Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop, a Democratic candidate for governor, held his third U.S. Senate Town Hall with civil rights advocate Larry Hamm at the Zeppelin Hall Biergarten last night.
By Daniel Ulloa/Hudson County View
Fulop, who served as the moderator and was joined on stage by Ward F Councilman Frank “Educational” Gilmore, said he wanted voters to hear from all Democrats in the race, which also includes Dr. Patricia Campos-Medina and U.S. Rep. Andy Kim (D-3).
The trio also all came to Jersey City on Friday for a Senate forum hosted by the Phi Beta Sigma fraternity.
“We do a lot of protesting,” Hamm joked during introductory remarks, noting he leads the People’s Organization for Progress, a grassroots organization fighting for racial and social justice founded 42 years ago in August.
Fulop asked him to explain the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, which Hamm said he would support to advance the cause.
“I think the federal government … would have to pass some legislation for the ability of state and local governments to set up police oversight boards,” Hamm said, to which Fulop asked him to elaborate on the benefits.
Hamm noted there are problems getting convictions of police officers accused of police brutality. Therefore, he wants end qualified immunity, chokeholds, and no-knock laws.
“They entered the wrong apartment and killed people. All police need civilian oversight boards,” the Senate hopeful continued.
Hamm noted police and military members, both active and retired, were heavily involved in the January 6th insurrection at the Capital. Fascism, he said, is often supported by the military and police.
“Fascism is a real danger in the United States … They wanted Donald Trump to be a dictator. They wanted to overturn the election. The police are not only a paramilitary organization. They’re also a political organization. They support candidates and oppose candidates,” he declared.
Fulop switched gears by asking him to give his personal background.
Hamm said that he was in high school in Newark during teachers’ strikes in 1970 and 1971 that went on for so long that seniors were told if they missed 35 days of school they wouldn’t graduate, to their dismay.
“I happened to be the leader of the student government,” he noted.
At that time, Hamm organized a civil disobedience walkout of students who then marched to the downtown Doubletree Hotel, where they negotiated and sat in. This impressed then-Mayor Kenneth Gibson, who appointed him to the board of education at 17.
Additionally, Hamm said he was a student leader of anti-apartheid activists who got Princeton to divest from the three companies doing business with South Africa.
He said students are now protesting Princeton doing business with companies doing business with Israel.
“We need an immediate and permanent ceasefire,” Hamm declared.
“What does a ceasefire look like to you?” Fulop followed up.
“Stop shooting. All the hostages should be released. Hamas should release its hostages, and Israel should really all the hostages it has illegally,” Hamm argued.
“What is legal and illegal? [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu is pursuing this war because they want to destroy Gaza.”
Fulop also asked him about the war in Ukraine, to which Hamm said he would urge negotiations in what he called a stalemate war.
“You gotta get ppl talking: Tens of thousands of people are losing their lives in Ukraine,” Hamm asserted, also stating he is against foreign aid, a position he has been consistent with since Vietnam and Iraq.
He also said that money could be better spent towards causes such as ending homelessness.
“What is Larry Hamm focused on the priorities and challenges facing us today?” Fulop asked.
Hamm noted the federal minimum wage hasn’t risen in 13 years while CEO pay has gone up 1,000 percent. He said a living wage should be about $35 an hour.
“We needed universal basic income support,” Hamm argued.
He also supports a childcare tax credit along with universal healthcare and Medicare for All.
“President Truman was going to move to that but was blocked by the Dixiecrats (Southern Democrats). That would be an incredible accomplishment of our generation,” Hamm noted.
“We need free college. We can afford it. And if we can bail out the banks, we can bail out student debt,” he added.
Gilmore than asked what makes him different from his opponents, as well as U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ), who has floated the idea of running independently with a trial on federal corruption charges set to begin in about two weeks.
“I’ve been struggling for social justice for 53 years,” Hamm replied.
“How would you deal with the border specifically?” Fulop asked.
“I would outlaw separation of families,” Hamm answered.
He further stated he would prioritize stopping Texas from putting razor wire and poison in a river to prevent undocumented immigrants from crossing. He also wanted to protect those aiding undocumented families.
“Somebody comes undocumented illegally into the country. Do we welcome them? Is there an immigration process?” Fulop asked.
“We should observe and recognize the human rights of people seeking asylum and seeking a new home,” Hamm said.
“I would bolster immigration infrastructure. We have a … backlog of cases. The infrastructure and institutions we have in place do not have enough staff and do not have enough resources.”
He continued that he supports the naturalization of undocumented immigrants.
“We should make a path to citizenship. Immigrant labor kept us from going into recession,” Hamm added.
He also argued in favor of strengthening labor unions.
“We have practically slave labor in our prisons. We have to do away with that,” Hamm argued.
“I support a woman’s right to a safe and legal abortion. I support the codification of Roe (v. Wade) into law. I support reparations,” he explained.
“We amended for marched for Andrew Jerome Washington. His aunt is here. I would introduce a 21st century Civil Rights Law. An act has to be renewed.”
“You made your case why you’re a different candidate for sure,” Fulop said as the session came to a close.
