Hawkins Faults Cuomo for Delaying Convening of Minimum Wage Board, despite post-Moreland News Release

Hawkins Pushes $15 an hour Minimum Wage, 100% Clean Energy by 2030

(Albany, NY) Howie Hawkins, the Green Party candidate for Governor, said today he would use his administrative powers to raise the state minimum wage to $15 an hour.

Hawkins faulted Cuomo for his continued foot dragging on providing a wage hike for food tip workers.

Hawkins also called for New York to invest in transforming New York's economy to 100% clean renewable energy by 2030 as outlined in a study by Prof. Jacobson of StanfordUniversity and several Cornell professors. Hawkins said that this would provide enough living wage jobs to put all New Yorkers to work.

Earlier in the day Hawkins became the first statewide Green Party candidate to be considered for endorsement by the state Public Employees Federation, speaking to their state meeting.

(Albany, NY) Howie Hawkins, the Green Party candidate for Governor, called today for the immediate release of fellow candidate Randy Credico and the dismissal of all charges.

Credico was arrested and detained over night in New York City when he began to videotape two white men aggressively stopping a Black man. The men, who were apparently plain clothes transit cops, then arrested Credico.

Americans have the constitutional right to videotape cops in public places. Such taping is critical to help reduce the problem of police violence against citizens, particularly people of color and those who politically dissent. Such as the recent videotaping of the police killing Eric Garner.

In addition the New York Police Department Patrol Guide states that “taking photographs, videotapes or tape recordings” is not cause for arrest or detention so long as the activity does not jeopardize the safety of officers or others.

Federal court rulings in Baltimore, Boston and Indianapolis have affirmed that recording officers in public places is protected by the Constitution.

While the Hawkins / Jones campaign would have preferred an outright endorsement by NYSUT, their decision not to endorse the incumbent reflects the high level of dissatisfaction with the Cuomo agenda on education.

"We will continue to  stand with teachers and public school advocates to 1)oppose the corporate takeover and privatization of education and 2) expand education funding to meet our children's needs and so that teachers can teach. We are going to fight for our public schools, and look forward to talking with as many teachers and parents as we can in the months ahead," said Howie Hawkins.

Earlier this week, Brian Jones, a NYC educator, joined the NYSUT rally at the State Education building where a copy of the $32 million contract with Pearson for testing was shredded.  Many people recognized Brian from his role as co-narrator of the film, The Inconvenient Truth Behind Waiting for Superman. Even more said they planned to vote for the Hawkins/Jones slate in November.

"While the rally was aimed at privatization of education in general and the publishing giant Pearson in particular, speakers were conspicuously silent about the role of the Democratic Party and of Governor Andrew Cuomo in promoting corporate-oriented education reform," added Jones.

"Our two main opponents stand united in their ongoing attacks on our public school system and their promotion of privatization, including charter schools. They are also united in creating fake ballot lines to mislead voters, such as with the Republican petitions filed today to Stop Common Core.  We hope that NYSUT and other taxpayers will demand that their be open and inclusive debates, including one devoted to education," Hawkins concluded.

Hawkins Criticizes Cuomo for Israel Trip

Howie Hawkins, the Green Party candidate for Governor, today criticized Cuomo for his campaign trip to Israel.

"Cuomo is not yet running for President. As Governor, he should be facing up to his interference with the Moreland Commission and block the cleaning up of corruption at the State Capitol. This seems like just another bad attempt to change the topic," remarked Hawkins.
 
Hawkins also criticized Cuomo for supporting Israeli's attacks on Gaza which has killed more than a thousand civilians, including many children.
 
"The Green Party has always condemned attacks on civilians by any side. The reality is that Israel has turned Gaza into an open prison camp. The Democrats and Republicans have proved themselves incapable of being an honest broker for peace because they blindly stand with Israel no matter how outrageous its crimes against the Palestinian people. We need to elect Greens so that the US can join the rest of the world in supporting peace in the Middle East, starting with an end to the illegal occupation," noted Hawkins.
 
The Green Party has long supported the call for New York State to divest state funds from Israel. In 2005, Palestinian civil society issued a call for a campaign of boycotts, divestment and sanctions (BDS) against Israel until it complies with international law and Palestinian rights.
 
Hawkins also supports divestment from fossil fuels and from for-profit prisons. 

Howie Hawkins, the Green Party candidate for Governor, congratulated Zephyr Teachout on the court ruling in support of her residency in her campaign for Governor.

"Cuomo's efforts to rule New York by fear and intimidation is wearing thin. He even bullied his own Moreland Commission to block investigations into whether his donors were seeking favors in exchange for their enormous contributions. It is time for Cuomo to campaign on his record, not his bank account," said Hawkins, who is polling third in the various polls.

Hawkins said that the voters were entitled to open and inclusive debates about each candidates' vision for the future of New York.

New York Needs to Desegregate Housing in Order to Improve Schools

Astorino Clearly Not A Supporter of Fair Housing for People of Color

(White Plains, NY) Howie Hawkins, the Green Party candidate for Governor, said today that improving access to affordable housing was critical to improving education in New York State. Recent studies have found that US schools are more segregated today than before the US Supreme Court decision on Brown vs. Topeka Board of Education. New York State schools are the most segregated in the nation.

Hawkins says that Rob Astorino's record as County Executive in the Westchester housing desegregation dispute with the federal government shows that he would be unqualified to resolve this problem statewide. Hawkins said that he sided with the Anti-Discrimination Center and civil right groups in their criticism of the county's mishandling of the implementation the housing discrimination consent decree. This includes the issue of how the impact of restrictive zoning by Westchester governments is evaluated to show that people of color are denied equal access to fair housing.

Hawkins Calls for Truth and Justice Commission re Mass Incarceration

Supports Criminal Charges in Killing on Eric Garner

Howie Hawkins, the Green Party candidate for Governor, called for an end to the war on drugs and the establishment of a Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission to address the impact of mass incarceration on people of color.

Hawkins spoke at a Criminal Justice Candidates Forum at the NY Society for Ethical Culture in Manhattan Thursday evening. He was joined by his running mates Brian Jones for Lt. Governor, Ramon Jimenez for Attorney General, and Theresa Portelli for State Comptroller. Green state Senate candidate Carl Lundgren also spoke.

Hawkins, Jones, Portelli, Jimenez to Speak on Criminal Justice Reform
Thursday, Aug. 7 at 7 PM at Ethical Culture Society, 2 W. 64th St.

Howie Hawkins, the Green Party candidate for Governor, will be joined by his three statewide running mates on Thursday, August 7 at 7 PM at the Criminal Justice Candidates Forum. The Forum at the NY Society for Ethical Culture will be at 2 West 64th St. (at Central Park W) in Manhattan.

Howie Hawkins, the Green candidate for New York Governor, expressed his support today for the members of CSEA Onondaga County Local 834 who voted down a county contract offer yesterday by an overwhelming vote of 1,528 to 100.

"I support the CSEA workers' rejection of this miserly contract proposal. The county budget should not be balanced on the backs of county workers," said Howie Hawkins, the Green candidate for Governor.

"The proposed wage increases are insulting. They are less than the rise in the cost of living. Add in the proposed increases in health care premiums and co-pays and county workers would be going backwards under this contract offer," said Hawkins, a member of the Teamsters Local 317 who unloads trucks at UPS.

Hawkins Renews Call for Debates Following His Rise in Polls

Howie Hawkins, the Green Party nominee for Governor, renewed his call for debates after he rose to 7% in the latest NBCNY poll.

Both Cuomo and Astorino dropped in the recent poll, the first after the Moreland Commission revelations in the NY Times broke.