New York State Senator Hiram Monserrate was expelled from the senate this week in response to his conviction for a sexual assault misdemeanor. Monserrate was among the 8 senators who voted in his favor (to the 53 who voted to remove him from the Senate), and according the New York Times, he said, "The actions that I’ve committed do not rise to the level of expulsion.”
The actions in question consist of Monserrate dragging his girlfriend, Karla Giraldo, from her building as she held on to the front door, beating her, and slashing her across the face with a piece of glass, requiring 25 stitches. One witness described Giraldo as "a terrified woman, begging for help," according to reports in the New York Daily News and on NY1.
Among the senators who voted in Monserrate's defense was Ruben Diaz, who gave an impassioned speech arguing that the entire vote was predicated on racism: "...They form a committe to go after the Hispanic one, to get even. So ladies and gentlemen, go ahead, and get even!" (It's also worth watching to see the infuriating moment in which Diaz identifies other Hispanic members of Congress, but forgets the name of "that lady," pointing in what is presumably the direction where a Hispanic woman member of Congress sits.) You can watch Diaz's speech here:
NPR's Political Junkie blog takes a look at what the explusion means politically for the already divided Democrats in New York, and Feministing weighed in here. Democrats originally stood by Monserrate on the grounds that the violence was accidental. To turn offenses like this into a partisan political tool is dreadfully unpalatable, and we applaud the New York Senate for taking Monserrate's actions seriously. Holding elected officials accountable for violent crimes against women isn't about "getting even," it's about basic moral precedent and responsibility. -TLF
Thursday, February 11, 2010
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2 comments:
I'm down with this blog post. However I think it should go even farther - in this instance it seems violence against women and the culture which enables it are secondary to (or themselves enabled by) pervasive political corruption and criminality. In New York, Illinois, and on a national level unfortunately there's a whole range of serious criminal behavior from our politicians. Our basic moral responsibility is to hold elected officials accountable if they commit a crime, period.
Clearly this article implies, but rhetorically I think it put the cart before the horse.
Do people agree, disagree?
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