Anthony Beckford for City Council

Anthony Beckford is a Single Father, Community Advocate, Marine Corps Veteran, Activist veteran, single father, He is the only son of a Jamaican Mother with Cuban & Taíno Indian lineage and is a lifelong resident of Flatbush. He is now running for City Council District 45 in Brooklyn.

Anthony Beckford noticed that he had the power to make change happen at the age of 12, when he fought against and stopped the segregated rezoning plan that the School District was going to implement in 1992. He attended P.S. 244, then transferred to P.S. 135 for Elementary School, I.S. 232 (Winthrop) for Junior High School, then graduated from Midwood High School (right across from Brooklyn College). Having attended public schools himself he understands that excellent public schooling is essential to the development of our youth. Not enough funding has gone towards schools in the Flatbush, East Flatbush, Midwood, Flatlands areas. Anthony Beckford’s own daughter was impacted by the budget cuts, private sector favoritism and lack of efforts for legislators to do what was right and advocate for 240 children who were in need of assistance. This is one of the driving motivations to run for office. Parents make up a large percentage of those who reside in District 45 and Mr. Beckford hopes to prioritize their needs he knows firsthand. He is dedicated to finding solutions for the problems that plague Black and Brown communities; such as police misconduct, lack of resources and lack of job opportunities and business grants.

You may even see him walking around the communities “Copwatching” to make sure that there is accountability when it comes to the NYPD. Mr. Beckford wants to make the rights of those in the community are respected and honored, especially by public servants. He also hopes to promote community policing, which is an agenda which will have to be developed more with help from the public. As far as resources go, it is clear that rents are rising and there is an enormous need for affordable housing in Flatbush, East Flatbush, Midwood and Flatlands. Gentrification is a problem that must be stopped. Too many people are being affected negatively by it. Mr. Beckford wants to make sure members of the neighborhood who have enjoyed living there can afford to continue to live there even with the larger developments in the area. Even with these developments Mr. Beckford can see that the needs for street repairs, small business development opportunities, community centers and afterschool programs are being overlooked. He hopes to prioritize the requests of churches, non-profit organizations and community programs that serve the community. Mr. Beckford also aims to protect the already existing businesses in the community from corrupt developers and greedy landlords.

Anthony Beckford has been on the front lines, standing up against Trump's racist immigration ban. When the First Travel Ban happened, Mr. Beckford was present at JFK airport with various other grassroots organizations. He is frequently present at actions promoting social and economic equality and justice.Being a member of the UFT Union he understands the importance of teachers and the needs of students.
Anthony Beckford was not raised in a privileged lifestyle. His mother worked hard and taught him how to be an even stronger individual.

So on November 7th, 2017, make sure that you vote for Anthony Beckford, because you are not voting for a politician, you are voting for an advocate who has fought for your community since he was 12 years old. He has only grown more passionate and loving as he has grown.