Former NYS Gov. Andrew Cuomo has come under fierce criticism from prominent Black civic leaders for his opinions on Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s decision to drop charges against many Columbia University protestors in the wake of this spring’s slew of on-campus anti-Israel demonstrations.
In an op-ed published on Monday in the Jewish news outlet The Forward, Cuomo took aim at Bragg for dismissing 31 of the 46 cases against protesters who occupied Hamilton Hall, an academic building on Columbia University’s campus, in April.
“Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has done a disservice to the residents of New York City, who deserve a justice system that is willing to pursue cases even when they are difficult — and, dare I say it, may not align with the ideology of the prosecutor,” Cuomo wrote.
But now, Black leaders from New York are coming to the DA’s defense. Hazel Dukes, president of New York’s NAACP, co-wrote a stern letter to the former governor saying she was “disappointed” he “singled out” Bragg in his opinion piece on antisemitism.
“He’s [Bragg] been vilified unfairly in the national media; deluged with vile racist attacks, and bomb and death threats for simply doing his job; and routinely attacked by anyone and everyone seemingly looking for a quick, cheap headline to advance themselves,” the letter states. “We fear that your recent op-ed is a craven replication of the worst, basest instincts of other self-serving politicians because of so much you got wrong and so much you left out.”
Former Congress Member Charlie Rangel, former NYS Comptroller Carl McCall, and the CEO of the Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce Lloyd Williams co-signed the letter.
Rich Azzopardi, a spokesperson for Cuomo, told amNew York Metro in a statement that the letter’s authors are “longtime friends,” and that he and the former governor respect their opinions, but “friends can disagree.”
At a time of rising antisemitism, Azzopardi said that Jewish people “are literally under attack and have always stood shoulder to shoulder with other groups when they were attacked, and they deserve protection,” adding that laws need to be enforced.
“We disagree with any prosecutor — regardless of gender, party or race — who excuses any hate crime against anyone without prosecution,” he said. “From taking on the KKK as HUD secretary to passing the strongest hate crimes in the country, the governor has spent his entire adult life fighting racism, antisemitism, and any other form of hate and believes that all of our elected leaders should do the same.”
Bragg gets “a groundswell” of support
A spokesperson from the district attorney’s office said it is not surprising that Bragg is receiving support in response to the former governor’s controversial review.
“It’s no surprise DA Bragg enjoys a groundswell of support based on his strong track record of reducing crime, fighting hate and standing up to antisemitism,” the spokesperson said.
According to the DA’s office, Bragg is continuing to pursue protest cases from both City College and Columbia University, including all assaults against police officers.
Cuomo, who was attorney general in 2007 under disgraced former NYS Gov. Elliott Spitzer, has historically been close to Dukes and others who signed the letter.
Rangel even defended Cuomo when he was accused of sexual harassment in 2021, which ultimately led to his resignation as governor.
Cuomo went on to opine in the Monday op-ed that Bragg made excuses not to prosecute the often violent and disruptive protestors who remained defiant in the face of a community that largely wanted them to back down.
“Bragg specifically cited the protesters’ masks in announcing the mass dismissal of charges; he said they made participants difficult to identify, and thus to prosecute. To me, that reads as an excuse,” Cuomo wrote.
Despite Cuomo’s stern words, the letter’s authors wrote that Bragg is “doing a good job” as Manhattan’s district attorney.
“Crime is down in Manhattan and the borough is driving the overall citywide decline New York has been recently experiencing,” the letter stated.
