“That’s when he [former Gov. Andrew Cuomo] pulled himself close — would bring me close to him, I for sure didn’t want any — I didn’t want to touch — I didn’t want any part of my body near his pelvic area. I didn’t want to know. I didn’t want anything to do with whatever he was trying to do at that moment.” Deposition detailing the sexual harassment allegations against the former disgraced Governor.
***
On Sunday, a broad coalition of New York City women gathered to send a clear message: hell no to Cuomo. At the rally, women read sections of the deposition detailing the sexual harassment allegations against the former disgraced Governor to remind people of his record.
Just four years ago almost every single elected leader, labor leader, editorial board, agreed that Cuomo was unfit to lead because of his abuses of power, including, but not only, his serial sexual harassment. Today’s event took place outside Cuomo’s in-person launch and is the first of many actions the group of women plan to take as they work to remind New Yorkers of all the ways Andrew Cuomo abused his power by harassing and bullying women.
“Andrew Cuomo has spent the past four years tormenting the women he harassed in our court system, all on taxpayers’ dime. $25 million taxpayer dollars later, he now wants to assume power he clearly does not deserve. Once a corrupt power abuser, always a corrupt power abuser. New York City needs and deserves better,” said Erika Vladimir, Co-Founder of Sexual Harassment Working Group.
“We have not forgotten the ways that Andrew Cuomo abused his power by harassing and bullying women. We have not forgotten Cuomo’s scandals and the culture of bullying, corruption and impunity that he created in Albany. We refuse to go back to an era where sexual harassment was the norm, where impunity for abuses of power was the norm, when corrupt dealings was the norm — as women of New York, we say HELL NO,” said Jasmine Gripper and Ana María Archila, New York Working Families Party Co-Director.
“I refuse to forget Cuomo’s abuse of women and his abuse of power. Women must be the moral compass of NYC and remind all New Yorkers of the harm he has caused. We will not back down. We will do all in our power to make sure he does not return to power,” said Paola Mendoza, filmmaker and author.
“New York has a long history of powerful men who believe they can do whatever they want, who abuse their positions and expect to be rewarded for it. Cuomo is no different. 13 women came forward, detailed the harassment they endured, and he was forced to step down… we should not be debating whether he deserves another shot at power,” said Asiah Quattlebaum, lifelong New Yorker and Co-Op City resident.
“As a mother, grandmother and long time education advocate I find it offensive that we have to stand here today, there is no debate about whether or not Andrew Cuomo should be mayor. The answer is no! In his first year as governor his first action was to cut taxes for the ultra rich on the backs of Black, brown and poor children in our public schools to a tune of a billion. And every year after that parents students educators had to fight against his brutal proposed cuts. Andrew Cuomo was a bully back then, so when people show you who they are, believe them. New York deserves better,” said Zakiyah Shaakir-Ansari, Co-Executive Alliance for Quality Education Director AQE.
“This is a man who we forced to resign in disgrace. A man who built his career on fear, intimidation, and abuse. And now, he wants us to believe he is the victim? That the real problem was not his own actions, but that we dared to hold him accountable? I am so tired of mediocre men who have harmed all of us, failing up. We have all had to work twice as hard, be twice as good, survive twice as much, only to watch men like Cuomo walk back into power like nothing ever happened,“ said Rana Abdelhamid, Queens Organizer.
