City Council District 25 Candidate Alfonso Quiroz (Alfonso 2021)
June 10, 2021 By Allie Griffin
Activist Valerie Bell, whose son was killed by police 15 years ago, has endorsed candidate Alfonso Quiroz for the District 25 City Council seat.
Bell, the mother of Sean Bell, said Quiroz will help reform law enforcement and keep communities safe in New York City if elected to the Council. She said she was proud to endorse him.
“I am confident Alfonso Quiroz is the right voice for the residents of Jackson Heights and Elmhurst,” she said. “Alfonso understands that we must reform law enforcement, stand up for justice and keep our communities safe.”
Sean Bell was 23-years-old when he was killed on the morning of his wedding day, Nov. 25, 2006, after leaving his bachelor party at a nightclub in Jamaica. Plainclothes officers fired more than 50 shots into his car after thinking his friend had a gun.
Sean Bell died in the shooting and three of the five officers involved in the shooting faced criminal charges, but were ultimately acquitted.
Valerie Bell founded Mothers of Never Again (MONA) following her son’s death and has been an activist for police reform for seven years.
“Valerie Bell shows her character every day by turning her grief over the loss of her son into action on behalf of other New Yorkers,” Quiroz said. “She has dedicated herself to ending police violence, which too often takes the life of young people of color here in New York City and across the nation.”
Quiroz’s platform on policing and criminal justice includes advocating for community-based policing, decriminalizing low-level offenses, ending the incarceration of people for low-level drug offenses and increasing funding for youth programs. He also opposes U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) having a presence in local neighborhoods.
“We need to let the many good police officers in our city do their jobs and hold accountable those who abuse our trust,” Quiroz said.
The candidate has also been endorsed by former State Senator and City Council Member Thomas Duane; former State Senator and New York City Council Member representing District 25 John Sabini; New York State Assemblyman Danny O’Donnell; the LGBTQ Victory Fund; Stonewall Democratic Club of New York City and former New York State Governor David Paterson among others.
He is one of eight candidates running to replace Council Member Daniel Dromm, who is term-limited. The other candidates vying for the seat are Shekar Krishnan, Carolyn Tran, Manuel F. Perez, William H. Salgado, Fatima Baryab, Yi Andy Chen and Liliana C. Melo.
Both Krishnan and Tran have snagged a number of high-profile endorsements as well. Krishnan recently Dromm’s support this week.
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