Candidate Answers to JOLDC: Yvette D. Clarke for US Congress NY-09
Candidate Name: Yvette D. Clarke
Office Seeking Election for: US Congress, Congressional District 09 (Brooklyn)
Campaign Address: 1123 Nostrand Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11225
Campaign Website: https://www.voteyvette.com/
Campaign Telephone: (718) 940-2008
Campaign Social Media Handles (Facebook/Twitter):
https://twitter.com/VoteYvette
https://www.facebook.com/VoteYvette/
https://www.instagram.com/voteyvette/
Campaign Contact (name/phone/email): L. Joy Williams; (347) 724-3315; joy@ljwstrategies.com
Explain, based on life experiences and accomplishments, why you believe you are best qualified to represent your district
I have lived in Brooklyn my entire life and I have grown and evolved with my district. When I was a child, Brooklyn had the reputation of a rough and tumble, working-class borough. Less charitable onlookers and visitors to the New York area often considered Brooklyn little more than an afterthought - too dangerous to visit but too well known to ignore fully. I have watched as the Brooklyn I grew up in started to shrink, shift, and now slowly start to disappear. The Brooklyn of today has a very different face, with new glass and brick complexes arising every day populated with fresh faces breathing new life into the borough, but the warm welcoming heart remains the same.
My love for Brooklyn runs even deeper than my roots. My mother represented our community on the City Council for decades before I followed in her footsteps to help build a new Brooklyn we could all take pride in without losing sight of what makes us different.
Our ability to bring together so many different ways of life and perspectives on the world gives us our strength. As the representative of Brooklyn, I have the unique responsibility of faithfully presenting this diversity to the public - a privilege to say
the least.
The 9th district has gone through changes since I came to Congress as well. After redistricting took place nearly a decade ago now, the 9th District grew as Brooklyn continued to change. Since then, I have worked tirelessly to forge relationships with my new constituents on the other side of the park - work I am honored to undertake. As the borough and district continue to change, I am best situated to represent all parts of the district and everyone in the constituency from lifelong Brooklynites to new members of the family.
Do you now support or have you ever supported an openly LGBTQ candidate for public office?
Yes, I have supported several openly gay candidates for public office through my work with the Congressional LGBTQ Caucus including my peers, Reps. David Ciccilline, Sean Patrick Maloney, Mark Pocan, Mark Takano, Angie Craig, Sharice Davids and Chris Pappas. This also includes targeted financial support through the DCCC.
If applicable, what legislation directly affecting the LGBT community have you introduced or co-sponsored? (indicate accordingly).
All co-sponsorships:
HR 5: The Equality Act
HR 1450: Do No Harm Act
HR 1521: EMPOWER Act
HR 1739: REPEAL HIV Discrimination Act of 2017
H.Res.464: LGBTQ Pride Month
H.Res.465: LGBTQ Equality Day
H.Res.388: International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia
What LGBT organizations have you been involved with, either on a volunteer basis or professionally?
Ever since I began my tenure in the House of Representatives in I have been a foundational member and actively involved with the Congressional LGBTQ Caucus including paying membership dues to sustain the organization.
If elected or re-elected will you become a member of the “Squad?"
To my knowledge there is no membership for the "Squad". It is simply a term of endearment among the four Freshmen women , Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of NY, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Rashida Talib of Michigan and Ayanna Presley of Massachusetts.
However, I have engaged each of my colleagues in advocating, sponsoring and co-sponsoring progressive legislation.
If applicable, what LGBT organizations have you allocated funds to?
As a former Councilwoman, I allocated and help to direct funds to numerous organizations. However, unfortunately that was many years ago and the House of Representative no longer permits members to direct funding through earmarks.
Do you consider yourself a member of the LGBT community?
I consider myself an ally.
Have you marched in Pride? Which marches and for approximately how many years?
Yes, I have marched in the Brooklyn Pride parade intermittently over the past 20 years, both as a Councilmember and a member of Congress.
Have you employed openly LGBT individuals previously? Do you employ any currently?
Yes, I have employed openly LGBT individuals as staff, fellows and interns in the past and currently have staff employed, in addition to contributing to the salary for the Executive Director of the Congressional LGBT Caucus as a member.
If you receive the endorsement, do you agree to identify the club on all literature and electronic materials where you list endorsements?
YES
What press conferences, demonstrations, rallies and protests in support of LGBT issues, pro choice legislation, criminal justice issues and the Resist Trump Movement have you attended?
I consider myself to be an activist legislator and as such I have attended numerous demonstrations, rallies and protests including NYC Pride March, Women’s March (both in DC and NYC), etc.
Have you ever been arrested? If so please explain why and the outcome of arrest.
No. I have never been arrested.
Will you advocate for legislation to mandate the review of sentences of incarcerated individuals over the age of 55 who have served in excess of 15 years to determine if they warrant release?
Mass incarceration has more far reaching and morally unacceptable impacts than we typically imagine. Beyond the obvious damage done to families and communities when you incarcerate people for such excessive sentences, even a single stint of incarceration can irrevocably damage someone’s ability to participate in the economy. The United States has well over 20 million former felons walking among us but yet we have not done nearly enough to facilitate their reintegration into society. Allowing firms to ask prospective employees about their felony status only works to further ostracize them from a society they are already struggling to assimilate back into.
With this in mind, I would not only support legislation mandating the review of sentences for older inmates who have already served substantial time.
Do you commit to visit constituents who are incarcerated in state prisons such as Bedford Correctional Facility?
Just last winter, I alongside my colleague Congresswoman Nydia Velasquez visited our constituents how were subjected to inhuman condition at the Metropolitan Detention Center when they lost power during the horrific winter, "polar vortex". Though our state state penitentiary system is not under Federal jurisdiction, I would have no problem visiting with my constituents in State prison.
Do you believe sincere remorse, risk of reoffending and actions taken while incarcerated should be considered over the original crime in determinations of parole?
Creating a strict rubric for release presents a one-size-fits-all solution to a problem that undoubtedly calls for nuance. The specifics of every case deserve consideration from the nature of the crime to the level of remorse displayed by the offender. Someone who commits a truly heinous crime may deserve an intentionally punitive sentence regardless of the amount of remorse they display or their likelihood to offend again. However, the opposite is also true where the majority of crimes that hold excessive sentences in no way warrant such penalties. As such, I believe that we need to give judges and parole boards more leeway to assess the nuances of the specific offender’s case when determining if they deserve leniency or if release would be preferable for the public good.
Have you participated in any demonstrations or protests in relation to the issues of clemency and parole?
I have been a leader in seeking justice in the unjust immigration case of Ravi Ragbir accompanying him to multiple check-in's with ICE.
Will you affirmatively seek to hire formerly incarcerated individuals?
Absolutely.
Do you believe in the decriminalization of sex work?
Sex work is work. If we truly believe that women have control and ownership over their own bodies, we must take all legislative actions that necessarily extend from that position. Sex work in and of itself should not be a crime. Instead, we should dedicate the energies that law enforcement currently sinks into enforcement efforts around sex work to the actual crimes that all too often accompany sex work. Rather than policing sex workers, we need to more seriously police sex traffickers, pimps, and the like that undermine the safety and steal the labor of any potential willing sex worker.
What proposals will you advocate for the protect immigrants and the further New York as a Sanctuary City?
As a nation of immigrants, we have a responsibility to make sure that all newcomers can find a place to call home. Living in Brooklyn my entire life, I have substantial lived experience integrating new Americans into the social fabric of our nation. My district in particular has a very large foreign-born population that continue to fight everyday to make America their new forever home.
Representing such a diverse district gives me an intimate understanding of the myriad issues unique to immigrants. Above all else, we must consider the fact that lacking legal status makes every aspect of life infinitely more difficult for an immigrant. As a member of the Homeland Security Committee, I have focused my work during the Trump Administration on addressing the growing crisis at the border. For years to come we will need to work to reunite families and address the lasting psychological scars left by the unconscionable detention we subjected minors to for such prolonged periods. Critically, this work would not be necessary if we addressed the fundamentally broken immigration system we have today.
In no uncertain terms, we must undertake the hard work of overhauling our immigration system into something that both works more smoothly and provides a more satisfying conclusion. In other words, we need to develop an immigration process for the 21st century that leverages technology to help reduce the administrative burden and most importantly provide a pathway to citizenship for all newcomers. Creating a process through which new Americans can claim the full small-d democratic weight of their choice to come to this country will give them real power. With this power, immigrants will have a greater capacity to advocate for their own interests and find themselves less vulnerable to the political whims of those that do not value their lives.
Will you advocate, including introducing legislation, to remove public funding from religious schools?
Religious schools play an integral role in communities across the country educating students in ways in keeping with their family traditions. While this is a noble pursuit and vital for a well rounded society, this does not necessarily provide a justification for federal
funding, especially considering this may result in reduced funds for traditional public schools. Currently religious schools do not receive federal funding for education. However, they are eligible to apply for and receive security grants.
Do you support the establishment of supervised drug consumption spaces?
In no uncertain terms, I will continue to work in every way possible to end mass incarceration and the War on Drugs. These pernicious forces were let loose on the American public with the explicit intention of marginalizing already endangered communities for political and economic gain. Creating a more egalitarian society requires doing away with these initiatives and taking the hard, affirmative steps necessary to undo or ameliorate the damage already done.
With that said, I do not believe that supervised drug consumption spaces would be the ideal solution. Decriminalizing drug use coupled with assistance programs to help users transition away from dependance makes the best use of government funds by improving the overall health of the public. The concern regarding drugs is the punitive response from the state: users need healthcare, not policing. Decriminalization removes the punitive dynamic from the state’s response while public assistance for rehabilitation has the implied multiplier effect of removing a user from the street and introducing a more productive member of society back to the general public.
Have you ever endorsed any member of the IDC or any candidates who challenged IDC members? Please identify all candidates
I have never endorsed a member of the IDC and went all in to elect Zellnor Myrie who happens to be my State Senator.
Will you commit to hiring a member of the LGBT community to serve as a liaison to the community?
Absolutely.
Will you commit to ensuring diverse LGBT representation among your staff?
Absolutely, just like I have done so in the past.
Who did you support for office in the following races A) mayor and Public Advocate in 2014 B) President in 2016 C) Governor and Attorney General 2018
For Mayor, Bill de Blasio and Letitia James, Public Advocate 2014
Hillary Clinton, President 2016
Andrew Cuomo for Governor and Letitia James for Attorney General 2018
Describe any federal legislation and policy changes that you support in order to address the ongoing effects of slavery, racism, colonialism, and discrimination
Addressing the long, painful history of slavery, racism, and Jim Crow requires far more than any single policy. Slavery permeated every aspect of our legal framework from the Electoral College to the location of the capitol. As such, solutions to redress the lasting impacts of these institutions must be similarly pervasive and lasting spanning from financial aid for educational attainment to more straight forward solutions like direct disbursements. Finding the appropriate path forward that accounts for the totality of
the history requires meticulous, likely prolonged study by dedicated researchers. To this end, I am a proud supporter of HR 40 to study the implications, necessity, and eventually an outline for reparations.
What legislation or other policy changes do you support in order to make college and graduate school affordable for poor, working-class, and middle-class Americans and to alleviate the crushing loan debt that many students and alumni are facing?
Both Senator Warren and Senator Sanders have presented creative, robust plans to address the educational and job training needs of the American public. Any plan that sets out to cancel the student loan debt of a generation sold the false promise of unending growth and infinitely inflating wages would garner my support. Any plan that increases the tax burden of the wealthy and corporations in order to finance cost-free state and community colleges would garner my support. Critically, community colleges will provide the foundation for the future of work by connecting the industrial and labor needs of local jurisdictions with local residents looking for work.
Do you support a single-payer universal health care system? Please elaborate.
While I do believe that the caucus must continue to work towards developing a single-payer system that ensures no one goes without insurance, I am also a firm believer in the Obama theory of politics: better is good. Universal coverage is the goal that all democrats hope to achieve, but in a pragmatic sense a public option will likely be the next step.
Critically, I do not believe that a single-payer model and a public option are mutually exclusive. Before we can convince the general public that the government should be the sole healthcare provider, we must first prove that the government can provide exceptional healthcare options. Quite frankly, this will take time as well as trial & error. Taking the time to develop a public option, which in and of itself will suppress healthcare coverage costs as well as prescription drug prices by allowing Medicare to negotiate more if not all drug prices akin to an all-payer system, will provide the best foundation both administratively and politically to make single-payer healthcare a reality.
Discuss your stance on reproductive rights, including access to contraceptives and abortion services.
In order for women to truly have agency in their own lives, they must have full control of their own bodies. To this end, I unequivocally support the protection of reproductive rights for all women including access to contraceptives and abortion services.
Will you refuse money from individuals or Political Action Committees representing the real estate?
Draft Answer: While I do not believe in litmus test pledges against receiving money from certain entities, know that no contributions I receive buy my vote or my voice. Throughout my career as a public servant, I have always made decisions based on what is best for my constituents.
Will you refuse and refund any contributions from executives at corporations complicit in the Trump agenda?
Ultimately, I believe that in order to demand and obtain the changes we seek in policy as a legislator we must not foreclose on the ability to be heard and influential. I would assess each corporation on a case by case basis.
What additional information would you like Jim Owles to consider when we are making our endorsements decisions?
I am a founding member of the LGBT Equality Caucus and have been endorsed by Equality PAC.