As you reported in your newspaper this week, there were about 700 peaceful protesters exercising their right to express themselves in Great Neck on Sunday, June 7. This event was organized by local high school students, and hearing about it made me feel extremely proud of my hometown. It reminded me of marching for civil rights and hearing Dr. King speak in Great Neck when I was a student here in the 1960s.
However, just two days prior to this event, the mayor of the Village of Great Neck, Pedram Bral, posted a long screed on his public Facebook page urging his followers to stay home on Sunday, insinuating that there would be “outside agitators” coming to “cause trouble” in Great Neck. What followed in the comments from his friends and followers was an appalling display of racism and ignorance. I posted in reply, citing the facts about the organizers of the protest and pointing out the long history of progressive activism in Great Neck. I was promptly called names ranging from “idiot” to “democRAT,” and told that I am in need of medication, I am “what is wrong with Great Neck,” and a bunch of other slurs.
Mayor Bral has repeatedly posted derogatory comments about Gov. Cuomo on social media, blaming him for all the deaths in New York State nursing homes and much more. He has also blasted other Democratic candidates, past and present. No other mayor in Great Neck makes such public partisan statements. More concerning than this is the fact that Mayor Bral is now urging people to vote in person in the midst of a global pandemic, and posting falsehoods about mail-in voting being the source of voter fraud, a claim that has been disproved by all reliable sources.
Any attempt to correct his misleading and inaccurate posts is met with ridicule and antagonism by the mayor and his friends. When I politely suggested that a public official should fact-check before posting, Mayor Bral told me not to tell him what to do on his Facebook page. Eventually, he blocked me from posting any more comments. Where have we seen this kind of behavior before? Someone asks a question you don’t like, just intimidate or silence them. Is this appropriate behavior for a local elected official, posting false information on a public platform and shutting down anyone who disagrees or asks a question?
In the Town of North Hempstead, where we have pledged NOT IN OUR TOWN and are committed to fighting racism and hate, this kind of divisive behavior must be called out. Fearmongering, ignorance, and spreading false information and conspiracy theories should not be tolerated, especially from our community leaders.
Sincerely,
Nina K. Gordon
Great Neck, NY
