and Girls to attend The New Agenda’s Violence Against Women Forum in New York City on April 18th at the Benjamin Hotel.
4. E-mail Valerie Jarrett about the Monserrate issue and implore her to start with a massive public health campaign to educate the American public about violence against women.
Here’s the email she used when she was heading Obama’s Transition Team: vjarrett@barackobama.com
5. Send your comments urging Jarrett and her office make violence against women an immediate priority that we want to see tangible action on: http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/ (500 character limit)
In #3, meant to say “Formally invite Valerie Jarrett . . .
Why is it that Senator Ruth Hassell-Thompson hears nothing but
Senator Martin Golden understands the problem? Maybe this should be posted under “the men who support us”.
from NY Times 3-24-2009
The chairwoman of a Senate task force on domestic violence, Senator Ruth Hassell-Thompson, would not comment on Mr. Monserrate’s treatment. “I don’t want to talk about it,” she said.
Told of the backlash from some women’s rights groups, Ms. Hassell-Thompson said, “ I’m sorry that’s their opinion, but they haven’t expressed that to me.”
“When you let people like Senator Monserrate stay in office,” said Senator Martin Golden, a Republican from Brooklyn, “and you do fund-raisers for them, and you pat them on the back and you say, ‘Go for it!’ you know, there’s a disgrace, a disgust, in people across this state.”
The chairwoman of a Senate task force on domestic violence, Senator Ruth Hassell-Thompson, would not comment on Mr. Monserrate’s treatment. “I don’t want to talk about it,” she said. Told of the backlash from some women’s rights groups, Ms. Hassell-Thompson said, “ I’m sorry that’s their opinion, but they haven’t expressed that to me.”
ACTION PLAN:
1. Let’s make sure that Senator Ruth Hassell-Thompson hears from us, since she says she hasn’t. Write to her here:
Email: hassellt@senate.state.ny.us
Her FAX and Mail:
District Office
959 E.233rd Street
Bronx, NY 10466
Tel: (718) 547-8854
Fax: (718) 515-2718
Albany Office
612 Legislative Office Building
Albany, NY 12247
Tel: (518) 455-2061
Fax: (518) 426-6998
2. Write to Senator Martin Golden and THANK HIM for speaking out against keeping Monserrate in office.
Email: golden@senate.state.ny.us
His quick online Contact Form (and office numbers) are here: http://www.senatorgolden.com/22/Contact.aspx
3. Puma Responders –can you post this on the Puma Responders website?
4. Please see the Action Plan above (March 31st post) for additional steps to take.
Let’s make sure these NY State Senators hear from us!
Thanks, ER, for your great, practical suggestions (as always).
I know that Amy spoke to Hassell-Thompson, but it would be great if more people made contact. Amy is also working on a piece for The Daily Beast right now.
With NOW NY, we’re doing everything we can to keep this story on top of the news cycle, where it belongs.
If Monserrate was still a cop, he’d be suspended to protect the public. How come the public isn’t afforded the same protection from a legislator who’s will be tried for a very serious crime?
[...] of violence, Hiram Monserrate’s indictment did not come without warning. Monserrate has a history of mental health problems. In 1999, he claimed to be suffering psychological problems as a New York City Police Department [...]
[...] his arrest, it was revealed that Monserrate has a history of mental health problems. In 1999, he claimed to be suffering psychological problems as a New York City Police Department [...]
[...] of violence, Hiram Monserrate’s indictment did not come without warning. Monserrate has a history of mental-health problems. In 1999, he claimed to be suffering psychological problems as a New York City Police Department [...]
[...] of violence, Hiram Monserrate’s indictment did not come without warning. Monserrate has a history of mental-health problems. In 1999, he claimed to be suffering psychological problems as a New York City Police Department [...]
[...] More reminders here: The Facts on Hiram Monserrate [...]
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