The last straw for many of us in New York’s 8th congressional district came on Sept. 19, 2025. On that day, our representative and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries voted yes on H.Res. 719, a resolution “Honoring the life and legacy of Charles ‘Charlie’ James Kirk.” Congressman Jeffries' excuse for his vote may be that he wanted to be on the record against political violence, but this was not called the "Anti-Political Violence" Resolution. No, it was the "Honoring the Life and Legacy of Charles ‘Charlie’ James Kirk" Resolution.
It is a tragedy that Mr. Kirk was murdered, and political violence has no place in our society. Period. Full stop. But how could the man elected to represent our community—a community built on the values of diversity, equality and justice—vote to formally honor the legacy of a man who so profoundly despised those very values?
Let me be clear: I am not a Hakeem-hater. Far from it. I remember the excitement around his first run for Congress in 2012. It felt like a new beginning for our community. The district had been newly redrawn, and the longtime incumbent, Ed Towns, was retiring. There was a sense of opportunity for fresh leadership. When Mr. Jeffries won that seat, I was proud. I believed we finally had someone who would always speak truth to power, someone who would speak for us.
Now, it is clear that the man we sent to Washington has become co-opted and compromised, frozen by a fear of losing power rather than a passion for wielding it on behalf of the people. His vote to honor Charlie Kirk is not an isolated incident but the culmination of a disturbing pattern.
For those who are unaware, the "legacy" Mr. Jeffries voted to honor includes a relentless stream of hateful rhetoric. This is the man who said, “If I see a Black pilot, I’m going to be like, boy, I hope he’s qualified.” This is the man who claimed brilliant Black women like Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson and Michelle Obama were affirmative action picks who didn't "have the brain processing power to otherwise be taken really seriously." This is the man who called the 1964 Civil Rights Act “a huge mistake.”
Two things can be true. We can abhor political violence, and we can simultaneously reject the hateful, racist, and misogynistic messages spewed by its victim. My congressman, however, failed to make that distinction. With his vote, he helped support a permission structure where this venom is sanitized and accepted as part of mainstream discourse.
This vote follows his refusal to endorse Zoran Mahmdani, our city’s duly nominated Democratic mayoral candidate, seemingly for fear of being labeled a “socialist” by the special interests that fill campaign coffers. It follows his muted response on the genocide (as determined by a United Nations commission) and humanitarian horrors in Gaza. It follows a weak and feckless response as House Minority Leader to the brazen lawlessness and cruelty of the Trump regime, proving he is not equipped to meet this perilous moment in our nation’s history.
Our district has a legacy of courageous leadership, part of a proud New York City tradition. Icons like Harlem's Adam Clayton Powell Jr. and the incomparable Shirley Chisholm—who represented many of the same Brooklyn communities Mr. Jeffries now does—took brave, principled stances to defend the humanity of their constituents. They did not let the dictates of rich donors mute their principles. That is why they are remembered as champions of the people. How will Hakeem Jeffries be remembered?
We don’t even need to look to the past for examples of courage. Look at Representative Jasmine Crockett of Texas. She battles a hostile governor and a state legislature that gerrymandered her district to silence her. Yet, she stood on business and voted NO on the resolution honoring Charlie Kirk. She understands the moment and honors the legacy of Shirley Chisholm. Meanwhile, Mr. Jeffries, sitting in one of the safest Democratic districts in the country with the full backing of his constituents, his governor and his state legislature, cast an insulting and degrading vote.
Is it because he thinks we are not paying attention? Is this why he now prefers telephone town halls (three of the last five town halls were virtual) where our displeasure can be muted with the press of a button, instead of facing us in person?
I regret my last vote for him. Congressman Jeffries once ran to replace a politician who had lost touch with his district. It seems he has now become him. I can only hope that a true leader who is built for the moment that we currently are in will emerge to challenge him—someone who understands that the seat they hold does not belong to them, but to us, the people. Our district, comprised of many of the same communities once represented by Shirley Chisholm, is the ground upon which Mr. Jeffries claims to stand. He often makes reference to her legacy.
Our district deserves a representative who will actually honor that legacy and meet the urgency of this moment. We are still waiting.
Reginald Richardson, a Brooklyn resident, is a constituent of New York's 8th Congressional District.
