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UPDATE: The Politics Of Honoring Community Heroes: Sonny Carson’s 4 Blocks
By factoidjoe | June 1, 2007
 By a vote of 25 to 15 (with 7 abstaining and 4 absent), on Wednesday, May 30, 2007, the New York City Council voted down an amendment which would have added Sonny Carson’s name to an omnibus street renaming bill.Â
The politics of the voting may have been more controversial than even honoring Sonny Carson in that way. Apparently, as reported in the Daily News, voters aligned consistent with perceived racial pedigrees–blacks for the amendment and whites not.  Depending on your view of this city and its politics, this skewing of the vote might be either comforting or alarming. But even more curious and curiouser is the reported fact that the 7 who abstained were all members of the Council’s 25-member Black, Latino and Asian Caucus. I wonder what we would see if we could rewind that videotape?  I also wonder who the 4 absentees were? Although Quinn denies that she put any political pressure on other council members, is she to be believed?  If she believed in her position, why should she not pressure other members? Or did Bloomberg cut a deal with the 7 + 4? The ramifications of the answers, much less the questions, I suspect, may soon be page 1.Â
Next?
June 2nd, 2007 at 8:50 am
gw, leo, anyone? can you find out who the 7 + 4 are?
June 3rd, 2007 at 12:56 pm
Brooks and Palmer were absent, and Leticia James and Leroy Comrey abstained. John Lu and Tony Abello were in support because they saw it as the right of a community to honor their heroes even though in the case of Lu he said he was opposed to Sonny Carson. The community has always named their streets after who they saw fit and it never cared about the humanity or the criminality of the individual being honored.
June 6th, 2007 at 9:59 am
the whole thing is sad. that the cc allows everyone else to define their heroes except black people. that l. james was too scared to vote her conscience (no) without fear. the black people on the cc would use their time and resources to honor this man above so many deserving others. how about an educator who preached love?
June 10th, 2007 at 12:34 pm
Yes Michael, I remember that concept, love… Dr. King tried that out. Remember where it landed him? Assassinated. Pro change should be celebrated not vilified. Sure Sonny Carson was a radical, but we (Africans living in America) needed someone to wake us up after being sesile for so long. I may be to young to know about Mr. Carsons good and bad deeds, and so, unfortunately I have to go by what I read. However, Ive had to go by what I read when it came to many white politicians and leaders that are hailed as heroes as well. In my community, Sonny Carson is a hero. Less than 2 blocks away from my home a young black boy was hit by a car and left to die while the white man that hit him was whisked away in an ambulance to tend to his minor injuries. Some of you elders may remember that as the Crown Heights riots. That sounds like as good as a reason as any to be infuriated with the situation in your community and to do all that you can to make sure that youre PEOPLE let their anger be known. Sonny Carson did that for my community and if her were still alive I would thank him. In a previous post, a man by the name of Jim stated, if the blacks hate whites so much why dont they just go back to Africa? In 2007, for that statement to be made, its scary. Jim, if Africa hadnt been raped by your ancestors and plagued by the many diseases and filth that YOUR ancestors left there, maybe we would still be there. But then again, that wouldnt be any fun. How else would we take your jobs and education,”products and goods” take them and make them 10 times better and sell them back to you? Its just so much more rewarding to do it in your face. The point is should the street be named after a man like Sonny Carson? Visit the stuy and see the population first hand. Ask who the hell Kosciuzsko is and when all you get is blank stares, ask who Sonny Carson is and get your answer.
P.S
Leroy Comrie- you should be ashamed of yourself. Why abstain? You come up to my predominantly black school (York College CUNY) and try to convince us that you support us students and the issues important to us, but then when it comes to showing and proving it- you abstain. Im telling!