Green Party of Connecticut
October 30, 2020 - For Immediate Release
CONTACT:
Peter Goselin, Co-Chair, Green Party of Connecticut, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
On Wednesday, October 28, the State Central Committee of the Green Party of Connecticut voted to publicly withdraw its support from 1st Congressional District candidate Tom McCormick’s campaign.
The action was taken in response to a social media post, which the Green Party of Connecticut Executive Committee learned of on October 21, in which McCormick stated, in response to an incident in Manchester in which tires had been stolen from a car, that “The thieve [sic] needs a necktie.”
Members of two Hartford-area Black-led racial justice organizations, Power Up-Manchester and Black Lives Matter 860, were justifiably angered and outraged over a statement that appeared to endorse violent vigilante justice and lynching. We agree with them. The Green Party opposes capital punishment, forced labor, and the elevation of property over lives. We support community-based restorative justice and the right of Black and Brown communities to defend themselves against vigilante violence.
McCormick’s is not the only example we have seen in Connecticut this year of candidates and politicians making racially offensive and inflammatory remarks. We in the Green Party hold ourselves, our organization, and candidates appearing on our ballot line to the same standards that we would apply to others. Although McCormick has refused to offer a meaningful apology or recognize the harmful implications of his remarks, the Green Party of Connecticut acknowledges its responsibility to speak out against racism even when – or especially when – it may be inconvenient or uncomfortable to do so.
The Green Party of Connecticut thanks the anti-racist activists who challenged us to respond to inappropriate conduct within the ranks of our organization, and who encouraged and supported us when we undertook to repair the damage. This is the truth of what some people wrongly call “cancel culture.” It does not just condemn us for making mistakes, it invites us to take responsibility for our mistakes and learn to do better. We are committed to doing better.