CROWN HEIGHTS — Three supporters of President-elect Donald Trump were honored with a “guardian angel” award at a local precinct council meeting Monday night for their plan to help a local woman find housing — and to deliver a message of unity to Crown Heights residents.
The head of the 77th Precinct Community Council, James Caldwell, invited three Trump representatives to his group's monthly meeting, including Manager of Voter Outreach Maria Sicurelli, campaign volunteer Barbara Gruson and Lynne Patton, a Trump executive who has worked with the president-elect’s family for years and became the subject of a viral video where she tearfully defended Trump against charges of racism.
The women came to the meeting accompanied by Mary Lee Ward, a former Bedford-Stuyvesant resident in her 80s who lost her home when a “predatory” lender went bankrupt in the mortgage crisis of 2007, according to news reports about the ordeal.
Ward, a Jehovah’s Witness who does not vote under to the dictates of her faith, says she became enamored of Trump when they met during the campaign this year and he offered to help her find housing.
Since then, Gruson, Patton and Sicurelli have been charged with helping find a permanent solution for Ward.
For now, Ward is staying at a home on Schenectady Avenue, a temporary spot she found with help from the 77th Precinct.
“They’re going to do everything to find me a place to stay,” Ward said of the Trump team.
In recent months, both Ward and Caldwell have been invited to Trump events twice: first as “VIP” guests of the candidate at the Las Vegas debate and, most recently, on Election Night, which they spent inside Trump Tower, Ward said.
Patton couldn't say what specifically will be done to help Ward, but stressed that Trump would make it a priority when he takes office.
“He promised, after the election is over, to circle back and sit down and figure out and identify what her needs are and what our next steps are," she said. "And that’s where we are right now."
On Monday, Caldwell praised the three Trump representatives for their willingness to help Ward and presented them with “guardian angel” awards “in appreciation for your dedication and service to our community,” he said.
“All right Crown Heights, you got a connection now to the White House!” he said to applause as he presented the last plaque and donned a “Make America Great Again” hat for a group photo.
The three women were also invited to speak during the meeting, using some of that time to play a Fox News segment about Ward's story.
Patton then spoke to the meeting’s attendees — a group of about 75 Crown Heights residents at the Greater Mount Pleasant Baptist Church on St. Marks Avenue — about Trump’s plan “for African-American and minority communities,” she said, before making her case for unity after a divisive campaign.
“The election is over and now we all have to come together, as Secretary Clinton and President Obama said,” Patton said. “Hopefully we can do that for the greater good of this country because, quite frankly, if they can all get together and shake hands and pledge to work together, there’s absolutely no reason why we can’t either.”
Precinct community council meetings are held to allow dialogue between residents and leaders of local police, typically including an update on crime from the precinct’s commanding officer. After the award presentation on Monday, the 77th Precinct’s new leader, Capt. Isa Abassi praised the precinct “family” for their work on Ward’s housing issue.
“It speaks volumes when you see the community come together to help someone like Ms. Ward,” he said.
Elsewhere in the city, thousands have marched against Trump for days since his election. But at the Crown Heights meeting, none of the attendees responded to the presentation with anything other than polite attention.
Central Brooklyn is one of the bluest areas of the borough, according to analysis by DNAinfo of election returns. In the election district surrounding the Baptist church’s block, only 9 people — or 1 percent — out of 641 voters chose the Republican candidate last week.
