EXCLUSIVE: Reporter Finds City Council Candidate Jenny Low ‘Resorted to Assumptions, Innuendos, and Aimless Attacks’
被指對劉林劍虹歧視抹黑虚假攻擊 馬泰反擊對手在極度絶望中無的放矢
by Lotus Chau
CHINATOWN, MANHATTAN — With only two weeks remaining before the Democratic primary on June 22, the candidates showed great ingenuity in making their final sprint. Jenny Low and Christopher Marte, the leading candidates of City Council District 1, which includes Chinatown, engaged in mutual recrimination this week with statements that appeared to be talking past each other. A joint statement from Jenny Low’s three political allies was dispatched to the press by a public relations firm, dishing out plaudits for Low while lambasting Marte. The latter then countered that such aimless attacks from his adversary are acts of desperation.
政治公關公司Red Horse Strategies以國會議員維樂貴絲、紐約州參議員劉醇逸和市議長莊遜名義於6月3日發出一份「回應對劉林劍虹的虛假攻擊」共同聲明，聲明原文為:「幾十年來，劉林劍虹一直是我們曼哈頓下城社區的擁護者，努力幫助像她自己一樣的低收入紐約人和移民家庭。馬泰對劉林劍虹進行的反亞裔、種族歧視的抹黑競選活動是可恥的。這是一場不顧一切的競選活動的標誌。該競選活動可以說明馬泰竭盡全力避免再次輸給更優秀的候選人。我們已經看到劉林劍虹對這個社區始終如一的服務，並且知道她是一直支持勞動人民和倡導我們進步的價值觀。這種針對她的欺騙性誹謗競選活動與現實脫節。這樣歧視性的言論和陳腐的行為需要結束。」
Public relations firm, Red Horse Strategies, issued a joint statement from Congresswoman Nadia Velázquez, State Senator John Liu, and City Council Speaker Corey Johnson on June 3, “in response to false attacks” on Jenny Low:
“For decades, Jenny Low has been a champion for our community in Lower Manhattan, fighting to uplift low-income New Yorkers and immigrant families like her own. Chris Marte’s anti-Asian, racist smear campaign against Jenny is shameful, and a sign of a desperate campaign that will say anything to try to avoid another loss to a more progressive candidate. We have seen Jenny’s consistent service to this community and know that she always stands up for working people and advocates for our progressive values. This deceitful smear campaign against her is divorced from reality and fueled by racist rhetoric and stereotypes that need to end.”
這份共同聲明並不是來自維樂貴絲、劉醇逸和莊遜的辦公室，而是來自劉林劍虹僱用的政治公關公司Red Horse Strategies。位於布碌崙下城的Red Horse Strategies是專門做競選的政治公關公司，除了公關計劃和宣傳，並參與競選團隊及資料分析工作，這間公司曾幫助不少政客競選成功，其與黨部人士熟稔，是不少候選人起用的顧問公司。
This joint statement was not released by the offices of Velázquez, John Liu, and Johnson, but by Red Horse Strategies, a political public relations firm hired by Jenny Low. Red Horse Strategies, located in downtown Brooklyn, is a political public relations company that specializes in campaigns. Other than public relations planning and publicity, it also participates in campaign activities and data analysis. This company has helped a considerable number of politicians score campaign victories, is well known to party insiders, and sought after by a host of candidates.
由於聲明沒有指出馬泰具體做了或說了甚麼如何攻擊劉林劍虹，本報記者昨(4 日)致電該公關公司查訪馬泰是否先作出任何競選上或文宣上對劉林劍虹的攻擊，因而找三位政治盟友作出回應，該公司Matt接受本問採訪時沒有舉出具體事例，他表示，馬泰過去6年來，為了追求個人政治野心，對劉林劍虹抹黑抵毀，製造連串謊言欺騙社區，攻擊及醜化華策會及劉林劍虹。
As the statement never specifies what exactly Marte said or did which constituted an attack on Low, this reporter contacted the public relations firm by phone on June 4 to investigate whether the statement was made in response to any prior attacks by Marte, whether on the campaign trail or in his campaign literature. The reporter also requested a response from the aforementioned three allies of Low. In his interview with the reporter, Matt from Red Horse Strategies did not cite concrete examples but only painted in broad strokes how Marte has in the past six years, in pursuit of his personal political ambitions, engaged in smear campaigns against Low by fabricating a series of falsities to deceive the community and discredit as well as demonize the Chinese Planning Council (CPC) and Jenny Low.
馬泰昨(4 日)對該聲明深表憤怒並作出强烈回應，馬泰指劉林劍虹試圖用謊言組成的模糊聲明來誹謗他，這舉動「令人髮指、駭人聽聞和完全不專業」，該聲明清楚顯示她缺乏領導市議會的品格。在過去的十年裡，第一選區需要可負擔住所、高質教育和更安全的街道。但是劉林劍虹對這些事情沒有任何計劃，只是想乘著老式政治家的尾巴，讓社區一無所有。這份聲明顯示了她是如何躲在她前上司市議長莊遜（Corey Johnson）身後的行為，莊遜是自豪地支持在唐人街建造新監獄的人。
Meanwhile, Marte responded June 4 with a strong statement in which he expressed outrage at Jenny Low’s attempt at mudslinging:
“It is outrageous and appalling that Jenny Low’s campaign is trying to slander me with a vague statement made up of harmful lies. This is completely unprofessional and is a clear example of why she lacks the character to lead in the City Council. District 1 needs affordable places to live, high-quality education, safer streets. But Jenny does not have a plan for any of these things, and just wants to ride on the coattails of the same old kind of politician that leaves all of our communities with nothing. This statement shows how she is hiding behind her former boss, Speaker Corey Johnson, who is the one that proudly supported building a new jail in Chinatown.”
馬泰說，「如果我贏了，就會威脅到他們的政治權力。幾代人以來，同一個政治機器試圖將唐人街與下東區隔離開來，而不會給任何一個社區提供資源。我在唐人街有成千上萬人的信任，因為我在幫助起訴市府，反對監獄計劃，然而劉林劍虹則為監獄計劃的其中一個策劃者工作，直到她競選公職之前，都一直對監獄計劃沉默。」
Marte continues, “If I win, I threaten their political power. The same political machine has been trying to isolate Chinatown from the Lower East Side for generations, because when these two communities oppose each other, the City takes advantage and gives no resources to either neighborhood. I have thousands of Chinese supporters whose trust and vote I have earned because of my work in Chinatown. I helped to sue the City against the jail, whereas Jenny worked for one of the orchestrators of the plan and stayed silent until she ran for office.”
馬泰說，劉林劍虹發表任何冒犯性言論，選民都不會被愚弄。在本週三近百護理員在華策會前示威，他根本沒有在場，他正在參加下城一個關心氣候變化的大集會。她見到護理員示威就作連串的假設及想像，「充分見到她在極度絶望中無的放矢。」
Marte states that “voters will not be fooled no matter what kind of offensive statement Jenny makes.” He was at an assembly about climate change in Lower Manhattan when nearly a hundred home attendants protested against the CPC. The fact that Jenny Low resorted to assumptions, innuendos, and aimless attacks seeking to link him to the protest speaks volumes about the state of her desperation.
本報昨多次聯絡國會議員維樂貴絲、紐約州參議員劉醇逸和市議長莊遜查詢，但至截稿前未收到任何回應。
Despite repeated attempts at contacting Congresswoman Nadia Velázquez, Senator John Liu, and City Council Speaker Corey Johnson regarding this matter, no response was forthcoming at the time of this writing.
Lotus Chau is the Chief Reporter for Sing Tao Daily in New York, New York.
*This article has been updated to include the full statement from Red Horse Strategies
