MONSERRATE EXPELLED!!!
February 9, 2010
by The New Agenda
|We did it!
Tonight, in a victory for women everywhere, the New York State Senate voted to expel Sen Hiram Monserrate.
Monserrate’s expulsion sends a powerful message: violence against women is NOT acceptable! And we will no longer be silent!
It wasn’t easy. If not for women in the senate and women’s organizations banding together, Monserrate would have gotten away with a slap on the wrist.
The New Agenda would like to thank our coalition partners, Marcia Pappas of NOW-NYS, and Karen Feldman and Cathy Lasry of Eleanor Roosevelt Legacy Committee. We stuck together and refused to back down. We rallied other New York women’s organizations to speak out.
And most of all, we want to thank YOU – our supporters. You wrote thousands of emails to New York State Senators over the last 10 months. YOU refused to back down. YOU said to anyone considering an act of domestic violence: “Think twice. We are watching.”
The New Agenda was the first organization to bring national media attention to the Monserrate case. We were relentless in pursuing our organization’s important goals: safety, opportunity, unity and leadership. Every woman and girl deserves to be safe!
Onward!
Thank you, thank you everyone. This is a tremendous victory for our organization and for the women of this country. Congrats to us all!
Who were the eight who voted not to expel?
I heard Vito Lopez was one of them who voted against expulsion. He was crying racism, claiming that Monserrate was a victim of anti-Hispanic sentiment! Unf*ckingbelievable!!!!!
GREAT JOB AMY!
Think we just posted the list of votes folks.
Thanks KendallJ. We need you all to join us as members!!!
just read the 8 votes came from democrats. one for sure is john sampson. another may be ruben diaz who commented that the democrats voted for expelling to get even with him for siding with republicans. and a 3rd could be malcolm smith who recently had a fundraiser for montserrate.
Thanks so much for all your hard work.
He’s lucky he’s not in jail where he belongs.
Lyn Harris
http://blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com/lynscircle/
This is an awesome achievement to put in the “We Spoke Out” section. It also deserves some victory blog posts on unity. Women’s rights should never be held to partisan standards.
But ladies, we have the New York Times to explain for us: “the point [is] inarguable” that this expulsion is all about politics, not a piddling “misdemeanor assault”, even if “the senators…talk all day about their deep concern for domestic violence.”
This is a remarkable victory. Forty-five years ago my former husband, drunk, beat me bloody, then left the house. I called the police and asked them to arrest him to protect me. The policeman said only if I would sign a complaint. When I refused as it would be worse when he was released, the policeman replied, “No arrest without a complaint. We can’t babysit you.” How times have changed! Monserrate held publically accountable for beating a woman and expelled from the NY Senate. I can’t stop smiling.
the15th,
Monserrate probably did lose his seat as much for playing fast and loose with his own and his colleagues’ politics shennanigans. However, the NYTs made clear their position on Monserrate by satirically describing his actions (driving the bleeding woman around seeking a hospital where he would not be recognized). She must have been terrified knowing how vengeful he would be toward her if/when his violence was made public, and he would probably not be held accountable–thus she would not be protected from future assaults from him.
You are correct in your observations–he is being punished for something other than the violence. This begs the question, will he do it again? What does he now believe about violence against women? Is his political agenda more important to him than a woman’s safety from physical violence?
I’m still smiling. But is a mixed victory.
Marjorie, I choose to be optimistic about humanity and believe that he was actually expelled for the violence, and that the Times was a little quick to give credence to the self-serving justifications that Monserrate “spoke in a low voice” to the reporter. I see this as a major victory.
I am very impressed. And I am sending my $35.00. Congratulations TNA and all of those who worked on this case. What a great way to start a Wednesday!!
the15th,
I appreciate your optimism regarding humanity, and hope my own assessment was arrived at too quickly and without consideration for other people’s experiences. My own experiences prompt my cynicism, but perhaps I give my experiences broader credence than reality would support.
Congratulations! I am amazed that the process worked, I would not have put money on that. And I think you can be assured Monserrate is sorry he got caught and blames the fact that he got caught and all the rest of the mess on one or more women.
[...] of girls and women. And don’t forget to thank her for her strong part in having that animal Hiram Monserrate removed from the NY State Senate - along with Marcia Pappas of NOW-NYS and Karen Feldman and Cathy Lasry of Eleanor Roosevelt [...]
CONGRATS to Amy and her formidable “Women for Justice” (my baptising here!) Department!
Hiram’s ethno-racial background is not an issue!
What’s at issue is his self-serving political agenda that is interested only in protecting his puny posterior–and not that of his constituents…and, least of all, the women in is life.
This man should be classified PUBLIC ENEMY and removed from any political office sought in future!
Women of all party affiliations (or none) are making their human rights loudly known to those responsible for a legislative agenda that’s affecting their daily lives.
Thanks, Amy for your dynamism and for advancing human rights for those who feel they’ve been silenced….
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