A 98-year-old man was beaten with a broomstick, a metal chair, punched, and kicked in a Brooklyn apartment lobby — by a campaign worker for the Democratic Socialists of America. The victim's crime? An argument over a political pamphlet. The party of compassion, ladies and gentlemen. Really living up to the brand.
Let that sink in. Ninety-eight years old. This man was born before World War II. He survived the Great Depression. And on a Thursday afternoon in 2026, he got jumped by a 27-year-old DSA activist in his own building.
The suspect is Tashara Abel, 27, who was distributing campaign flyers for Anthony Beckford, a DSA member and New York State Committee Member running for re-election as a Democratic district leader in the June 23 primary. An argument broke out in the lobby over the pamphlet, and Abel allegedly responded by grabbing a broomstick and a metal chair and going to work on a man who is nearly a century old.
Abel has been hit with three counts of assault, burglary, and criminal possession of a weapon. Good. That's a start.
Beckford's campaign released a statement saying "anyone associated with my campaign is expected to conduct themselves with respect and professionalism." Oh, is that right? Because your campaign worker just used a broomstick as a weapon on a senior citizen who could be somebody's great-great-grandfather. "Respect and professionalism" — the bar is in hell and they still tripped over it.
Neighbor Pierre Verna spoke about the victim: "He's a fairly nice guy, so everyone who walks up and down here, either with their kids or are delivering stuff, like, they know who he is. He's a good guy, been around for a long time. So hopefully he's alright." Another neighbor said, "Why would someone want to do something like that? It's heartbreaking."
Yeah, it is heartbreaking. And infuriating.
This is the Democratic Socialists of America. The same outfit that backs every "defund the police" resolution, every anti-capitalist protest, every smug lecture about how conservatives are the violent ones. And their campaign worker is out here assaulting the elderly in apartment lobbies because somebody didn't want a flyer.
We hear a lot about "political violence" from the left. They use that phrase every time someone raises their voice at a school board meeting. But when their own people physically attack a 98-year-old man? Watch how fast this story disappears from every mainstream outlet.
Three counts of assault. Burglary. Criminal possession of a weapon. Over a campaign pamphlet for a Democratic district leader race that nobody outside Brooklyn even knew existed. This wasn't some random act of violence — this was a political operative beating up an old man because he didn't show the proper enthusiasm for the cause.
If a Republican campaign worker had done this, it would be the lead story on every network for a week. There'd be congressional hearings. Anderson Cooper would be doing a special from the lobby.
But it's a DSA worker, so we'll be lucky if it makes page six.
Lock her up, and every voter in that June 23 primary should remember exactly what kind of operation Anthony Beckford is running.
