John J. Ciafone poses for a picture with community leader, Martha Flores Vazquez, at Terrace in the Park in Queens on April 26, 2023. (Image: Vision Times)

A special Democratic primary is scheduled to be held this year on June 27, and Democrat John J. Ciafone is on the ballot seeking to be elected as judge for the Queens 6th Municipal Court District in the New York City Civil Court of Queens County.

Ciafone, born in Astoria, New York and a married father of three, is an award-winning trial attorney who has served the needs of his community for over 25 years.

Recently, on April 26, he was recognized as one of the “Kings of New York” in an event sponsored by Schneps Media.

“Kings of New York presented by Schneps Media recognizes the achievements and contributions of extraordinary men at the pinnacle of their career from Manhattan to Montauk,” reads a press release on the event.

In addition to his law practice, Ciafone was elected to Community School Board 30 where he served as its president and also serves as a Law Judge/Hearing Officer.

He is a trained EMT and EMS who regularly volunteers his time and recently was awarded a Hero in Healthcare award for his service during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ciafone is running on a pro-law enforcement platform.

“I’m tired of our government officials, our legislators, and our governor who doesn’t support law enforcement,” Ciafone told Vision Times, adding that in particular, “the Asian community has been attacked. Yes, discrimination, assaults. It’s unacceptable.”

He believes political squabbling has spiraled out of control. “It’s crazy politics. You have politicians in government that want everyone to be equal. They are trying to bring communism. They’re trying to bring communism to this country,” he said, adding that, “This was the best country in the world, but they’ve been destroying it day by day. They’re doing it through crime, increased crime, supporting criminals over victims.”

“You punish a criminal, not the victim. In any country, even in the communist countries, they will not support a criminal over a victim,” he said.

‘What’s right is wrong, and what’s wrong is right’

Ciafone lays the majority of the blame for the spike in crime, of all sorts, in the state at the feet of New York’s bail reform laws.

According to a recent report titled “More Criminals, More Crime: Measuring the Public Safety Impact of New York’s 2018 Bail Law,” published in July 2022 by the Manhattan Institute, following the implementation of New York’s 2018 bail reform laws, crime in the Empire State surged by double digit percentages for numerous types of crime.

According to the report, the period between March 15, 2019 and March 15 2020 saw burglaries in New York state rise by 26.5 percent while robberies rose by an astounding 33.9 percent.

Shooting incidents rose by 22.9 percent during the same period as well as grand larceny which increased by 15.8 percent. Car thefts increased by an astounding 68 percent in the same period.

“The only crimes to show decreases were murder (-3.2%) and rape (-11.5%), crimes for which judges could still set bail,” the report reads.

“What they’ve been able to do is change the American psychology. What’s right is wrong, and what’s wrong is right,” Ciafone said.

‘I’m a proud son of an immigrant’

Ciafone told Vision Times that he is a “proud son of an immigrant,” and in regard to New York’s Asian community, that they need to reinforce their support traditional American values.

“This country is going in the wrong direction and we need to save it,” he said, adding that “we need the Asian community, whether Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, whatever, wherever you’re from, to support the principles of America.”

Going even further, Cianfone said, “I’m not going to name politicians because I don’t want to go to war with them. But, there are Asian-American politicians in New York that have embraced communist theories … They have turned on their own people because their people came here for the principles of democracy, liberty and free speech.”

He said these politicians are both Democrat and Republican, and that they “attack religion … They don’t believe in families. They don’t believe in the father. They don’t believe in a woman.”

“I must say, I’m an American born citizen, but of all the ethnicities, I’m most honored by the Asian community because they’ve achieved so much success in such a short period of time,” he said, adding that, “Why? Because they study, they work hard. They believe in family. They believe in God, and they believe in our country. And that’s why they have succeeded.”

John J. Ciafone poses for a photo with his Kings of New York award on April 26, 2023 in Queens, New York (Image: Vision Times)

‘We’re not a kangaroo government’

Ciafone said that he is “running as a civil court judge for law and order and for public safety. Because all of us … deserve to go home and not worry about someone attacking us, someone robbing us, someone hitting us, someone attacking our families. That’s not acceptable. We’re not a kangaroo government,” adding that “We’re supposed to be the model of the world, and we’re failing that.”

A traditional Democrat, Ciafone says the current socialist progressives in power are not Democrats, but communists.

“Look at what they did to Venezuela,” he said. “They had the oil, [and were] the richest, but they brought in communism and they destroyed everything. Families destroyed, no jobs. Try to go buy something? There’s a line to get toilet paper or medicine. This is what they want,” he argued.

The special election for the Queens 6th Municipal Court District judge of the New York City Civil Court for Queens County will be held on June 27, 2023.