This week’s Buffalo Criterion – has a fascinating interview with Mayoral Candidate, Darnell Jackson.

Written by columnist,Chris Stevenson, the title, “You Decide! Is Darnell Ready for Prime Time?” attempts to give readers an answer.

Stevenson’s interview takes place after a recent rally  – at Jackson’s  home on Barthel Street in the Fillmore district.

The Criterion, where Stevenson is a regular columnist, is Buffalo’s oldest African American publication- now in its 77th year.

Both Stevenson and the Criterion credit PoliticsWNY.com for breaking the story of Jackson’s candidacy.

“Things seemed quiet (in the Buffalo mayoral race),” Stevenson wrote,  “then the bomb exploded … when PoliticsWNY.com ran the piece announcing a candidate…. What I didn’t expect was Jackson.”

With the exception of articles regularly published in PoliticsWNY.com, the Stevenson interview of Jackson is the most free- wheeling published in any local forum in a while.

Jackson’s blunt comments, including his peremptory concluding of the interview – are unedited.

This is Darnell Jackson when he gets excited.

This is Jackson as he speaks of his community.

Not sanitized for prime time, it gives an insight into Jackson, the black community, and how front runner Byron Brown has to straddle an almost impossible fence --to speak to the hearts of blacks with authentic voice – while not offending whites by appearing – as Jackson almost undoubtedly will - “too black.”

However, if his own community takes Jackson seriously- - something Stevenson doubts – as a contender -with a chance in a five way primary- with Kevin Gaughan, Judith Einach, Steven Calvanesco, Jackson and Brown all competing   – Brown may need to speak directly on the issues – such as police brutality, affirmative action, welfare reform, public funding of abortions, neighborhood schools, the eradication of the ghetto, and the profile of his appointees.

As Buffalo news columnist Rod Watson said at a recent forum, as reported in the Buffalo Challenger, “(Brown is) going to be afraid to put forth a plan for the East Side because he’ll scare off white constituents.”

Jackson may require Brown to state his position.

Brown, for instance, accepted the Conservative Party of Erie County's endorsement, which has, as its platform, support for racial profiling as a valid policing method, three strikes and you’re out felony sentencing, the death penalty, and anti -affirmative action legislation.

Veteran politicos like Billy Delmont, and Steve Casey, the brilliant strategists who arranged the endorsement deal – understand this endorsement is not about issues – it is about ballot prominence.

It’s about appearing inevitable.

What matter if Conservatives support racial profiling – in assisting proper police procedures – if Brown’s presumed “sure fire” supporters- vote for him anyway rather than any white. Certainly rather  than Republican party enodrsed candidate Kevin Helfer.  

The Conservative endorsement will discourage donors to a Helfer campaign.

That’s the ideal behind a Conservative endorsement.

Perhaps, Brown is inevitable.

Featured in a New York Times article on June 4th., the nations most prestigious paper took note that “all eyes were on Brown’ as the most likely future mayor.

Along with Helfer, who was naturally critical of Brown – claiming his accepting endorsements of the Unions betray his reformist claims, Jackson was also mentioned in the Times article.

And then again there is the general election. The Times article referred to Jimmy Griffin’s upset victory over Arthur Eve in 1977, and Rudy Giulliani’s victory over David Dinkins in New York City.

Still, Brown’s must appear inevitable.

He has raised, according to the Times article, $300,000 – most of which - by appearing the front runner.

He hopes to raise another $700,000 by appearing unbeatable.

 

EXCERPTS FROM THE CRITERION INTERVIEW

Jackson: We need a mayor that’s gonna come in, turn his head (away from) all his friends, to all the patronage and s—t like that, and say ‘look, enough is enough. I want diversity on these joint school board construction jobs. All these other major projects going on, I want diversity on them. Till we get that, these projects is stopped, okay!’

“Education: you want to kick kids out of school when they fight a teacher; you wanna drug test the kids; you got all our kids on drugs. I think  . . . the  teachers and the administrators should be drug tested, man, because not only are our teachers failing, our administrators are failing our kids. You gotta start from the head to the bottom.”

 

As the interview progresses, Stevenson challenges Jackson’s experience, likening him to an inexperienced pilot- with whom rational people would be afraid to fly.

Jackson counters with a recitation of various campaigns and activist roles he’s assumed during the last ten years, then Jackson asks Stevenson “what has Byron been doing?”

Stevenson: Brown has been in (elected) position.

Jackson:  He’s been in position?  What kind of position does he hold? He don’t do s—t!

Stevenson: But (his experience as an elected official) is a big difference.

Jackson: No, it ain’t no difference, Chris.  Either you gonna do your job or you ain;t. … So you would put Byron back in office even though he don’t support your people, just because he’s got experience?

Stevenson: Yes

Jackson: That’s an a—hole, that’s an a—hole. . . .  You is, because you voted for him.

Following this exchange, the two men debate on what is necessary experience, and how one gets experience.

Political experience, Stevenson maintains, comes from elected office and campaigning. One cannot start as Mayor.

After referring to his years of confronting racism on the streets, basically as a political pariah-  Jackson finally states:  I’ve been learning this political arena for the last twelve years. I’m the spook that sat by the door. I know who’s who; I know who ain’t. I know who sold out; I know who ain’t selling out; and I pulled the sheets off of them, Okay! That’s the experience you talkin’ about.

Stevenson: nobody is disputing that, but there’s a big difference between that (activism) and being the man that’s in position.

Jackson:   … what kind of experience should a mayor have?

Stevenson: Council member, legislative member,  something …..

Jackson: Mayor (Anthony) Masiello was a council person, then he went to the (state), now he came back to mayor…. We got the biggest deficit ever in the city of Buffalo. We got the worst conditions ever in the city of Buffalo, we got the failingest education in Western New York. We got more crime and violence in our community than New York City…  more murders than . . . any one of the boroughs… if you break it down percentage wise.

Why is that? Why do we have a police commissioner who thought we did not need a homicide squad, and the mayor saying, ‘Oh, I’m gonna let him decide that’”?

Stevenson: Corruption.

Jackson: So, Byron is corrupt, and all the rest of them is corrupt.

Stevenson: Okay.

Jackson: So, why would you vote for a corrupt person, though, Chris?

Stevenson: Because who is better? Who is better?

Jackson: You think a corrupt person is better than me?

Stevenson: I don’t know. You don’t have experience. You are a great activist ….

Jackson: This interview is over with, dog. This interview is over. Just go vote for Byron, dog

(Jackson gets up out of his chair in his garage office and walks toward the driveway)

Stevenson: Darnell…

Jackson: That don’t make no sense what you’re saying. You telling me you would vote for a corrupt person, and not vote for somebody else to get a chance!

As the interview progresses, Stevenson changes tact and attempts to query Jackson on his command of the issues.

Stevenson: what’s Buffalo’s number one problem?

Jackson: People like you runnin’ around this (referring to Brown) mother f----r

Stevenson (persisting): What’s Buffalo’s number one problem?

Jackson: People like you talking ….

Stevenson: What’s the deficit?

Jackson: We in debt. A deficit is a debt.

Stevenson: A big debt ain’t it?

Jackson: A big debt.

Stevenson (still querying):   How did we get there?

Jackson: By all them experienced people that you talkin’ about.

Shortly after this exchange, Stevenson tells Jackson that he has zero chance at election.

Stevenson: Look at it this way, Darnell is a good guy, got great intentions, but understand one thing: when it comes down to pulling the lever, all the people who came to your rally, the lowest mother f----r that’s getting’ paid on Swinburn (an east side street near Jackson’s home) is gonna pull for Byron.

Jackson: I doubt it. They don’t even know Byron. Take that tape and walk down Walden (Avenue) and ask somebody about Byron Brown. They’d probably beat you’re a---. Then ask them about Darnell Jackson.

Stevenson: They’d probably shoot me.

Jackson: Don’t nobody know Byron up in here.  I was in the political arena. Don’t nobody know Byron (in the ghetto) other than me. Don’t nobody know Byron. His wife don’t even know him. If she did, she’d probably be divorcing him. . .

Stevenson concludes his article with “Any doubt about Jackson’s experience or lack thereof can be summed up by the words of one young female supporter of Jackson’s  who said to Stevenson before he left, “He’s in the ‘hood’ with his experience.”

What that cryptic comment meant is that Jackson is living in the economically depressed, crime ridden area that he hoped to help, much more intimately involved, then the well- dressed, almost alien- to- the- ghetto- scene, Brown, who will yet depend upon such of these folks here who will vote in the primary.

If Brown appears inevitable to political insiders, perhaps it is true. But to insiders on Barthel, on Swinburn, on Lombard and Loepere, it is fair to say, Jackson is inevitable.

They have seen him, daily; he has been there-- when police came and allegedly brutally beat the young black man. He was there to comfort the mother who lost her son to gang violence, or when the drug dealers tried to take over some street-- he was there to drive them away.

That’s what she meant by “he’s in the hood with his experience.”

In his jeans and t- shirt and his inelegant language.

Brown was in Albany, or in offices downtown doing the important business of saving the state and the people residing in it -- through the elegant procedures in place in Albany –and looking the grand part in a tailored suit, perfectly coiffed.

Stevenson may be right, the lowest ‘m-fer’ will secretly pull the ballot for Brown, even if they think he is a tepid black man. Better he-- than a white.

More than a white, but who knows?

 Darnell may yet get some voters with “experience” in the hood.