Christian White no longer serving on Rollins DA transition team
From single cell to single dad still backs Rachael
Christian White has taken a lot of heat from local right wing media over his volunteer role on the Rachael Rollins Suffolk County District Attorney transition team.
The Boston Herald took offense to White’s facebook posts and criminal record.
WRKO’s Jeff Kuhner spent hours of his “Kuhner Report” broadcast time whipping up the fear and hate calling White, “a lifelong gangbanger”. “The Kuhner Man”, as the egotistical yakker often refers to himself in the third person, got a bit upset during an RKO Rollins call-in when the then DA-Elect noted the “fear mongering” that the host was broadcasting. Kuhner mocked that the very valid Rollins criticism was “power-tripping”.
Because only “The Kuhner Man” gets to have an opinion. Votes mean nothing, neither do facts.
Publicly Rollins has stood strong for White throughout it all.
Since then, White has decided to resign from the volunteer position.
What follows is my conversation with White about his past and present, his recent resignation, a response to “The Kuhner Man”, and why he still supports District Attorney Rachael Rollins.
You've taken a lot of media heat over your background, can you tell us about your past and what you are doing today?
“I’ve done state and county bids and have awaited trial for various charges. My last and final was for illegally possessing a firearm, of which I served nearly nine years. When I went to prison my son’s mother was eight and a half months pregnant. Upon release, he was turning nine years old.
I’ve been home for three years and a single dad for just over a year. My son will be twelve on January 11th.
This past February I created a page called The One Day At A Time Dad on facebook. It is about redefining what it is to be a man and a dad.
The page took off to my surprise. Originally the following (for the page) was mostly female. Over the course of a few months more and more men and dads got on board.
I also go out into the neighborhoods to engage young men in conversation. How they are, where they see themselves. Eventually we speak about the choices they are making and how those choices connect to the larger picture.
Over the past four months or so I began a poster campaign around the city posing the question “If you go to jail will the gang raise your child?”. Many reached out asking if they could learn more about me. I told my story often.
Rachael Rollins and I met at a DA forums just before the primary. She noticed a group of young people surrounding me, listening intently and was curious as to who I was while wearing my “From Single Cell to Single Dad” hat. After I told her about my community work, we decided to keep in touch.
Originally I was for Shannon (McAuliffe) winning. Then while interviewing Rachael on her perspectives regarding the connections, if any between mental health, crime and poverty. Her understanding blew me away. It was then I decided to support her.
I resigned from the transition team so as not to be a distraction. There’s a bigger picture here and I was not going to stand in the way of that. She was defending me so much that it was becoming a distraction to her working on policy and other things.”
Do you have a response to Jeff Kuhner and the Boston Herald's of the world and their harping on your being on the Rollins transition team?
“Jeff Kuhner made a reference to his resume as a journalist being as long as my rap sheet. I would tell him that is precisely why he should stick to journalism and let me do the violence disruption and outreach work.”
So you continue to support D.A. Rollins?
“Yes, because Rachael has remained the same person since day one. Consistency and following up is important to me. Alongside that she is truly allowing voices at the table that are not usually on the menu.”
What are the solutions you think to reducing violence and taking on the racial disparities in unsolved murders for example?
“Solutions to the murders and racial disparities are tricky no doubt. First and foremost there needs to be an acknowledgement that the system has been performing lopsided far too long. And that’s fine. But it’s unacceptable moving forward. The sum of 182,000 voters have said that. So now we work on solutions. Part of that is bringing self value to many who have never had it, mostly because they had never learned it. Also, a major piece is getting young men and women to connect moments in time. So many don’t see the consequences of their actions. I help them to see those connections through our shared life experiences.”