East Harlem lawmaker says he isn’t safe in NY State Assembly

Assemblymember Eddie Gibbs says he no longer feels safe in his legislative chamber after an altercation with another lawmaker last year.

Gibbs, a Democrat, became the first formerly incarcerated person to be elected to the New York State Legislature when he won an East Harlem seat in 2022. He has devoted his time in office to advocating for prisoners and former prisoners, at times erupting at colleagues who use the word “inmate” to refer to incarcerated people. Gibbs says the term is derogatory.

So he confronted Assemblymember Ari Brown, a Republican from Long Island’s South Shore, after Brown said “inmate” multiple times during a floor debate last June. Brown exploded, and using the f-word asked Gibbs if he wanted to “come outside,” according to Gibbs…

(This column originally appeared in The Politics Brief, our weekly newsletter on the people, power and policies that shape New Yorkers’ lives.)