Judge Grasso with Phil Wong, Board of Asian Wave Alliance and President of Chinese American Citizens Alliance of Greater NY, and Donghui Zang, President of NYC Residents Alliance. (Credit: Grasso for Queens)
By Iryna Shkurhan | ishkurhan@queensledger.com
Two significant Asian-American advocacy groups – New York City Residents Alliance and Asian Wave Alliance – endorsed former Judge George Grasso for Queens District Attorney at a press conference in Flushing on June 16.
Grasso is running to unseat current District Attorney, Melinda Katz, who is serving her first term in the position after serving as Queens Borough President for two terms. Most recently, Grasso was the Administrative Judge of Queens Supreme Court, but stepped down from the bench two years early to run for Queens DA.
“Our endorsements come after reviewing completed candidate questionnaires, publicly available news and records, participation in our candidates’ forums, and member deliberation. Judge George Grasso has a solid track record of fighting crime and we are confident that he will protect the Asian communities in Queens,” said Yiatin Chu, Asian Wave Alliance President, in a press release. “We support candidates who are committed to making our communities safer, cleaner and more prosperous for us and our children.”
New York City Residents Alliance is a coalition of Chinese-American parents working to secure equal opportunities in education, and safer communities through crime reduction. Asian Wave Alliance is a NYC based nonpartisan political advocacy group that works to organize Asian-American voters.
Judge Grasso with members of the board of New York City Residents Alliance and Asian Wave Alliance. (Credit: Grasso for Queens)
“We believe that Ms. Katz cannot break the shackles of the establishment, and cannot do a good job in the current environment where crimes are condoned, major crimes are reduced to minor crimes, and petty crimes are eliminated,” said Donghui Zang, New York City Residents Alliance President, in a press release. “We urgently need elected officials with a strong sense of justice to fight all crimes and protect the safety of everyone, especially children, the elderly, and women.”
Grasso commended the endorsements and acknowledged crime in predominantly Asian American communities in Queens, specifically a rise in hate crimes and small business burglaries.
“Running for office in a borough as diverse as Queens and receiving the endorsements of such established and respected groups means so much to me and is a reflection of my abilities as a crime fighter,” said Grasso in a press release. “Communities like Flushing, which function not only as centers of commerce, but also as cultural hubs in our borough, need an experienced criminal justice professional, not another politician.”
Early voting began on Saturday, June 17 and will run until Sunday, June 25. The election is on Tuesday, June 27.
