Assemblymember Eddie Gibbs says he no longer feels safe in his legislative chamber after an altercation with another lawmaker last year.
Gibbs, a Democrat, became the first formerly incarcerated person to be elected to the New York State Legislature when he won an East Harlem seat in 2022. He has devoted his time in office to advocating for prisoners and former prisoners, at times erupting at colleagues who use the word “inmate” to refer to incarcerated people. Gibbs says the term is derogatory.
So he confronted Assemblymember Ari Brown, a Republican from Long Island’s South Shore, after Brown said “inmate” multiple times during a floor debate last June. Brown exploded, and using the f-word asked Gibbs if he wanted to “come outside,” according to Gibbs.
Brown hovered over Gibbs and poked him in the nose, Gibbs said. Eventually, one of the chamber’s sergeants at arms stepped in to separate them.
“They didn't do anything [afterward]. So I refuse to go to the chamber, I refuse to legislate, I refuse to go to committees,” Gibbs said. “I'm not safe. He threatened to assault me there.”
A spokesperson for Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, who runs the chamber and oversees security, said he had received a letter from Gibbs and would review it. The speaker in December formally sanctioned Gibbs for using crude language during a floor speech last year.
Brown said in a text message that tensions run high in the chamber and “heated exchanges bubble up from time to time.”
“In my time here, I’ve never had an issue with another member. I’m not interested in replaying the specifics in the press,” Brown said. “Members have absolutely no authority over my free speech, or the language anyone else uses.”
Gibbs’ struggle highlights some of the problems that non-traditional candidates say they find when they confront the established order at the State Capitol – where rank-and-file legislators have little say in high-level negotiations and power is accrued based on seniority.
This parallels the marginalizing experiences that formerly incarcerated individuals face in other aspects of life, said Jose Saldana, director of the Release Aging People in Prison advocacy group.
“ He represents a community that has been neglected by the state of New York, a community that's under-resourced, a community that has been ignored historically,” Saldana, who was incarcerated for 38 years, said at a rally with Gibbs. “ The failure here is from his own colleagues.”
Gibbs said he received online threats and had his tires slashed after spending a night at the Marcy Correctional Facility, where prisoner Robert Brooks was beaten to death by guards in late 2024.
Video of a shouting match between the lawmaker and a corrections officer was released by the New York State Correctional Officers Police and Benevolent Association. Gibbs said the resulting harassment has taken a toll on his mental well-being and prompted him to leave the corrections committee.
And this November will be his last time seeking re-election to the $142,000 a year job.
“I want to find peace,” he said. “And I just want them to leave me alone.”
Ballot Box
This week we're wondering: Does Mayor Zohran Mamdani bear any responsibility for the recent cold-related deaths?
Last week we asked: Should Democrats push for a government shutdown over ICE funding?
“Even with the pre-existing fallacies of American democracy, this is not the status quo and we are overdue to disrupt it. A government shutdown is necessary to reclaim even just a piece of the people's power (their tax money).”
- CJ, Manhattan
“The tactics of ICE agents should be reassessed. They should act like any other members of government: wear no masks, but name badges, and be retrained as to de-escalation.”
- Ewa, Queens
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(1) St. John’s University suspended a short-lived partnership with U.S. Customs and Border Protection to train students for careers in homeland security after complaints from students, faculty and alumni. Here’s more on the decision.
(2) Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s handpicked successor in his Queens state Assembly district won a low turnout special election on Tuesday. Here’s more about her.
(3) New York City is finally moving on completing a long-stalled shelter for street-homeless New Yorkers as Mayor Mamdani faces mounting pressure to move people out of public spaces and stop a rising cold-related death toll. Here’s what the shelter will offer.
(4) The Trump administration froze funds supporting a $16 billion effort to build a new set of train tunnels under the Hudson River. Here's who is suing over it.
(5) New York City is making more street vendor licenses available after the City Council overrode a slate of end-of-term vetoes by former Mayor Eric Adams. Here’s how many will be available.
