(There's a new sheriff in town! Homeowners, renters and the homeless are her deputies. - promoted by Nat Fortune)
Until recently, I had not thought of sheriff offices as places for "Greens."
But last week, at the US Green Party Annual National meeting in Alfred, New York, I saw the energy and excitement around Cheri Honkala's candidacy for Sheriff of Philadelphia. I had seen her name here and there before, including on this website, but I had not really understood who she was or why she was running for sheriff as a Green - or why this was important for Greens in general.
Cheri Honkala has a long track record of advocacy for poor people. She is very concerned about the large numbers of people being thrown into the street due to foreclosures - a hot topic among Green advocates these days. As Sheriff, she can do something about this: "Cheri Honkala vows to serve the interests of the people instead of the interests of the banks by 'Keeping Families in Their Homes' until the economic climate in Philadelphia changes."
This video of the speech she gave at that meeting says a lot:
A few days ago, I saw on the Facebook page for MIRA (the (Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition), a link on their blog titled "Do Local Sheriffs Know Their Own Jails?" The blog post was about two MA Sheriffs - Thomas Hodgson of Bristol and Joseph McDonald of Plymouth - who are trying to join the federal Secure Communities (SComm) program. This is a program that impacts not just immigrants but entire communities who have to deal with the many deportations of innocent people, under the guise of law and order. The MIRA blog says: "It would also be nice if the Herald got its own facts rights. Two sheriffs who are clueless about what's happening in their jails are not "tough-on-crime"; they're simply trying to score political points." I am reminded of the infamous Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Arizona, who has used his office to go after innocent immigrants in his own community. Democracy Now has done a lot of stories about him, including a recent one that highlighted the mistreatment not only of immigrants, but also of those protesting on their behalf. Seems like these guys in Bristol and Plymouth are trying to emulate Arpaio. Scary stuff.
Immigrant rights and fighting racial profiling are two other hot topics for Greens where a Green Sheriff can really make a difference.
I think we need Green Sheriffs!
I wonder if there are some possible Green candidates for sheriff offices in Massachusetts out there, in the Commonwealth. Who would make good Green sheriffs? Some good Green cops? (There must be some green cops out there.) Green lawyers? Green immigrant rights advocates? Green homeless and poor people advocates?
Looking at the list of sheriffs in Massachusetts, I wonder: are there any Greens among them? Definitely NOT Thomas Hodgson and Joseph McDonald! Looking at Andrea Cabral's webpage, it seems she could be a good Green. But looking at her Facebook page, it seems she's aligned with Deval Patrick and Young Democrats, which makes me wonder about her even more. But I also like the quote she chose: "Always be ready to give up what you are for what you might become." - W.E.B. DuBois. Makes me ask - could someone like Cabral give up being a Democrat to become a Green? I also wonder about Cabral's role in implementing Boston's participation in S-Comm. Well, I'd never heard of Cabral before, so I admit these are rather uninformed questions. Had it not been for Cheri Honkala's candidacy in Philadelphia, I would not have even bothered to look or ask.
What would Green sheriffs look like? I see lots of possibilites...
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Quotes
"Now, is this the deal I would have preferred? No. I believe that we could have made the tough choices required - on entitlement reform and tax reform - right now, rather than through a special congressional committee process. But this compromise does make a serious down payment on the deficit reduction we need and gives each party a strong incentive to get a balanced plan done before the end of the year. Most importantly, it will allow us to avoid default and end the crisis that Washington imposed on the rest of America."
--President Barack Obama on the debt ceiling "deal"
"Despite Democratic control over the White House, despite Democratic control over the Senate, despite overwhelming opposition from the American people, a small minority of the members of the Republican-controlled House have successfully pushed an extreme right-wing agenda onto the American political landscape. It is an ideology which believes that despite the fact that the rich are getting richer, the middle class is shrinking, and poverty is increasing, all - all of the burden for deficit reduction should rest on working people."
--Independent Senator Bernie Sanders on the debt ceiling "deal"
"Last year Evergreen, a Massachusetts company, agreed to establish their first-ever United States based manufacturing facility here in Massachusetts. They did so, or are doing so, at Devens. They have now agreed and chosen to triple their size at Devens. Their next phase of expansion, right here in Massachusetts, a signature company in a signature sector, and we congratulate all of the folks at Evergreen and look forward to continuing to work with you...
We made a personal commitment to Evergreen for the sake of Evergreen, but also because we wanted to show that there are ways in which state government, in working together with private industry and with the utility companies, could begin to create a different kind of environment, a different kind of business climate here, to grow that sector, and it is happening. It's happening. Evergreen is one of the most prominent examples, but there are a whole host of examples."
--Governor Deval Patrick, April 7, 2008, boasting about state investment in Evergreen.
and Now...
"Evergreen Solar Inc. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection yesterday, completing a stunning reversal of fortune for a high-flying alternative-energy company that once seemed to herald a new era for the Massachusetts economy... At its peak, Evergreen employed roughly 900 people locally and attracted more than $50 million in state support, as its stock price soared above $100 a share.
Yesterday, Evergreen's stock closed at 18 cents. The company shuttered its manufacturing plant in Devens earlier this year and now has only 85 employees left. Massachusetts is one of its top creditors, owed $1.5 million in rent."
--Erin Ailworth, Boston Globe, August 16, 2011
