Last night the Brockton Area NAACP hosted a forum in a packed reception hall at the Fuller Craft Museum in Brockton. This forum was to hold a discussion with leaders of the community and the candidates for Massachusetts Attorney general. All candidates were invited however, only the democratic candidates: Warren Tolman and Maura Healey, accepted the invitation. The lone republican candidate, John Miller was unable to attend due to a scheduling conflict. The panel to question the candidates, was composed of: SHUP’s own Chantilly Jean-Baptiste, Phoebe Soares of the Brockton NAACP and the Cape Verdean Association, as well as Edward Donga of The Enterprise.
There are many hot button issues that are really hurting the minority community, poor community, and the city of Brockton as a whole. The panel did a good job of bringing up many different important topics to the Attorney General Candidates.
The Opiate Epidemic specifically Heroin abuse was an issue that drew a lot of attention from the audience. When asked about how they would address this issue the both candidates agreed that educating the youth is a big part of helping any future problems. Both candidates mentioned the need for more beds to house people seeking treatment. Tolman was very open with the fact that some of his close family members have fallen victim to opiate abuse. Furthermore, healthcare providers need to do more to aid in the crisis and to figure out a way to hold Big Pharmacy companies accountable to the access to prescription drugs that have raised the demand for heroin as well. Healy spoke about how the access to prescription drugs and the selling of them has driven the prices of Heroin so low making it so available. She continued saying there needs to be better monitoring of prescription pills because this has helped exacerbate the current opiate crisis.
Domestic Violence has been an issue SHUP has been working to address specifically in the city of Brockton. Chantilly made sure to bring it up and asked them about what they would do to take on the issue in the state. Healey said she would work on providing safe housing to those seeking shelter from abusive partners as economics plays into whether a victim will leave or not. She also mentioned that there should be more funding for speeding up and improving specific processes that are involved such as assessing rape kits and carrying out investigations. Tolman spoke about how there needs to be a position for addressing domestic violence at the state level. He also stressed how police must be properly trained to respond to these calls and make sure they conduct proper follow-ups.
The Foreclosure Crisis as well as the economic downturn has hit Brockton very hard and these issues were raised. When asked about the issue of high unemployment rates among minorities both candidates mentioned the fact that more needs to be done to diversify the workplace and give more opportunities to people of color. Both candidates touted Massachusetts’ Home core program that helped and continues to help families affected by predatory lending. When speaking on the economic crisis Tolman mentioned getting more protection for consumers who are victims of financial crimes, whether that be a shady car loan or discriminatory housing practices. Tolman went on to say there needs to be more loan modifications to help reach payments, provide advocates for families facing predatory lenders and make people more aware of the Home Core program. Healey, when addressing the foreclosure crisis, said that there needs to be more affordable housing options for residents state-wide to help. While in office she successfully sued Fannie and Freddie which was a large part of the housing collapse and she would go after banks and land owners sitting on vacant properties that are going to waste and driving down the value of communities.
Similarly, Institutional Racism is endured by communities of color, both were asked whether or not they believed that was the case and what they can do about it. Healey responded by saying she would work to train police officers to not use discrimination as a means of conducting routine traffic stops and things of that nature. She also mentioned that she helped fight and win the battle when opposition to school integration was raised. Tolman talked about fixing the bail system where people shouldn’t be sitting in jail if they can’t make bail for a petty crime because they can’t pay a low bail. He also mentioned figuring out ways to address the fact that 1 in 8 men of color in the state are more likely to be in jail, on probation or parole.
Both candidates did their best to address the issues and conducted the discussion in a respectful manner. Both candidates seem to be prepared to take on the task: Warren Tolman is a former State Senator and Maura Healey is a former deputy state attorney general under incumbent Martha Coakley. You can read more on Warren Tolman here and more on Maura Healey here. Elections come up this November. South Shore Haitians United for Progress would like to thank the Brockton Area NAACP for including us as panelists in the forum.
There are many hot button issues that are really hurting the minority community, poor community, and the city of Brockton as a whole. The panel did a good job of bringing up many different important topics to the Attorney General Candidates.
The Opiate Epidemic specifically Heroin abuse was an issue that drew a lot of attention from the audience. When asked about how they would address this issue the both candidates agreed that educating the youth is a big part of helping any future problems. Both candidates mentioned the need for more beds to house people seeking treatment. Tolman was very open with the fact that some of his close family members have fallen victim to opiate abuse. Furthermore, healthcare providers need to do more to aid in the crisis and to figure out a way to hold Big Pharmacy companies accountable to the access to prescription drugs that have raised the demand for heroin as well. Healy spoke about how the access to prescription drugs and the selling of them has driven the prices of Heroin so low making it so available. She continued saying there needs to be better monitoring of prescription pills because this has helped exacerbate the current opiate crisis.
Domestic Violence has been an issue SHUP has been working to address specifically in the city of Brockton. Chantilly made sure to bring it up and asked them about what they would do to take on the issue in the state. Healey said she would work on providing safe housing to those seeking shelter from abusive partners as economics plays into whether a victim will leave or not. She also mentioned that there should be more funding for speeding up and improving specific processes that are involved such as assessing rape kits and carrying out investigations. Tolman spoke about how there needs to be a position for addressing domestic violence at the state level. He also stressed how police must be properly trained to respond to these calls and make sure they conduct proper follow-ups.
The Foreclosure Crisis as well as the economic downturn has hit Brockton very hard and these issues were raised. When asked about the issue of high unemployment rates among minorities both candidates mentioned the fact that more needs to be done to diversify the workplace and give more opportunities to people of color. Both candidates touted Massachusetts’ Home core program that helped and continues to help families affected by predatory lending. When speaking on the economic crisis Tolman mentioned getting more protection for consumers who are victims of financial crimes, whether that be a shady car loan or discriminatory housing practices. Tolman went on to say there needs to be more loan modifications to help reach payments, provide advocates for families facing predatory lenders and make people more aware of the Home Core program. Healey, when addressing the foreclosure crisis, said that there needs to be more affordable housing options for residents state-wide to help. While in office she successfully sued Fannie and Freddie which was a large part of the housing collapse and she would go after banks and land owners sitting on vacant properties that are going to waste and driving down the value of communities.
Similarly, Institutional Racism is endured by communities of color, both were asked whether or not they believed that was the case and what they can do about it. Healey responded by saying she would work to train police officers to not use discrimination as a means of conducting routine traffic stops and things of that nature. She also mentioned that she helped fight and win the battle when opposition to school integration was raised. Tolman talked about fixing the bail system where people shouldn’t be sitting in jail if they can’t make bail for a petty crime because they can’t pay a low bail. He also mentioned figuring out ways to address the fact that 1 in 8 men of color in the state are more likely to be in jail, on probation or parole.
Both candidates did their best to address the issues and conducted the discussion in a respectful manner. Both candidates seem to be prepared to take on the task: Warren Tolman is a former State Senator and Maura Healey is a former deputy state attorney general under incumbent Martha Coakley. You can read more on Warren Tolman here and more on Maura Healey here. Elections come up this November. South Shore Haitians United for Progress would like to thank the Brockton Area NAACP for including us as panelists in the forum.
Stephen Bernard, NAACP President of the Brockton Chapter.
Written by: Elijah Romulus, Marketing Director. Follow him on twitter @DaHaitianProfet
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