Aisha Braveboy for Attorney General
The attorney general is the chief legal officer for the state. Beneath that broad umbrella, one of the primary duties of the AG’s office is to advocate on behalf of Maryland’s consumers, who in many cases are among the state’s most vulnerable citizens (victims of housing discrimination, predatory payday loans, environmental injustice, fraud, etc). Perhaps, now more than ever, Maryland needs a powerful advocate for the state’s disenfranchised, people of color, and poor people and for this reason the AFRO endorses the candidacy of Prince George’s County delegate and attorney Aisha Braveboy.
As chair of the Consumer Protection and Commercial Law Subcommittee and chair of the Legislative Black Caucus, Braveboy has demonstrated leadership on the catastrophic foreclosure crises. She has co-sponsored bills that offer relief and protection for homeowners facing foreclosure and has worked as a pro-bono attorney providing vital legal services for families grappling with the loss of a home. Braveboy has also worked on legislation holding some banks and mortgage companies accountable for not maintaining foreclosed properties they own, which drives down property values in many neighborhoods of color.
Braveboy has been out in front on the issue of mass incarceration in the state, a practice that has disproportionately ravaged (often unjustly) communities of color and the impoverished. For several years, she volunteered as legal counsel for a Prince George’s County-based community diversion program that touts an 87 percent success rate. Diversion programs are community-based justice programs that give non-violent offenders a chance to avoid prosecution and jail, the stigma of a criminal record and save taxpayers millions of dollars. She believes that instead of allocating resources on the back end to incarcerate minor offenders, we should invest a fraction of those dollars up front to rehabilitate and divert them away from the criminal justice system. The AFRO has consistently reported on the ongoing litigation between the state and its four historically Black colleges and universities (HBCU) for almost a decade. We are encouraged that Braveboy has been a forceful advocate in the General Assembly for parity and proper funding of those schools. Last month during the first attorney general debate, Braveboy was the only candidate who specifically rejected Maryland’s position on the October 2013 ruling of District Court Judge Catherine Blake, which found the state in violation of the U.S. Constitution for operating a system of higher education, still rooted in segregation.
“Fifty years outside of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and 60 years outside of Brown, and the state has violated precedent in both of those. So, it’s really an embarrassment for the state and we just need to mediate a fair remedy so we can move on,” Braveboy said. We acknowledge Braveboy lacks the experience of Sen. Brian Frosh, the formidable veteran litigator and legislator and the name recognition of Del. Jon Cardin who both seek to replace current Attorney General Douglas Gansler, who is running for governor. But, we believe Braveboy’s energy, strong work ethic, and strong commitment to this state’s disenfranchised communities—who need a zealous advocate in the Attorney General’s office—are attributes that will serve all the citizens of Maryland. FOR MORE INFORMATION.
