LID Condemns the Removal of Genesis Aquino During Governor Hochul’s Appearance at Brooklyn Church

Lambda Independent Democrats of Brooklyn Condemns the Removal of Genesis Aquino During Governor Hochul’s Appearance at Brooklyn Church

Genesis Aquino is a former board member of Lambda Independent Democrats of Brooklyn. She is the kind of incredible activist and community organizer whom Governor Kathy Hochul could have learned from: an individual who offers meaningful insight into the needs and wants of vulnerable New Yorkers. Instead, Genesis was removed from her church last Sunday by the NYPD while speaking out for ‘Good Cause Eviction’ and against the nomination of Hector LaSalle to the Court of Appeals. That an Afro-Latina queer woman was removed from her own church highlights the politically reckless direction the governor seems to be taking in order to make the confirmation of a conservative, anti-choice, and anti-union judge happen.

Effective leaders do not silence critics. In the months after her uncomfortably narrow electoral win, which was secured by the hard work of progressive activists, Governor Hochul appears to confuse survival with political clout to bully anyone who disagrees with her decisions. Governor Hochul and the NYPD should apologize to Genesis Aquino, and the governor should withdraw her nomination of Hector LaSalle—whose appointment to the Court of Appeals would endanger the civil rights of New York's most vulnerable. 

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