This message is a candidate communication to the members of the Ansonia Independent Democratic Club. This candidate has not been endorsed by the Ansonia Independent Democrats. The club will vote on endorsements at our meeting on Wednesday, May 27th.
Dear Ansonia Independent Democratic Club member:
I am running for Manhattan District Attorney because this year we have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to change the way we think about criminal justice, right here in New York City. As you know, Robert Morgenthau has decided not to run for re-election, leaving the District Attorney's position open for the first time in generations. This provides us with an exciting moment to re-envision how the District Attorney can keep us safe while strengthening our communities.
I believe we can continue Morgenthau's legacy of driving down violent crime rates - by vigorously prosecuting violent criminals and sending them to prison where they belong - while at the same time changing the way we think about crime - by focusing on preventing it, not just prosecuting it. I know a lot of candidates are starting to talk about prevention now, but I can actually get it done - because I have been working on these issues for my entire career.
My vision for a District Attorney's office that constantly asks itself how to prevent crime, rather than just react to it, has won the support of law enforcement professionals like former Police Commissioner Bill Bratton and progressives like Assembly Members Jonathan Bing, Deborah Glick, Richard Gottfried, Brian Kavanagh, Daniel O'Donnell and Linda Rosenthal; State Senators Eric Adams, Bill Perkins, Eric Schneiderman, Jose Serrano and Daniel Squadron; and Councilmembers Gale Brewer, Melissa Mark Viverito and Miguel Martinez.
They know that I have a long history in criminal justice of coming up with big ideas and getting them done. There's something wrong with our criminal justice system when nationally almost one in three African-American men will spend time in federal or state prison. This doesn't make us safer - and it devastates families and neighborhoods throughout the borough, city and state.
We need to change what we demand of our District Attorney's office. Instead of asking how many convictions we got, we need to ask how many crimes we prevented. Instead of focusing on stopping illegal guns when they get to New York, we need to partner with the states that are the sources of our illegal guns to stop them there.
And we need to focus on kids. Four out of five young people who enter the criminal justice system will be re-arrested within four years, trapped in a vicious cycle. But if we implement proven prevention methods - like drug and mental health treatment and youth programs - we can break that cycle so kids who get in trouble can get the help they need to become productive members of society rather than criminals. This will make our streets safer, and keep families and communities together.
With a long history in law enforcement - prosecuting violent crime under Morgenthau, investigating police abuses during the Diallo era, successfully fighting to expand DNA testing and restrict felons' access to handguns (the Brady Bill) and helping large law enforcement agencies re-tool themselves to prevent crime and root out corruption, I am well-prepared to build an innovative District Attorney's office that keeps us safe without devastating entire communities. And as the managing partner of a law firm, I understand the nuts and bolts of supervising a law office like the DA's office.
In these hard economic times, we have to do more with less. The prevention programs I am talking about will not only keep us safer, but will be more cost-effective as well.
With your support, we can take advantage of this momentous opportunity to transform our criminal justice system by preventing crime, keeping us safe, and strengthening New York's communities.
For more information, please look at my website - www.abornforda.com - or call my campaign at 212-916-3197. I hope I can earn your vote.
Sincerely,
Richard Aborn
I am running for Manhattan District Attorney because this year we have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to change the way we think about criminal justice, right here in New York City. As you know, Robert Morgenthau has decided not to run for re-election, leaving the District Attorney's position open for the first time in generations. This provides us with an exciting moment to re-envision how the District Attorney can keep us safe while strengthening our communities.
I believe we can continue Morgenthau's legacy of driving down violent crime rates - by vigorously prosecuting violent criminals and sending them to prison where they belong - while at the same time changing the way we think about crime - by focusing on preventing it, not just prosecuting it. I know a lot of candidates are starting to talk about prevention now, but I can actually get it done - because I have been working on these issues for my entire career.
My vision for a District Attorney's office that constantly asks itself how to prevent crime, rather than just react to it, has won the support of law enforcement professionals like former Police Commissioner Bill Bratton and progressives like Assembly Members Jonathan Bing, Deborah Glick, Richard Gottfried, Brian Kavanagh, Daniel O'Donnell and Linda Rosenthal; State Senators Eric Adams, Bill Perkins, Eric Schneiderman, Jose Serrano and Daniel Squadron; and Councilmembers Gale Brewer, Melissa Mark Viverito and Miguel Martinez.
They know that I have a long history in criminal justice of coming up with big ideas and getting them done. There's something wrong with our criminal justice system when nationally almost one in three African-American men will spend time in federal or state prison. This doesn't make us safer - and it devastates families and neighborhoods throughout the borough, city and state.
We need to change what we demand of our District Attorney's office. Instead of asking how many convictions we got, we need to ask how many crimes we prevented. Instead of focusing on stopping illegal guns when they get to New York, we need to partner with the states that are the sources of our illegal guns to stop them there.
And we need to focus on kids. Four out of five young people who enter the criminal justice system will be re-arrested within four years, trapped in a vicious cycle. But if we implement proven prevention methods - like drug and mental health treatment and youth programs - we can break that cycle so kids who get in trouble can get the help they need to become productive members of society rather than criminals. This will make our streets safer, and keep families and communities together.
With a long history in law enforcement - prosecuting violent crime under Morgenthau, investigating police abuses during the Diallo era, successfully fighting to expand DNA testing and restrict felons' access to handguns (the Brady Bill) and helping large law enforcement agencies re-tool themselves to prevent crime and root out corruption, I am well-prepared to build an innovative District Attorney's office that keeps us safe without devastating entire communities. And as the managing partner of a law firm, I understand the nuts and bolts of supervising a law office like the DA's office.
In these hard economic times, we have to do more with less. The prevention programs I am talking about will not only keep us safer, but will be more cost-effective as well.
With your support, we can take advantage of this momentous opportunity to transform our criminal justice system by preventing crime, keeping us safe, and strengthening New York's communities.
For more information, please look at my website - www.abornforda.com - or call my campaign at 212-916-3197. I hope I can earn your vote.
Sincerely,
Richard Aborn