The Democrat challenging Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman slammed the US cash bail system in newly resurfaced social media posts – claiming the system inflames “racial inequality.”
Seth Koslow, a Nassau lawmaker, wrote on Facebook on March 30, 2021, “America’s cash bail system criminalizes poverty and exacerbates racial inequality” — two years after the state Legislature and then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo approved New York’s controversial law eliminating cash bail for a slew of crimes.
He also posted to Facebook, on Dec. 3, 2019, in a response to an ACLU article about the prison industrial complex that “ending mass incarceration will require changes to hundreds of laws and practices in all states.”
The posts have since been scrubbed from Koslow’s page.
Koslow is looking to unseat Blakeman, a Republican, in November. And bail reform and public safety have emerged as hot-button issues in the contentious race.
Blakeman, seeking a second term, pounced on the opportunity to blast his opponent.
“Seth Koslow is a pro-criminal candidate who supports cashless bail, and wants to water down protections that women who have been raped have, even claiming that women fantasize and desire to be raped,” a Blakeman rep, referencing prior statements Koslow made in a column about alleged victims fabricating or fantasizing about rape, told The Post.
“County Executive Bruce Blakeman has made Nassau County the safest county in America and hired 600 new Law Enforcement officers all without raising taxes one penny in the last four years,” the rep added.
Koslow, a criminal defense attorney and former prosecutor, shot back that crime has actually gone up in certain categories in Nassau — rated the safest county in America by US News & World Report last year– under Blakeman.
“Crime is up under Blakeman.” Koslow said. “I am a former prosecutor. I am devoted to public safety. I support the cops and believe that criminals must be punished.
“Bruce Blakeman is a liar. He is good on sound bites, but is really the same old inside machine politician that is bankrupting Nassau and making us less safe.”
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