Congressional Candidate Spezakis Calls For Pascrell's Resignation

TEANECK, NJ — A Democratic candidate for Rep. Bill Pascrell's 9th Congressional District seat is calling for the longtime incumbent's resignation.

After an OpenSecrets report about the influence of police union funding in politics revealed that Pascrell receives the most funding from those unions in Congress, 9th District candidate Zina Spezakis has demanded his resignation.

OpenSecrets, a Society of Professional Journalist's award-winning publication within the Center for Responsive Politics, found that since 2004, Pascrell received over $43,000 from police unions and law enforcement PACs.

In total, Pascrell has raised over $18 million in his political career, also according to Open Secrets.

Pascrell, the Democratic co-chair of the House Law Enforcement Caucus, has been outspoken on social media about racism in America, and voiced his support for the Justice In Policing Act, after the deaths of George Floyd in Minneapolis and Breonna Taylor in Louisville sparked calls for sweeping police reform across the country. He has also been endorsed by the Congressional Black Caucus Political Action Committee.

"Congressman Pascrell is working with the urgency this revolutionary moment demands," said Pascrell for Congress Campaign Spokesman Ben Rich. "Rep. Pascrell was among the first of his colleagues to support Sen. Booker’s trailblazing Justice in Policing legislation. Rep. Pascrell is co-leading legislation that will outlaw racial profiling, that will ban police violence, that will pull military weapons off New Jersey streets, and that will, at long last, make lynching a federal crime. And Rep. Pascrell knows Black Lives Matter and is dedicated to protecting black lives with the most significant federal reforms in generations."

Locally, Pascrell thanked a Teaneck group for organizing a virtual town hall on systemic racism, and tweeted that he took part in a listening session with Bergen County Sheriff Anthony Cureton, among other community activists.

We just wrapped up a listening session with #Bergen Sheriff Cureton and some of our most dedicated leaders and activists. We had a deep discussion on the impacts of pervasive racism. I’m so impressed by our united community. pic.twitter.com/cLZRWCw4ar
— Bill Pascrell, Jr. (@BillPascrell) June 10, 2020

Spezakis, however, said that Pascrell's social media support feels disingenuous as he continues to take money from law enforcement PACs and police unions.

"It is unacceptable and horrific that Pascrell continues to take money from law enforcement while he tweets his support for their victims," said Spezakis. "He has shown time and again that the only thing he serves in Congress is his own greed, ignoring the innocent Black and Brown lives murdered by the police in his very own district."

She invoked the name of Jameek Lowery, who died in 2019 after he livestreamed an encounter with Paterson Police in which he asked for water, and for officers not to shoot him. He died at St. Joeseph's Regional Medical Center two days later.

During a protest in Paterson on June 2, it was clear that the community has not forgotten that encounter, and neither has Spezakis.

"Justice has still not been served to Jameek’s family, and his blood is on Pascrell’s hands," said Spezakis.

"We have seen the racism and violence that runs rampant in this country’s policing system, but there will not be real reform until we are rid of politicians like Pascrell, who care more about money than their patriotic duty to make this nation a safer place for all."

Rich, in response to the statement from Spezakis, called the idea that Pascrell would cast votes based on donations a "desperate lie."