In the wake of a video surfacing of Jersey City Mayor’s Office research assistant Brooke Hansson on an expletive-filled rant, a few questions need to be answered by Mayor Fulop.
By Michael Shurin/Hudson County View
Before I begin this editorial, a few parameters must be set.
First, we all have our bad moments, and we should not be judged as a society solely on our worst moments. I’m not perfect, never pretended to be either, and this piece isn’t about who Brooke Hansson is as a person.
Unfortunately for Hansson, she’s in a position of influence regarding serious public policy matters.
Let’s not forget it was Mayor Fulop who once told the River View Observer, “My expectation is that all city employees will be role models both on and off duty.”
Second, we do not know whether Hansson was under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol. It’s hard to tell the difference between what is an emotional rant vs. drug-induced without any scientific facts.
I’m assuming Hansson was sober.
As well, there is no need to fire Hansson for a first offense. An apology letter isn’t necessary, but would be the wise move.
On to the questions for Mayor Fulop:
1. What does she know about f***ing police brutality?
It would be interesting to know what exactly Brooke Hansson knows about police brutality in Jersey City. All I can hope is that she’s informed the mayor, public safety director, and police chief, and a plan to stop police brutality is put in place.
Maybe she knows what happened to Lavon King, a 20-year-old unarmed black male killed by a Jersey City Police Officer on June 24th, 2014. Many at King’s funeral, including Rev. Herbert Daughtry, questioned the official story.
2. Does this mean Jersey City’s “Stop the Drop” anti-litter campaign was a failure?
It’s now public knowledge not only that Hansson lives in the vicinity of where the rant took place, but that she is the coordinator of the city’s anti-litter campaign. I’m pretty sure accosting people at 3 a.m., especially in your own neighborhood, for litter is not a sign of success.
One may wonder if her program was another waste of taxpayer dollars.
3. What happened to Hansson’s vision for 127-133 Martin Luther King Dr.?
“We envision this place where kids can film, record, create art, and create youth-led newspaper.”
That was Hansson’s amazing vision a few years ago for the blighted property on MLK Dr.
Fast-forward to the present and the administration she works for is supporting the building becoming a funeral home.
The real question now is “can we have a funeral for her vision for Jersey City?”
Great Questions MR. SHURIN.
Please stop trying to make a big deal out of this. I prefer a city employee that is "passionate" about her work over someone who just does the bare minimum for a paycheck
Say Squad … lol
[…] UPDATE – Read Hudson County View’s follow-up editorial: 3 questions for Mayor Fulop post-Brooke Hansson’s rant […]
From a rant mentioning “police brutality” to “Maybe she knows what happened to Lavon King, a 20-year-old unarmed black male killed by a Jersey City Police Officer” is simply mind boggling.
Stop the Drop is a failure because one street has litter on it?
Since when does a vanity video for a graduate program become the blueprint for urban renewal?
This is nonsense.
Just checking in to this site and this thread.
“Buster,” I cannot fully take you seriously with that handle.
REAL TALK – WHAT HAPPENED TO LAVON KING?????? HHHMMMMM MAYOR FULOP BEEN REALYY QUIET BOUT THAT BOY………… THANK U HUDSON COUNTY VIW FOR REMEMBREING LAVON KING
hang on … no one is points the finger at those slobs and for more enforcement of litterers.
no doubt the council employee was upset, but its justified when you walk around that area (I would have used my influence to get officers to issue citations) … unfortunately we have a culture of anti-social behavior and low community pride in some neighborhoods
This article is suggesting she ‘wasn’t’ drunk, but drugged … that’s defamation. It also suggests that Fulop isn’t going to act on it – For all we know, he might have spoken to her and offered her some counselling for her frustration.
This ‘journalist’ is nothing more then a political provocateur.
I applaud her!!! She said what a lot of the residents are afraid to!!!!
Anyone who wants to criticize this woman for being pissed off in the middle of the night needs to go to that street and sleep with the lowlifes and trash. Sorry, I repeat myself. It’s an absolute disgrace people are allowed to turn the streets into a third wold slum.
Brooke is pissed, whatever the reason at 3:00 am. I hope she had a few in her because frankly they could have whipped her ass in a second. The shock is they didn’t rob, rape and roll her into a ditch for fun. Get a damn clue, this woman isn’t the problem for us in JC.
Ms Hansson has worked, and continues to work tirelessly, for that area and demographic. This looks like some very selective editing and who can blame her for being frustrated if crime being ignored and the area, despite various efforts, refuses to help itself?
JC needs more people say work in govt who care- not the usual bunch of career politicians solely out to feather their owns nests.
Bravo Hansson.
Brooke Hannson, was high when you are the only white person on Bostwick at that time of the night; you are either a police officer or you want to get high.. say Squad. ..
Read the article, she lives there.
Gilbert – I am pretty sure she actually lives in that neighborhood. But hey – why let facts get in the way.
A young woman with a junior level job for the city got into an argument on the street. Big deal. I bet half the people (or more) commenting here have done that. This is only a story because you have video tape to point to. If you heard this story from someone without tape you would dismiss it out of hand. Where was your “‘splainin to do” editorial when our last mayor was showing up drunk and nude in public, or getting arrested for assault?
And all of the “I am not saying she was high, but….” type stuff is the worst sort of crappy fox-lite journalism. This isn’t an editorial about anything. This is just a writer looking for an excuse to express his anger about so ething completely unrelated, and using one young woman’s embarrassing moment as an excuse to do it.
Apology from Fulop? We should be apologizing to Miss Hansson for taking her youthful indiscretion and splashing it Ll over local media like it means anything, when it does not.
David –
I was in high school when Mayor Healy was caught drunk and nude on his porch, and working 9-5 while going to college at night when his criminal issues came up. I’m sorry Hudson County View didn’t exist during those times, we would have covered it.
“This is just a writer looking for an excuse to express his anger about so ething completely unrelated, and using one young woman’s embarrassing moment as an excuse to do it.” – When you’re right, you’re right, but a lot of people were just made aware of other, more important issues because of Hansson’s rant, and my arguably shameless editorial is the reason.
We need to get our priorities in order in Hudson County. A “Stop the Rage” program needs to be implemented before any programs that expect cooperation from the hanging of signs taking an pledge to stop litter. I had a guy go off in a major screaming rant over parking yesterday. The only way it stopped was that a passer-by caught him in his melt down and insisted he stop.
Her behavior needs to follow her own description from her profile “in the real world, you have to learn to work together with your peers to make a project a success.” Youthful indiscretion of going off on a late night tirade with a group of black men on the sidewalk is not a fall back position for a professional, especially one that claims to focus on racial economic disparities.
The issue of litter is frustrating. The more tenants in X area, the more litter there is. Why? Because tenants have no ownership or loyalty to their respective areas. Yet, property owners in general will do more to keep the area cleaner to keep their property values up.
This is not necessarily true, and I take offense to this unfounded remark. In fact I reside in an area surrounded by home owners, and some of them allow their children to liter up my streets. The streets that I appreciate and pay rent on. I am a tenant, and I don’t have to own a home to appreciate my surroundings. Moreover, I am concerned about the conditions that surround me as well my fellow tenants? Is the city concerned that there is a huge abandoned warehouse across from my domicile? which kids and adults frequent to use drugs. Maybe the city cares about our dead end street that people from other places including people from New York City, come to do drugs and have sex with prostitutes. I’m not a home owner. However, I care that there are four empty lots of undeveloped property, which makes this area I live in, look like a nuclear holocaust toren war zone. Home owning has nothing to do with the conditions of some of our neighborhoods.
On the issue of police brutality, Jersey City and the rest their fair share. I can attest to being batted when I was 20, 41 years ago by the JCPD. Some of Our Police don't know their limits of their Authority and become abusive and trespass on their Employers, We, the People. When all Civil Servants followed the "uS Constitution" and "Bill of Rights" and not their Established Codes, Statutes, and Ordinances that are for them and businesses, there would less people in jail…