Jumaane Williams, who is a gubernatorial candidate for the New York state elections has been living in a home in a military base in Brooklyn, since 2019 according to a report in the New York Post. He has been vocal in his support of defunding the police, but lives surrounding by protection in his home, including round-the-clock security that has made a few New Yorkers call him out for his hypocrisy.
The 45-year old campaigner holds the position of New York City Public Advocate. He was a council member before he was elected as Public Advocate. His work includes overseeing city agencies, investigating complaints about services and making suggestions for improvements.
On November 16, Williams announced that he would run for the position of governor of New York. He has been called out for double standards. He is living in what can be called a fortress while the most of the other New Yorkers face crime and gun violence that is unleashed in their neighborhood.
A New Yorker who lives close to the Williams’ base in Brooklyn questioned whether he could get protection but they couldn’t. He told the New York Post that it was obviously “very hypocritical” that an anti-NYPD, anti-military person had surrounded himself with free police and army protection.
He also said, “I’m not upset that he gets to protect himself on a military base as long as the citizens of the city can also protect themselves, whether it’s through private security or our police department, which we pay taxes for.”
A police source also said that it was “a joke” and “hypocritical” that he spoke of defunding the police while he had police protecting him all day using “taxpayer’s dime” and that he “lived in a military base” and he was “protected by the military” and that “not a lot of people” got such “luxuries.”
A spokesperson for Williams said that living in an army base was not a contradiction to his views about defunding the police. The spokesperson told the Post that “the suggestion that his work to protect, promote and reimagine public safety would change with his address is belied by his record on these issues for over a decade–that work continues as he advocates for policies to advance community in neighborhoods citywide.”
Williams, his wife and children rent a home at the Fort Hamilton base in the Bay Ridge Area of Brooklyn. It is a corner townhouse with a backyard. It has views of the Verrazano Narrows. It costs $4000 a month and includes several top notch amenities such as 24-hour high end security, a swimming pool, playground, gas station, Post Office, fast food restaurants, bowling center, free parking, barber shop, dry cleaners and more.
