Bertha Lewis backing "two-time disgraced" Hiram Monserrate because “we believe in criminal-justice reform”
Something kinda strange happened this week. As the New York Post reported 6/21/17, Activist endorses Monserrate’s return to politics : He was expelled from the state Senate for slashing his girlfriend and did time for mail fraud, but Hiram Monserrate was endorsed Wednesday for his City Council run by activist Bertha Lewis. The support of the Black Leadership Action Coalition, a political fund-raising arm of Lewis’ left-leaning Black Institute, is a major boost for the former lawmaker in the race to succeed Councilwoman Julissa Ferreras-Copeland in Queens. ...Lewis told The Post her group endorsed Monserrate because “we believe in criminal-justice reform” and most of the neighborhood residents polled believe he’s the best candidate for the 21st Council District, which includes Jackson Heights, Flushing, Elmhurst, Corona and College Point. Um, "believ[ing] in criminal-justice reform"--which could mean revising bail and sentencing standards--does not automatically translate i...