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East Harlem lawmaker says he isn’t safe in NY State Assembly
By
Jimmy Vielkind
Published Feb 6, 2026
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Arturo Holmes/Getty Images for The Children's Place, Inc.
By
Jimmy Vielkind
Published Feb 6, 2026
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This column originally appeared in The Politics Brief, our weekly newsletter on the people, power and policies that shape New Yorkers' lives.
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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.
Brown hovered over Gibbs and poked him in the nose, Gibbs said. Eventually, one of the chamber’s sergeants at arms stepped in to separate them.
“They didn't do anything [afterward]. So I refuse to go to the chamber, I refuse to legislate, I refuse to go to committees,” Gibbs said. “I'm not safe. He threatened to assault me there.”
A spokesperson for Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, who runs the chamber and oversees security, said he had received a letter from Gibbs and would review it. The speaker in December formally sanctioned Gibbs for using crude language during a floor speech last year.
Brown said in a text message that tensions run high in the chamber and “heated exchanges bubble up from time to time.”
“In my time here, I’ve never had an issue with another member. I’m not interested in replaying the specifics in the press,” Brown said. “Members have absolutely no authority over my free speech, or the language anyone else uses.”
Gibbs’ struggle highlights some of the problems that non-traditional candidates say they find when they confront the established order at the State Capitol — where rank-and-file legislators have little say in high-level negotiations and power is accrued based on seniority.
This parallels the marginalizing experiences that formerly incarcerated individuals face in other aspects of life, said Jose Saldana, director of the Release Aging People in Prison advocacy group.
“ He represents a community that has been neglected by the state of New York, a community that's under-resourced, a community that has been ignored historically,” Saldana, who was incarcerated for 38 years, said at a rally with Gibbs. “ The failure here is from his own colleagues.”
Gibbs said he received online threats and had his tires slashed after spending a night at the Marcy Correctional Facility, where prisoner Robert Brooks was beaten to death by guards in late 2024.
Video of a shouting match between the lawmaker and a corrections officer was released by the New York State Correctional Officers Police and Benevolent Association. Gibbs said the resulting harassment has taken a toll on his mental well-being and prompted him to leave the corrections committee.
And this November will be his last time seeking re-election to the $142,000 a year job.
“I want to find peace,” he said. “And I just want them to leave me alone.”
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Jimmy Vielkind
Jimmy Vielkind covers how state government and politics affect people throughout New York. He has covered Albany since 2008, most recently as a reporter for The Wall Street Journal. Jimmy led a team of reporters that won a New York Press Club award for coverage of Andrew Cuomo’s downfall and was on a team that won a Gerald Loeb Award for coverage of Amazon’s HQ2 process. A native of the Capitol Region, Jimmy has two degrees in urban planning. His position is funded by a grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Reach Jimmy at [email protected].
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