Former state Senator Loretta Weinberg and Hudson County Chronicles publisher Bruce Alston are trading shots over the former’s controversial take on Katie Brennan and Al Alvarez.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
“This type of victim-blaming is disgusting and has no place in our politics. This represents everything wrong with how we treat survivors of sexual assault,” Weinberg said in a statement.
“Katie used her experience to fight for systemic change. She championed a dozen laws that strengthened protections for survivors across our state. The women of New Jersey have more rights today because Katie Brennan worked tirelessly to make sure that what happened to her would never happen to anyone else again.”
Alston posted on Facebook, his go to place for his writings, yesterday questioning why Al Alvarez, who Brennan accused of raping her after a Phil Murphy for governor event in 2017, had “his professional life decimated” despite never being convicted of a crime.
He also claimed that the incident, which was eventually settled for $1 million in May 2020, has been used by Brennan as a “political opportunity,” highlighting that she is now running for state Assembly in the June 10th primary in the 32nd Legislative District.
Weinberg responded that the legislative oversight committee who investigated the situation determined that “the people who were entrusted with properly handling Ms. Brennan’s complaint failed her at every step of the way.”
She further stated that “Brennan’s experience paved the way for a dozen state laws to protect survivors of sexual assault and make county prosecutors more accountable to survivors,” continuing that Brennan inspired the The Speak Out Act.
The landmark federal legislation bans the use of predispute non-disclosure agreements to silence survivors of and witnesses to sexual misconduct.
“The federal Speak Out Act was directly inspired by Katie’s experience. When I sat with senators and Members of Congress on both sides of the aisle and told them about how Katie and those who supported her were silenced after she came forward, they immediately agreed to support this groundbreaking legislation,” added Julie Roginsky.
“Millions of women across the country who will never know Katie’s name can now speak freely about sexual assault and harassment in the workplace because Katie Brennan had the courage to speak up.”
Roginsky is the founder of BARO Strategies, where Brennan is a partner, and has donated to her Assembly campaign.
Additionally, Waterfront Project Executive Director Carol Sainthilaire pointed out that Brennan did not take home one cent from her settlement, allocating $600,000 to her organization, which offers legal services to fund services for sexual assault survivors.
“This speaks volumes about Katie’s character. At the federal level, the state level, and right here in Jersey City, Katie did everything she could so other survivors won’t experience what she did,” she stated.
“To be silent is to be complicit. This is bigger than politics. It’s about human decency … This attack is not just on Katie but on every survivor who has the courage to change the world for the better in the wake of a horrible experience,” Weinberg concluded.
In a lengthy response, Alston remained unapologetic and insisted that all he did was question a narrative, asserting that Politico did something similar in 2019.
“This situation with Al Alvarez has exposed a troubling double standard. While I recognize the positive reforms Katie Brennan has inspired, including federal legislation and survivor resources, we cannot allow activism to become armor against scrutiny. Justice must apply to all, not just those with public relations campaigns and political allies,” he wrote.
“If Katie Brennan can be celebrated for telling her truth, then Al Alvarez should be allowed to speak his—and I, as a Black man in this community, have every right to ask questions when justice appears lopsided.”
