Roots of Betrayal : Book Reading and Q&A at Bluestockings

"Roots of Betrayal : The Ethics of Christine Quinn" -- Book Signing and Discussion

On Tuesday, July 23 at 7 p.m., the LGBT blogger and activist Louis Flores will be at Bluestockings, 172 Allen Street, Lower East Side, to present a short YouTube video from his online activism, which shows how the closing of St. Vincent's Hospital led to the beginning of his research about the political betrayals of Christine Quinn. And then the author will read from Vol. I of Roots of Betrayal : The Ethics of Christine Quinn. A Q&A will follow.

Please RSVP to the Facebook event : "Roots of Betrayal : The Ethics of Christine Quinn" -- Book Signing and Discussion

By the end of this week, Roots of Betrayal : The Ethics of Christine Quinn can presently be purchased at the following bookstores :

• Book Thug Nation, 100 N. Third Street, Williamsburg, Brooklyn ;
• Spoonbill & Sugartown Booksellers, 218 Bedford Avenue, Williamsburg, Brooklyn.
• St. Mark’s Bookshop, 31 Third Avenue, Manhattan ; and
• Bluestockings, 172 Allen Street, Manhattan.

2013-06-26 "Roots of Betrayal : The Ethics of Christine Quinn" - Press Release by Connaissable

Roots Of Betrayal : The Ethics Of Christine Quinn Is On Sale Now !

Yesterday, the blogger and artist Suzannah B. Troy starred in a humorous YouTube video promoting the publication and sale of Volume I of Roots of Betrayal : The Ethics of Christine Quinn. Ms. Troy says in the video, "This book is better than Cats!" -- a reference to a campy commercial for a Broadway show that was often parodied.

Roots of Betrayal, written by the LGBT blogger and activist Louis Flores, examines the arc of Christine Quinn’s political career, which nominally began as a hero’s journey before it morphed into a tale about political betrayals. The entire book will be serialized this summer in four volumes reminiscent of pamphleteering done in our tradition of bringing about political change.

“Before the advent of blogs and digital social media, political pamphlets allowed activists to mobilize voters,” said Flores. “My hope is that Roots of Betrayal will educate voters offline about how Christine Quinn is the worst mayoral candidate this year.”

Roots of Betrayal : The Ethics of Christine Quinn can be purchased at the following bookstores :

• Book Thug Nation, 100 N. Third St., Williamsburg, Brooklyn ;
• Spoonbill & Sugartown Booksellers, 218 Bedford Ave., Williamsburg, Brooklyn ;
• St. Mark’s Bookshop, 31 Third Ave., Manhattan ; and
• Bluestockings, 172 Allen St., Manhattan.

BQ Brew Interviews Louis Flores About Christine Quinn And Her "Roots Of Betrayal"

In his first major interview to support Roots of Betrayal : The Ethics of Christine Quinn, the author Louis Flores shared some of his opinions about the many ways that New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn has betrayed the LGBT community, how she turned her back on St. Vincent's Hospital, and how she has become a predictable supporter of billionaire real estate developers.

Read more : Uncovering Quinn’s Political Roots with Author Louis Flores

Please read the interview and share your links with all of your friends.

Roots of Betrayal : The Ethics of Christine Quinn - Copyright 2013 by Louis Flores - Uncorrected Proof Not... by Connaissable

Roots of Betrayal : The Ethics of Christine Quinn can be purchased at the following bookstores :

• Book Thug Nation, 100 N. Third St., Williamsburg, Brooklyn ;
• Spoonbill & Sugartown Booksellers, 218 Bedford Ave., Williamsburg, Brooklyn ;
• St. Mark’s Bookshop, 31 Third Ave., Manhattan ; and
• Bluestockings, 172 Allen St., Manhattan.

Will LGBT Defections Derail Christine Quinn's Mayoral Campaign ?

Is Christine Quinn Just An Old-Fashioned, Cigar-Chomping Political Boss ?

The stop-and-frisk narrative from The Village Voice : "LGBT Purists to Christine Quinn: We'd Love a Gay Mayor. Just Not You."

... Gay men of color are just as affected by stop-and-frisk as anyone else, notes Fordham University political science professor Christina Greer. "Even though the face of the LGBT community in New York City is white men, that's not the makeup," she says. "If you're black and gay, stop-and-frisk may be a primary issue." Unlike her three Democratic rivals, Bill de Blasio, John Liu, and Bill Thompson, Quinn has refused to make a blanket condemnation of stop-and-frisk.

Then there's condom-carry, an issue particularly troubling to those fighting the ongoing AIDS epidemic. As the Voice has reported, the city vigorously supports and promotes condoms through the Department of Health, but allows police to arrest alleged prostitutes found to be carrying them. Transgender women complain that the NYPD targets them simply because of the way they're dressed. Quinn reportedly sent staffers to a key meeting on the issue instead of attending herself.

... On stop-and-frisk, Quinn doesn't have the luxury of simply disregarding city policy, Duane insists. "She has to work under the policies the mayor has set," he says, "or she'd have to resign." Quinn has instead advocated for changes in police training and for the appointment of an inspector general to monitor the NYPD. Such a diplomatic solution doesn't satisfy critics like Flores. "If Christine Quinn was the head of AVP today, she would be fighting [stop-and-frisk]," he says. Quinn did make one major concession last week when she agreed to allow a council vote on allowing victims of racial profiling to sue the NYPD—the first time she hasn't blocked a bill that she opposes.

On condom-carry, Quinn certainly doesn't equivocate. "Condoms being found on somebody and used against them should be changed," she says. "If I have the power to make direct changes, I will. We need to encourage safe sex. Whether for money or not, we cannot talk out of both sides of our mouths. ...

This article may be perhaps the first time when Speaker Quinn publicly addresses the issue that the NYPD are arresting LGBT New Yorkers for carrying condoms. But her talk is cheap, as activists have learned -- the hard way.

Let's see what Speaker Quinn actually does about the way the NYPD profiles, stops-and-frisks, targets, and falsely arrests LGBT New Yorkers ?

Let's let her actual record -- of what she delivers -- to be the final judgment of her political record.

Chapter 1 Excerpt of ''Roots of Betrayal : The Ethics of Christine Quinn''

An excerpt of Chapter 1 of Roots of Betrayal : The Ethics of Christine Quinn has been published as a free .pdf ; it can be found here : http://roots-of-betrayal.blogspot.com/2013/04/Chapter-1-Excerpt-of-Roots-of-Betrayal-The-Ethics-of-Christine-Quinn.html

Anti-Quinn Activists Need More Resources To Educate Voters

NY1 Exclusive : Anti-Quinn Activists Still Have Work To Do : New Poll Shows Quinn In Front Of Other Potential Democratic 2013 Mayor Candidates

Last night on the Road To City Hall program on NY1, it was mentioned amongst the panel of experts that, given voters' relative low negative perception of City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, the Stop Christine Quinn protest effort still has work to do, because voters are not yet educated on Speaker Quinn's horrible record while in office.

One of the activists, Louis Flores, has posted a solicitation for resources, in order to escalate his efforts.

Here are some of the poll findings :

What are New York City Democrats’ impressions of these mayoral aspirants ?

• 65% have a favorable opinion of Quinn, while 17% have an unfavorable one. 18% have either never heard of her or are unsure how to rate her.
• 49% have a favorable impression of Thompson, while 20% do not. 31% have either never heard of him or are unsure how to rate him.
• 48% of New York City Democrats have a positive view of de Blasio, while 20% have an unfavorable one. 32% have either never heard of him or are unsure how to rate him.
• When it comes to Liu, 43% have a favorable impression of him while 27% have an unfavorable one. 30% have either never heard of him or are unsure how to rate him.
• 26% of Democrats have a positive opinion of Albanese while 20% have an unfavorable view of him. 54% have either never heard of him or are unsure how to rate him.

Poll results have a margin of error of +/- 3.3 percent.

Left unsaid during the panel discussion was the impact of all the totally biased/fluff pieces being published by The New York Times, which favours Speaker Quinn, like her Betty Crocker story with its staged photo, the café story, and her luxury condo feature story.

It seems that Speaker Quinn's favourability ratings are being artificially inflated due to the biased and deliberately fluff news pieces being published about her.

Quinn, in panic mode, already reorganising her unannounced mayoral campaign

After facing unrelenting criticism and protests, are Team Quinn close to firing Josh Isay and hiring school teacher ?

After her many shady deals in City Council, Speaker Christine Quinn has angered many different communities. Activists concerned with stop-and-frisk, animal rights, healthcare, term limits, Progressive reforms, campaign and electoral reforms, and sustainability and infrastructure issues have been working in a loose collective to vote Speaker Quinn out of office.

Speaker Quinn's current political consultant, Josh Isay, has been caught off guard by the desperation in which Speaker Quinn's mayoral campaign has found itself, and he has managed to underestimate voter anger and has tripped over his own spin.

''Fast One'' comment by @joshisay described as ''silliness'' by @powellnyt nytimes.com/2012/12/25/nyr… @chriscquinn @suzannahbtroy @donnymossnyc

— Stop Christine Quinn (@stopchrisquinn) December 26, 2012

Now, after DNAinfo has published an article about the looming activism that Speaker Quinn's campaign faces, it has been announced that Speaker Quinn is hiring a campaign manager, Matt Tepper, to help her bail out her sinking political ship. Mr. Tepper is a former school teacher, and it is hoped that his presence will help Speaker Quinn relate with the working classes of New York City.

Speaker Quinn has been the leader of the City Council since 2006. But her move to the hard right since she came into office, in order to garner support from the business community, has arguably made her lose touch with reality.

In a further effort to possibly ease out Mr. Isay and to help her reconnect with the "little people," Speaker Quinn is also hiring another senior political advisor, Michael DeLoach, to help Speaker Quinn get a pulse of the city over which she has governed.

Mr. DeLoach is a former Howard Dean field organiser (pre-scream) and a former political coordinator for the union 1199.

Quinn uses NYPD to Block Protesters (Again) (No Surprise)

During a peaceful and legal protest against the mayoral campaign of New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, NYPD officers used physical force to attempt to move protesters off of a wide public sidewalk and onto the other side of the street. When we refused and maintained our right to free assembly, they used the bodies to block us from distributing leaflets.

Are the NYPD blocking anti-Quinn protesters again, because she has agreed to retain Ray Kelly as Police Commissioner ?

Speaker Quinn has become emboldened ever since she overturned term limits, got away with using millions of dollars of taxpayer dollars in an illegal slush fund, weakened the campaign finance laws, and used major real estate projects to extract campaign donations from developers in a system that many describe as a "pay-to-play" culture. Now, she is using the NYPD as her own private army. The impression that Mayor Mike Bloomberg has influenced her is an understatement.

Because of her record of corruption, activists are basically waiting for Speaker Quinn to be caught in more scandals, before the mayoral election this year.

The protest last night took place at a "housing debate" in Brooklyn.

Does Quinn Use NYPD To Monitor Activists ?

NYPD Violate #Handschu and Deny #FOIL Request by @maslowsneeds christine-quinn-sold-out.blogspot.com/2012/11/NYPD-V… #FirstAmendment #FreeSpeech #dueprocess

— Stop Christine Quinn (@stopchrisquinn) November 25, 2012

NYPD continue to monitor peaceful activists in violation of the Handschu Agreement. In this latest case, NYPD officials are visiting this blog even though NYPD refuse to answer to a Freedom of Information request by the author of this blog.

Remember, this is on top of the fact that there have been allegations that Speaker Quinn has instructed the NYPD to use physical force against the author of this blog.

If Speaker Quinn can't find a way to violate due process by firing you, then she puts the NYPD on the case, to harass and cybermonitor you ?

2012 11 24 NYPD Cybermonitoring Louis Flores Handschu Agreement

Roots of Betrayal : The Ethics Of Christine Quinn

''Roots of Betrayal : The Ethics of Christine Quinn'' a book by Louis Flores

Hi, my name is Louis Flores, and I am a blogger and an activist.

I am writing a book that will take a ''behind the scenes'' look at New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn's politics and ethics. I aim to show you how a politician, who claims to be transparent and ethical, has demonstrated herself to be just the opposite.

But I need your help to publish this book. Please make a pledge to support my book project.

Next year, Speaker Quinn is expected to publish her memoirs as a slick public relations stunt during the race for mayor of New York City in 2013. Her critics allege that the press does not hold Speaker Quinn accountable for her record of undermining democracy. In 2008 and 2009, Speaker Quinn worked hand-in-hand with Mayor Michael Bloomberg to purposely deny voters a referendum when they overturned term limits. Just the way that term limits were overturned -- a series of back room meetings (and some say, deals), all away from public participation and scrutiny -- still draws much heated discussion in New York. For years now, Speaker Quinn has been using discretionary funds to thwart the full participation of other City Councilmembers in the city's legislative agenda. Speaker Quinn has even gone along with Mayor Bloomberg's budget cuts to the office of the Public Advocate, at each turn choosing to go along with what is not right in order to get along with Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Speaker Quinn is undermining any oversight and accountability in public office. I am writing my book, so that the the other side of the story can be told.

This KickStarter project will help me to raise money in order to self-publish this book -- in order to to tell the whole story. This is how the money will be used :

• I need to pay $2,300 so that my manuscript can be transformed into a book by a self-publishing company.
• I am also raising the modest amount of $3,100 to pay for marketing materials and to promote my book on the Internet.
• KickStarter will keep $300 for hosting my fundraising campaign.
• Amazon will keep $300 for processing all of the secure payments made to support this KickStarter project.

With your help, my book can be used to educate voters about Speaker Quinn's political record. Can you make a pledge today to support my book project ?

Please help me to spread the word about my book by posting a link to this KickStarter project on your Facebook page. Thank you for everything you do.

Roots of Betrayal : The Ethics of Christine Quinn - By Louis Flores -- One Sheet

Quinn Uses NYPD To Thwart Dissent

Links to The Wall Street Journal blog post about New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn's alleged use of NYPD to thwart ''bad publicity.''

Here are some links to the Internet conversation, which The Journal article has triggered, about Speaker Quinn's use of NYPD to suppress free speech :

• ''Mayoral Hopeful Quinn Uses Cops To Protect Her From Bad Publicity'' on Thee Rant Forum on Yuku.com ;
• ''Protesters Say Quinn Used NYPD to Thwart Them (WSJ)'' on Morning Headlines : Must-Reads from the WNYC News Hub ; and
• ''Christine Quinn Illegally Uses the NYPD to Block LGBT Protestors from Photographing'' on Mayor Bloomberg King of New York blog.

So far, Louis Flores, the activists who was pushed around by NYPD Officer Lamonica, has received no communication from either the Civilian Complaint Review Board or Speaker Quinn's office.

WSJ : Does Christine Quinn Use NYPD To Thwart Protesters ?

The Wall Street Journal : "Protesters Say Quinn Used NYPD to Thwart Them"

Earlier today, Michael Howard Saul from The Wall Street Journal reported that ... "Louis Flores, who describes himself as an activist and a blogger, filed a complaint with the Civilian Complaint Review Board accusing a police officer of pushing him during a protest outside a fundraiser for Quinn in Chelsea on Wednesday."

Both Mr. Flores and the protest organizer, Donny Moss, "accused the speaker of using taxpayer-paid employees to prevent them from taking photos of her entering and leaving the fundraiser. Quinn, a Manhattan Democrat, is preparing a campaign to run for mayor next year," Mr. Saul reported.

According to The Wall Street Journal report, "A spokesman for Quinn, Jamie McShane, declined to comment."

"The NYPD did not immediately respond to a request for comment," Mr. Saul added.
Read more : http://blogs.wsj.com/metropolis/2012/06/29/protestors-say-quinn-used-nypd-to-thwart-them/

Louis Flores filed a complaint with the Civilian Complaint Review Board.

Here is a .pdf scan of the complaint, which was filed online ; it has been redacted to remove his address.

2012-06-28 Scan of Redacted CCRB Complaint Filed With NYC Gov About NYPD Use of Excessive Force Against LGB...

Two days later, Mr. Flores has not yet been contacted by the Civilian Complaint Review Board, nor has he received an explanation or apology from Speaker Quinn's office.

Quinn Book Kickstarter Campaign

Stay tuned for the Kickstarter campaign that will help fund the upcoming book about New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn.

The blogger and activist Louis Flores promises to launch a Kickstarter campaign soon to fund his self-published book about the political corruption that has taken place under the Christine Quinn administration.

Stay tuned.

WSJ : Quinn's Persistent Gadflies

The Wall Street Journal publishes a critical look at Christine Quinn :

"As she prepares to run for mayor next year, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn is leading in the polls and the competition for campaign funds. The Manhattan Democrat has another perhaps less desirable distinction: She is the only likely mayoral candidate with her own dedicated band of protesters."

Read More on the WSJ : Quinn's Persistent Gadflies