Author: Crystal Walthall

Top NYC Mayoral Candidates Skip Faith-Based Forum In Harlem

Originally Published on Observer  The three top candidates to lead the city—Democratic Mayor Bill de Blasio, GOP real estate executive Paul Massey and Republican Staten Island Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis—decided not to appear at a forum last night organized by faith groups and centered on the needs of minorities. Massey, Malliotakis and de Blasio were invited to participate in the “Faith over Fear” discussion and debate at the First Corinthian Baptist Church in Harlem, an event put together by a coalition of 25 faith-based organizations and leaders from more than 100 congregations throughout the city seeking. Onleilove Alston, executive director...

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Brother of innocent Rikers inmate who killed himself is running for mayor

Originally Published on New York Post  The brother of a young man who killed himself after being locked in Rikers Island for years for a crime he didn’t commit is running for Mayor on the Green Party ticket. Activist Akeem Browder — whose younger brother Kalief committed suicide at age 22 in 2015 – crashed a mayoral candidates forum in Harlem Thursday night to announce his candidacy and convinced organizers to let him participate. Browder was quietly tapped as the Green Party’s mayoral candidate last week. Browder, who previously called de Blasio’s shutdown plan for Rikers Island a “publicity...

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Massey cancels participation in Thursday mayoral forum

Originally Published on Politico Organizers for the “Faith Over Fear” non-partisan mayoral forum said they are “deeply disappointed” Republican mayoral candidate Paul Massey has canceled his participation in their Thursday night event. Massey’s campaign spokeswoman Mollie Fullington said the candidate pulled out because, “the entire event changed at the last minute: the moderator, the tone, the format. The plan was for Paul to engage in an open-ended, open-minded discussion about the important issues of faith and the community and it is now clear it is an agenda-driven event.” Onleilove Alston, the executive director of Faith in New York, which...

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Faith leaders furious after big names skip mayoral candidate forum

Originally Published on New York Post Faith leaders who organized a large nonpartisan forum for the city’s mayoral candidates were left fuming Thursday night when the biggest names pulled out at eleventh-hour– including Mayor de Blasio who cited a scheduling conflict and Republican real estate mogul Paul Massey who complained the questions were too tough. Also not showing up at the Harlem forum hosted by Faith in New York, a coalition of religious groups, was state Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis (R-Staten Island), who had planned to come but said she got delayed in Albany having to cast legislative votes. The...

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