Does MA have a white supremacy problem? Depends which Brockton state rep hopeful you ask.

BROCKTON – Candidates for the city's new majority-minority State House district took questions on race, rent and revitalization in a debate hosted by the Brockton Area Branch NAACP.

Three people hope to represent the 11th Plymouth District: Democrats Shirley Asack and Rita Mendes, plus Fred Fontaine, who is running as an independent on a sticker campaign after missing an election filing deadline.

Asack and Mendes both serve on the City Council, with Asack the longtime representative of Ward 7 and Mendes the top vote-getter among at-large candidates.

Questions from panelists Patricia Jackson and Courtney Henderson laid bare some differences among the candidates at the forum on Thursday, Aug. 25, 2022.

White supremacy in the Bay State

Jackson asked about a "dramatic increase" in white supremacy and with it violence against minorities, citing a July march in Boston in which neo-Nazis assaulted a person of color.

"Would you please tell us what you would do in terms of laws that would better protect minorities from these assaults, and also do you feel that white supremacy is an issue in the state of Massachusetts?"

Asack's answer drew gasps from some audience members.

"I do not feel that Massachusetts has a problem with white supremacy," said Asack, who came to the U.S. as a child from Lebanon. "I grew up here, I've lived here all my life and I follow what's happening throughout the country. What's happening throughout the country, I think, isn't happening directly here in Massachusetts or to the level that it's happening throughout the country."

Fontaine, originally from Haiti, said more Black police officers need to be hired.

"I believe everywhere in the United States white supremacy exists," Fontaine said.

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Mendes, an immigrant from Brazil, echoed Fontaine's call for more police officers of color.

"This is an uncomfortable topic that people don't want to talk about, but white supremacy is real and it has been shed to light more with the former president," Mendes said. "It's getting closer and closer to home, it's getting closer and closer to Massachusetts."

The debate format gave Asack a chance to speak again on the subject, since she was the first to answer the question.

"This is a major issue and I would hate to believe that it's here, directly in our home in the city of Brockton," Asack said of white supremacy. "Because I feel we are a very diverse city, we're a melting pot, and I would do everything I can to eliminate white supremacy here in this city."

Rent control: One yes and two nos

The three candidates also diverged on rent control.

Fontaine allowed that although he benefited from the policy when he lived in Cambridge in the 1990s, paying just $380 for a big apartment, he opposes not allowing owners to invest in their properties.

Asack also does not support rent control. She said that downtown is booming with housing, fueled by developers being able to fill their buildings with tenants paying market rate.

Only Mendes supported rent control. She said she spoke at the Statehouse in favor of the policy. Massachusetts prohibits rent control but Mendes said individual cities should be able to adopt the policy if it has local support.

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Asack pressures Mendes on money, local knowledge

The candidates engaged in some sparring. In response to a question about money in politics, Asack said that not only has she raised the most money among the three, but that she hasn't used any of her own money. A review of the campaign finance reports through July 31 bears out Asack's claim, though several family members have donated to her campaign. Mendes has loaned her campaign $15,000 and Fontaine has loaned his campaign $2,150, according to finance records.

Through July 31, Asack had raised $22,505 to Mendes' $20,792 and Fontaine's $7,221.

Asack also took Mendes to task for a response to a question about jobs which seemed to indicate she did not know that Brockton High School, which hosted the debate, has some vocational programs.

"This high school has vocational," Asack said. "This high school teaches nursing, they've always taught auto repair, so it's here."

Voting is underway

Early voting in the Democratic primary began Saturday at the Westgate Mall, with Election Day coming up on Tuesday, Sept. 6. The winner of the Democratic nomination would have no opposition printed on the ballot for the Nov. 8 general election.

There's a chance – however small – of Fontaine winning the Democratic primary. What then? Fontaine would have to file a written acceptance of the nomination with the state, according to the Secretary of State's website.

Send your news tips to reporter Chris Helms by email at CHelms@enterprisenews.com or connect on Twitter at @HelmsNews. Thank you, subscribers. You make this coverage possible. If you are not a subscriber, please consider supporting quality local journalism by purchasing a digital or print subscription to The Brockton Enterprise.

This article originally appeared on The Enterprise: Brockton NAACP hosts debate for majority minority 11th Plymouth seat