(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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* She has a habit of saying “you know”
* She said a cuss word in her speech
* She brags that she was “arrested” 200 times. Apparently, she thinks it’s cool to be arrested by the police.
Oh but here is the best part! When it comes to illegal’s … if she were sheriff
http://blogs.philadelphiaweekl…
In a way it’s funny. The potty mouthed Cheri Honkala thinks she would make a great sheriff cause ya know … she was “arrested” 200 times. But it’s cool! It’s cool guys! Cheri Honkala learned a lot from her 200 arrests . . . she learned that you don’t snitch! LOL!
Let’s get serious for a second. Does she have any law enforcement experience? Does she have any experience in corrections? I went looking online and couldn’t find anything?
Take my advice guys and gals, pass on this chick! She is no Jill Stein. She is more like a liquored up Grace Ross talking about Israel.
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A sherrif’s responsibilities go beyond politicking. I ask again–if Ms Honkala is genuinely interested in winnking in this position, why doesn’t take the route that would give her the experience needed to perform it adequately?
Simple. She sin’t interested inwinning–she’s running a symbolic race designed to raise consciosuness around teh sherriffs’ sales. Not a bad gesture, but let’s not kid ourselves about her qualifications. Even at my ardent Green-ness I wouldn’t vote for her if I lived in Philly.
As for my not knowing what’s going on, please supply some numbers to bolster your claims–I’ve read anecdotal stuiff for years about how this or that Green was going to achieve numbers they never approached. How many people turned out at her most recent rally–the one where she was going to display her credentials and command of the intricacies of the sherriff’s department by, uh riding a horse down Allegheny St–except that even the horse didn’t show up?
I’m an admirer of Ms Honkala. Have been for years. But she’s just another example of the classic mistrake Greens keep making in running for offices for which they are wholly unsuited and unqualified.