State Rep.
Tonyelle Cook-Artis
SUN editor Monica Peters asked candidates from the 200th Legislative district primary race their position on the issues and who they are endorsing for President
By Monica Peters
State Rep. Tonyelle Cook-Artis 200th Legislative District (D)
SUN: What are your specific plans to address poverty in your district?
TCA: Poverty alleviation begins with a fair and equitable funding formula for schools. Rectifying education inequality will be the hallmark of my legislative agenda.
SUN: Do you support stop-and-frisk?
TCA: No. Stop and Frisk has led to an influx of systematic profiling of minorities- particularly African-American and Latino men. Furthermore, only a fraction of stop and frisks have led to arrests and of those arrests, only a few have resulted in confiscation of a firearm as the policy intended.
SUN: Do you support Black Lives Matter?
TCA: Yes. We must begin to address national concerns about race and particularly how structural mechanisms serve to ostracize African-Americans from fundamental rights and freedom. We be able to have thoughtful, and productive dialogue on how to improve the quality of life for Black Americans. I’m hopeful that we can.
SUN: What are some of the pressing issues that you feel are affecting your district? And, how do you plan to address them if elected?
TCA: There are three issues that are at the top of my agenda of issues that affect the district:
1) Education – I will seek to draw support for an equitable funding formula for our schools and to restore the cuts to the education system in programming such as arts/recreation and sports.
2) Public Safety – I will seek to address the proliferation of illegal firearms that end up in the hands our youth by supporting stronger penalties for straw purchasers and instituting a universal background check.
3) Economic Development – I will seek resources that serve to eliminate blight of our commercial corridors and will seek ways to incentivize the hiring of district’s residents into our neighborhood businesses.
SUN: Which candidate are you supporting for the Pennsylvania Presidential primary?
TCA: Hillary Clinton
Chris Rabb
(Photo: John S and James L Knight Foundation)
Chris Rabb 200th Legislative District (D)
SUN: What are your specific plans to address poverty in your district?
CR: My approach to addressing poverty in my district is by fighting for full and fair funding for our public schools. My short- and mid-term approach to addressing poverty is helping new and existing businesses to create new local jobs that offer a living wage.
SUN: Do you support stop-and-frisk?
CR: No. This policing tactic should end immediately — unless of course they impose the same practice as frequently on white Philadelphians as they do on Black and Latino Philadelphians.
SUN: Do you support Black Lives Matter?
CR: Yes. The BLM movement is an invaluable form of nonviolent social protest that has its place in a society whose current racial battlefront requires different tactics than what was effective during the Civil Rights era.
SUN: What are some of the pressing issues that you feel are affecting your district? And, how do you plan to address them if elected?
CR: Education and public safety are of critical importance to my district, as they are to most Black urban communities across the city, state and country. As a fifth-generation educator, I know that there’s no better collective investment we can make than high quality education.
That education must begin with supporting universal pre-K on up to post-secondary schooling. the single best antidote to persistent crime.
SUN: Which candidate are you supporting for the Pennsylvania Presidential primary?
CR: Leaning towards Bernie.
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