Now that the Perez Gravy train has totally gone off the tracks, those with hopes of a lifelong career as political prostitutes and poverty pimps are showing their true colors.
It was all the angry white guys that dethroned Hartford's High Priest of Corruption, Eddie A. Perez. The conspiracy continued when a jury of his peers found him guilty on 5 felony charges after a trial. The white Judge played along with the setup to tear down the Hispanic Savior of the City and ultimately sentenced the High Priest to 3 years in prison.
At least that is the accurate version if you believe the rantings, I mean writings, of Hartford's favorite yellow jacketed crusader, Cornell Lewis. Lewis, who long ago abandoned the residents of Hartford when he chose to move to the suburbs, still seems to think he has some right to instruct us on how our lives should be lived. His support of former Mayor Eddie A. Perez is admirable considering the investment Perez made in Lewis and his band of "Merry Men". At last count, and this figure is almost a year old, Lewis and his fellow operatives were paid over $2.3 million in taxpayers funds during the course of the "Savior's" administration.
A commenter on the blog pointed out Lewis's latest diatribe as copied below, you can read it for yourself by clicking here:
He Was Our Priest From The Beginning
I was in court the day former Hartford Mayor Eddie Perez received a 3- year prison term for conviction on various charges. Inside the courtroom a funeral like atmosphere complete with crying, wailing, and head-shaking took place. I looked at Perez and wondered why it is seen as necessary to incarcerate a man dedicated to serving his community for over 30 years.
The answer can be found in a religious concept of the priest.
He [Eddie] was our priest from the beginning. In Hartford 30 years ago a divine Caucasian power structure sat enthroned in a fortress City Hall. From stories told to me, it seemed impossible for people of color to access any favor or benefit from the divine white gods in City Hall: a priest was needed for intercession, coming to present hopes of a people at this white altar. Perez came forth - a skinny youth - with hubris enough to ask for an audience before whites in power. Eddie organized the masses, spoke at rallies, begged and threatened in order to coax largesse from a white cornucopia.
The people adored Eddie but whites watched him like they did Jesus: “the rulers wanted to strike Jesus, but they were afraid because all the people were with him. They waited for a more opportune time.” We fast-forward 30 years and Perez is now in THE seat of power and still working without ceasing for people of color.
After being in power for 10 years the old white gods were invoked by angry worshippers to rise from musty vaults of hatred, prejudice and discrimination. Their goal seemed clear-topple Perez and insert a person more palatable to white thinking. Perez had to leave office; an example had to be made, and fear inserted into hearts of the masses.
Like a bad Stephen King movie the priest [Perez] came tumbling down with help from angry whites, sold-out black and Puerto Rican leaders, and a community unable to see clearly a threat to the priest. As radio commentator Steve Harvey would say, “and now you know the rest of the story.”
“Yet when we achieved and the new world dawned, the old men came out again and took our victory, to remake in the likeness of the former world they knew.”--- T.E. Lawrence.
The prayer vigils orchestrated by Lewis didn't seem too productive in keeping a corrupt Mayor out of a courtroom and most likely prison eventually. I might suggest that you click your heels together and keep repeating "I believe in Eddie, I believe in Eddie, I believe in Eddie".
And Cornell, Hartford is about a lot more than one person. There are plenty of unsung "Savior's" out there day in and day out trying to make this City a better place. They are actually doing things to unify the community and its neighborhoods. The days of your "divide and conquer" politics need to end.
This is not about race. No one set Eddie Perez up for a fall, not whites, not blacks and not Hispanics. Eddie Perez needs to quit playing the victim of racism and instead accept responsibility for what he has put this city through, take the punishment and move on.
You might have a positive purpose in this city if you tried to unify people of all races and nationalities and end your politics of racial hate.
12 comments:
No matter how one chooses to analyze Lewis' piece, it has been read by more people than then this blog due to the medium and has, in some cases, solidified what some may have been thinking. But Kevin, your continued attacks on anyone who dare raises a word in defense of Eddie (as much as I may agree with you on this specific incident) kinda proves his point. Wait another hour and you'll see your "followers" who have now been given permission by your post to demonize Cornell. Heck, you'll get some people attacking anonymous #1 just for even mentioning this at all.
I know many of Eddie's strongest supporters like (at least in public) to attribute his fall to discrimination but his main failing had nothing to do with him being Puerto Rican; i.e. hubris. He shared that fault with John Rowland and Joe Ganim (among others) both of whom were "lilly white" to quote one of our non-lilly white elected officials. Take it a step further. Eddie had supporters who are white (e.g. Sean Arena), who are black (e.g. rJo Winch and Abe Giles), and who are Latino (e.g. Cal Torres). He had opponents who are white (e.g. John Kennelly), who are black (e.g. Ken Kennedy), and who are Latino (Minnie & Ramon). Also, to the extent that anyone wants to believe Cornell Lewis' claim that the white power structure tired of Eddie and brought him down, they might want to look at Eddie's campaign finance filings for 2007 -when it was already an open fact that he was under investigation for corruption. You will see that he not only raised about 4 times what I. Charles Matthews raised, but also that much (if not most) of it came from the corporate community and other (white) people with financial interests in Hartford, a.k.a. the white power structure. To attribute Eddie's fall anything other than his own personal shortcomings is not only a lie, but also lies about our city, which, for all its many faults, is better than the place Cornell Lewis is talking about.
Rich...good post and I agree with it to a large extent.
There is no " white power structure" in Hartford which is "controlling" a Mayor of color.All serious Mayoral candidates to my knowledge and belief, have advisors who are white,latino and afro-american.One thing that you can be sure of,these current candidates for Mayor all will have folks who will be poised to copy the behavior of the last crew of Hennessey,Rose,,McMullen and who will attempt to rip off the City on their own, unless a Mayoral candidate sets a new tone in city politics.
Rich...Kennelly has been on television several times within this past year indicating an interest in running for Mayor and never once criticized Perez publically and in fact had at least one big case against the City in his private practice,which might be the reason for his public silence.To classify him as an
"anti-eddie person" I think is wrong.I would classify Kennelly as an opportunist who did nothing to help the City keep clear of corruption.
As to Cornell Lewis...Kevin adaquately posted his "largese" from the City making Lewis,in my view, a paid political prostitute.Lewis was also in the same role with Felon Governor Rowland.Lewis' article is so filled with errors,mis-judgements and lies that anyone who believes Lewis' B.S. also would believe in the tooth fairy and the sandman.
Mr/Ms Anonymous of 8:47 AM
I am no one's "follower" and think for myself and unlike you, I have the balls to post my name.You are attacked not because of your position but because you lack the ability to "manup" and the backbone or cojones to state you name like Kevin and others do.I dont need or want anyone's "permission" to state my views and I think that Mr Lewis is full of sh##t in his article.
Good post Bruce. Totally agree on the label "opportunist" for Kennelly, but you forget two more: Risotti and Kennedy. Those three epitomize the pre-Perez business as usual corruption that the Perez years should have put an end to. Look for all three of these to elevate their positions in the upcoming months to bring us back to that.
At last count, and this figure is almost a year old, Lewis and his fellow operatives were paid over $2.3 million in taxpayers funds during the course of the "Savior's" administration.
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Kevin: Do we have sourcing for above? Or details of your calculation of how much Lewis "largesse" Lewis has "begged," "threatened," and "coaxed" from the "white cornucopia?"
Lewis apparently a race-hustling numb-skull. His rant is idiotic and divisive; on the one hand are "the people" on the other "whites." And, what? The "divine Caucasian power structure" wanted to get rid of the "Hispanic Savior" and replace him with the lily-white Pedro Segarra?
Rich W. correct; Eddie's prosecution/conviction/resignation had nothing to do with his ethnicity.
Peter,
Give me a little time and I'll post the payments and check registers I received pursuant to an FOI request last year.
I was reluctant to post them at the time because you have to admit that Cornell Lewis has become pretty much irrelevant in Hartford now that Perez is gone.
His continued efforts to divide Hartford along racial lines seem to have ramped up lately. Last month in the Courant he wrote an op-ed piece urging members of the African American community to buy guns and arm themselves against the "white threat" and then reading that fiction yesterday blaming Eddie's problems on everyone else but Eddie was the final straw for me.
Someone needs to inform Mr. Lewis that the black, hispanic and white communities in Hartford can and do work together despite his efforts to split us.
Look beyond the yellow windbreaker and the rhetoric and you will see what Cornell Lewis is really about.
Pedrito Bush Palomita,
Abogada, Nena, you never call me back to help me con mis asuntos.
Bebita plea call.
Give me a little time and I'll post the payments and check registers I received pursuant to an FOI request last year.
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Don't knock yourself out, Kevin. Just a general idea would be interesting to me. The idea that this a-hole gets a dime of taxpayer money is offensive.
Palomita Bush,
Go for it - Atrevete,
Pedrito, Brookman -
Todos nosotros tenemos historia.....
Every recent Mayor the last 40 years( both Democrats and the Republican Ann Uccello) had cronies that were "taken care of" by city hall one way or another.( The candy store mentality)So why do we expect Pedro or Shawn Woodin..or Kennedy..or Kenelly..or Mathews or Gonzalez or any Republican to be any different?
Hartford residents ratified the "candy store mentality" when they voted for a strong mayor under chater change.If they want to clean up city hall they will trim the Mayor's power in a charter change at the next Charter Revision Commission.Since I myself dont see a clarion call for sweeping chater changes by many of the political operatives, it leads me to the conclusion that the "candy store mentality" in Hartford is alive and well.No matter whom we elect as Mayor in 2011 the next Mayor's cronies will feed at the trough.Though this time there is the very likelihood that when Hartford cannot pay its bills, there will be a state over-sight board who will step in and clean house totally.
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