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Politico
17-06-2025
- Politics
- Politico
A chaotic day on the trail
THE WORLD MEETS BRAD LANDER: It was a chaotic day on the mayoral campaign trail as Zohran Mamdani celebrated the endorsement of Bernie Sanders from a rally in Astoria, Andrew Cuomo rallied with union members in Union Square, and third-place candidate and city Comptroller Brad Lander was detained by ICE. Lander was arrested at 26 Federal Plaza, where he was escorting undocumented immigrants out of hearings earlier today — something he has done before in an attempt to shield them from ICE officers posted in and around the courthouses to make arrests. 'I would like to see the warrant and then I will let go,' Lander shouts, as he tussles with three federal agents, all of them attempting to cuff a resisting Lander, according to video of the altercation from amNY's Dean Moses. 'You don't have the authority to arrest U.S. citizens asking for a judicial warrant,' Lander also says. According to THE CITY, one ICE agent reportedly asked another, 'Do you want to arrest the comptroller?' minutes before they cuffed him. Lander's high-profile detention comes as he dials up his mayoral campaign with just one week until the Democratic primary. He won praise from The New York Times' Opinion section in two separate editorials over the past week, performed well in a debate in which he came claws-out for the former New York governor and relished a cross-endorsement with Mamdani, who is nipping at Cuomo's heels. While Gov. Kathy Hochul, Attorney General Letitia James, Lander's wife, Mamdani, rival candidates and lefty lawmakers gathered outside the site of his detention, Cuomo — who also condemned Lander's arrest — was hoping to get out the vote at a rally in Union Square. Cuomo said Lander's arrest was 'a disgusting display of the thuggery of Trump's ICE' and 'was breathtakingly ugly and cruel.' Hochul said the arrest was 'bullshit' and questioned 'what is happening to this country?' Minutes ago, Lander was released and spotted holding hands with Hochul and his wife. Cuomo's Manhattan rally followed Mamdani's Queens celebration of Sanders' endorsement: 'What we're seeing is a hunger across the city for a new generation of leadership that finally meets this crisis of affordability from within and authoritarianism from without,' the democratic socialist Mamdani said. — Jason Beeferman From the Capitol PACKAGING PERIL: Time for action is running short as the Assembly aims to depart Albany today, possibly leaving in limbo a sweeping measure to reduce waste and remove toxic chemicals from packaging over intense industry pushback. Democratic Assemblymember Deborah Glick, who sponsors the bill, believes she has the votes to pass it. But the measure would require a lengthy floor debate given Republican opposition. 'I have an indication' that it will get to the floor, Glick said before session began this morning. 'But no absolute confidence.' The bill would mandate reductions in plastic and packaging use and bans chemicals deemed toxic from packaging. Industry players including food makers and the American Chemistry Council vigorously oppose the New York measure. They've argued it could raise costs and that some products could vanish from shelves due to the restrictions on certain chemicals. The ban on chemicals includes plastic types commonly used in food packaging, along with heavy metals and PFAS, also known as 'forever chemicals.' Environmental and public health advocates backing the bill point to a growing body of research raising concerns about the health impacts of plastics on humans. They argue for safer alternatives and say New York is too large of a market for producers to stop selling into. 'When this bill becomes law, it's going to make food packaging so much safer,' said Judith Enck, the founder of Beyond Plastics. 'This is the best plastics reduction bill in the country.' The powerful statewide AFL-CIO over the weekend came out in opposition to the bill, warning of potential job losses and costs. — Marie J. French From City Hall FUNDING APPEAL: Mayor Eric Adams' administration on Tuesday joined an amicus brief in a multistate lawsuit to counter $4 billion in cuts to research funding from the National Institutes of Health. The lawsuit against the Trump administration argued the cuts to indirect research funding, which support basic operational expenses, were arbitrary and capricious. 'These organizations need federal funding to continue their work that saves lives right here in New York City and around the globe,' Adams said in a statement. 'Our administration will always support efforts to ensure that New Yorkers get every dollar in resources they deserve, which is why we are urging the courts to protect this critical funding.' A federal judge issued a permanent nationwide injunction in the case in April, which the NIH appealed. Adams administration officials are urging the court to uphold the injunction. — Maya Kaufman FROM THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL BALLOT ACCESS: Adams suggested he would sue the New York City Board of Elections over ballot access, potentially opening a second legal front in his challenged bid to win reelection. Speaking at an unrelated press briefing at City Hall today, the mayor blasted the board's decision limiting him to one independent ballot line in the general election. 'I think that's unfair,' Adams said. 'I think the rules for everyone should be the same, and so our legal team is now looking at that to determine if it's constitutionally sound.' Adams dropped out of the Democratic primary while still under the cloud of his now-defunct criminal bribery case, which was tossed at the behest of President Donald Trump's Department of Justice. Instead, he planned to run as an independent in the November general election on two ballot lines of his own creation: EndAntiSemitism and Safe&Affordable. Candidates who earn the nomination of major parties can also run on an independent ballot line. But state laws limit independent candidates to just one, meaning Adams will have to choose. — Joe Anuta IN OTHER NEWS — MAMDANI WANTS $70 BILLION DEBT: The democratic socialist candidate's affordable housing plan would require the city to take on $70 billion of debt, which needs state approval. (Bloomberg) — TIMES GIVES ENDORSEMENT ANOTHER GO: The Times' 15 panelists elaborate on their choice for the best candidate to lead the city. (The New York Times) — MAMDANI UPS SECURITY: The progressive state assemblymember is ramping up his security following an alarming rise in threats that have reached a 'new level of specificity,' his campaign said. (Gothamist) Missed this morning's New York Playbook? We forgive you. Read it here.
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Cuomo Claimed These NYCHA Tenant Leaders Endorsed Him. They Say They Never Did.
By Samantha Maldonado, THE CITY This story was originally published by THE CITY. Sign up to get the latest New York City news delivered to you each morning. Jeannette Salcedo is still mulling over who to endorse in the mayor's race. So Salcedo, the resident association president at NYCHA's Castle Hill Houses in The Bronx, was taken aback when someone asked her about an Instagram post from former Gov. Andrew Cuomo's account with her name on it, indicating she'd endorsed him for mayor. 'How did that happen?' Salcedo asked. 'I did not endorse him. I did not. I don't know who I'm endorsing. My questions, as far as I'm concerned, haven't been answered.' Still, Salcedo's name appeared with 26 other NYCHA tenant association presidents on a list the campaign released in May that indicated they all endorsed him for mayor. But that is not the case. Five tenant association presidents who appeared on the list told THE CITY they did not endorse the former governor, saying they still need to decide amongst candidates. Two others didn't reveal whether or not Cuomo won their backing, but said they never approved their names appearing on the list. Six presidents confirmed their endorsements of Cuomo, but of those, one said she didn't know the list would be public. In a statement, Cuomo campaign spokesperson Esther Jensen pointed out that the list had been public for over a month and cast doubt on the claims. 'Something smells here,' she said. 'When THE CITY reached out, we reconnected with NYCHA Tenant Leaders and learned that some had privately expressed feeling intimidated by supporters of other candidates, while others simply didn't welcome the attention that came from press inquiries.' Over half a million New Yorkers live in NYCHA developments throughout the boroughs, and securing the endorsements of the tenant leaders can serve as a boon for any mayoral campaign. And it's especially significant for Cuomo, who served as secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development under President Bill Clinton and says that experience makes him the most qualified candidate on housing. The Cuomo campaign has been afflicted by missteps, including a housing plan with garbled sections written with the help of artificial intelligence. It was twice docked matching funds as a penalty for ads bought by an independent committee that a city board said illegally coordinated with the campaign. Cuomo is appealing the decisions. Salcedo said Cuomo's campaign had reached out to her, and she told them she didn't know enough to say she'd endorse him. Instead she told the campaign representative, whose name she didn't remember, to put her on the list to learn more. Salcedo made a social media post of her own clarifying her stance and said she has now soured on considering Cuomo for mayor, given what happened. 'When you speak to someone in a leadership role, it's important to get their words correct. You don't just take their words and run with it,' she said. 'At this point now, that threw me to the left. I don't want any parts of you.' NYCHA leaders like Salcedo said they are eager to know what the mayoral candidates plan to improve the aging and cash-strapped public housing stock, which faces devastating possible budget cuts from the federal government. Cuomo, the race's frontrunner, proposed upgrading NYCHA through a five-year investment of $2.5 billion, converting more sites to private management and developing new apartments on open space on campuses, among other ideas. Two tenant association presidents told THE CITY they found out their names appeared on the list only after someone from City Hall reached out and asked about it. A City Hall spokesperson clarified that in both cases, a community affairs staffer who had longstanding relationships with the tenant association presidents communicated informally in the context of regular business. One of those presidents, who asked to be kept anonymous to protect her residents from any blowback, said she had a call with the Cuomo campaign but never confirmed her support. She called the whole situation 'dirty politics' and said the campaign 'blew the trust.' 'I haven't really made up my mind, and I don't know who I'm voting for yet because it's not even early voting,' she said, adding that she'd have to 'face the music' the next time she saw Mayor Eric Adams. Adams has announced he will be running for reelection as an independent in November. Lehra Brooks, Throggs Neck Houses Tenant Association president, confirmed her support for Cuomo, but said she was blindsided when she saw her name and title publicly on the list. She said she found out when she got a call from Adams' office, which sent her a copy. 'I didn't know they were putting us out as tenant association presidents. I was speaking for me, personally,' Brooks said. 'I think that this is some funky politics.' Still, she backs Cuomo, pointing to his leadership during the pandemic. 'He did an excellent job, and I said yes, I would support. When I look at the state of how we are right now, he'd be good,' she said. Rashida Reid, president of the South Beach Houses Resident Association in Staten Island, learned her name was on the list when THE CITY contacted her about it. She said she spoke to someone from the Cuomo campaign and didn't tell them whether or not she'd support him. 'I have not made up my mind,' Reid said. 'I need to see what [the candidates] stand for.' Kimberly Comes, president of the Redfern Houses Resident Council in Far Rockaway, was one of the people who accurately appeared on the list in support of Cuomo. 'He came to visit our community, and he spoke with some of the residents,' she said. 'I haven't given any cash or anything like that, but we feel he would be a great mayor.' ― ― Samantha Maldonado is a senior reporter for THE CITY, where she covers climate, resiliency, housing and development.
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Cuomo Claimed These NYCHA Tenant Leaders Endorsed Him. They Say They Never Did.
By Samantha Maldonado, THE CITY This story was originally published by THE CITY. Sign up to get the latest New York City news delivered to you each morning. Jeannette Salcedo is still mulling over who to endorse in the mayor's race. So Salcedo, the resident association president at NYCHA's Castle Hill Houses in The Bronx, was taken aback when someone asked her about an Instagram post from former Gov. Andrew Cuomo's account with her name on it, indicating she'd endorsed him for mayor. 'How did that happen?' Salcedo asked. 'I did not endorse him. I did not. I don't know who I'm endorsing. My questions, as far as I'm concerned, haven't been answered.' Still, Salcedo's name appeared with 26 other NYCHA tenant association presidents on a list the campaign released in May that indicated they all endorsed him for mayor. But that is not the case. Five tenant association presidents who appeared on the list told THE CITY they did not endorse the former governor, saying they still need to decide amongst candidates. Two others didn't reveal whether or not Cuomo won their backing, but said they never approved their names appearing on the list. Six presidents confirmed their endorsements of Cuomo, but of those, one said she didn't know the list would be public. In a statement, Cuomo campaign spokesperson Esther Jensen pointed out that the list had been public for over a month and cast doubt on the claims. 'Something smells here,' she said. 'When THE CITY reached out, we reconnected with NYCHA Tenant Leaders and learned that some had privately expressed feeling intimidated by supporters of other candidates, while others simply didn't welcome the attention that came from press inquiries.' Over half a million New Yorkers live in NYCHA developments throughout the boroughs, and securing the endorsements of the tenant leaders can serve as a boon for any mayoral campaign. And it's especially significant for Cuomo, who served as secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development under President Bill Clinton and says that experience makes him the most qualified candidate on housing. The Cuomo campaign has been afflicted by missteps, including a housing plan with garbled sections written with the help of artificial intelligence. It was twice docked matching funds as a penalty for ads bought by an independent committee that a city board said illegally coordinated with the campaign. Cuomo is appealing the decisions. Salcedo said Cuomo's campaign had reached out to her, and she told them she didn't know enough to say she'd endorse him. Instead she told the campaign representative, whose name she didn't remember, to put her on the list to learn more. Salcedo made a social media post of her own clarifying her stance and said she has now soured on considering Cuomo for mayor, given what happened. 'When you speak to someone in a leadership role, it's important to get their words correct. You don't just take their words and run with it,' she said. 'At this point now, that threw me to the left. I don't want any parts of you.' NYCHA leaders like Salcedo said they are eager to know what the mayoral candidates plan to improve the aging and cash-strapped public housing stock, which faces devastating possible budget cuts from the federal government. Cuomo, the race's frontrunner, proposed upgrading NYCHA through a five-year investment of $2.5 billion, converting more sites to private management and developing new apartments on open space on campuses, among other ideas. Two tenant association presidents told THE CITY they found out their names appeared on the list only after someone from City Hall reached out and asked about it. A City Hall spokesperson clarified that in both cases, a community affairs staffer who had longstanding relationships with the tenant association presidents communicated informally in the context of regular business. One of those presidents, who asked to be kept anonymous to protect her residents from any blowback, said she had a call with the Cuomo campaign but never confirmed her support. She called the whole situation 'dirty politics' and said the campaign 'blew the trust.' 'I haven't really made up my mind, and I don't know who I'm voting for yet because it's not even early voting,' she said, adding that she'd have to 'face the music' the next time she saw Mayor Eric Adams. Adams has announced he will be running for reelection as an independent in November. Lehra Brooks, Throggs Neck Houses Tenant Association president, confirmed her support for Cuomo, but said she was blindsided when she saw her name and title publicly on the list. She said she found out when she got a call from Adams' office, which sent her a copy. 'I didn't know they were putting us out as tenant association presidents. I was speaking for me, personally,' Brooks said. 'I think that this is some funky politics.' Still, she backs Cuomo, pointing to his leadership during the pandemic. 'He did an excellent job, and I said yes, I would support. When I look at the state of how we are right now, he'd be good,' she said. Rashida Reid, president of the South Beach Houses Resident Association in Staten Island, learned her name was on the list when THE CITY contacted her about it. She said she spoke to someone from the Cuomo campaign and didn't tell them whether or not she'd support him. 'I have not made up my mind,' Reid said. 'I need to see what [the candidates] stand for.' Kimberly Comes, president of the Redfern Houses Resident Council in Far Rockaway, was one of the people who accurately appeared on the list in support of Cuomo. 'He came to visit our community, and he spoke with some of the residents,' she said. 'I haven't given any cash or anything like that, but we feel he would be a great mayor.' ― ― Samantha Maldonado is a senior reporter for THE CITY, where she covers climate, resiliency, housing and development.
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Can Zohran Mamdani's Volunteer Army Pull Off An Election Day Upset?
This article was produced in partnership with THE CITY, a nonprofit newsroom covering New York City. On a glum Wednesday evening recently, most New Yorkers were tucked away in their apartments, avoiding the persistent drizzle. This is exactly the scenario Mohit Sani and Dylan Halper were hoping for. Halper drums a cheery knock on the door of an Upper East Side apartment. A woman named Maria steps out, pushing her yapping dog behind her. 'My name is Dylan, and this is Mohit. We're volunteers with Zohran Mamdani's campaign for mayor,' Halper begins. Just 18 years old but already a canvassing veteran, Halper is partnered up with Sani, a first-timer, so Halper takes the lead. 'Democrat or Republican?' Maria asks skeptically. She's never heard of Mamdani before. 'Democrat,' Halper reassures her, 'he wants to freeze the rent for rent-stabilized tenants.' 'That's me!' she exclaims. Soon, Maria says the magic words: 'He's got my vote.' She even thanks the two volunteers for coming. Halper and Sani are among the thousands of volunteers who are aiming to elect the 33-year-old Mamdani as the next mayor of New York City. A state Assembly member from Queens and a member of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), Mamdani is running on a platform of affordability: free buses, city-run grocery stores, universal child care and a rent freeze. So far, he's beaten expectations, emerging from a pack of progressives as a strong number two in the polls. His progressive campaign plank, delivered via slick social media videos, earned him support from the 'terminally online.' And he's maxed out his campaign contributions with individual donors: Over 27,000 people have donated to his campaign — 12,000 more than city Comptroller Brad Lander, the candidate with the next highest number of donors. To his supporters, Mamdani is a young Bernie Sanders or a socialist Barack Obama. But to his detractors, he is inexperienced, a 'show pony,' a nepo baby and even an antisemite. If elected, Mamdani would be the first Muslim mayor of New York, and his views on what he unapologetically refers to as a genocide in Gaza have made him vulnerable to attacks from pro-Israel candidates — the mainstream position for NYC politicians, who have made visits to Israel part and parcel of the job. And he's still lagging former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who has been polling first in the contest before he even entered it and has maintained a solid lead since, although a recent Emerson poll has Mamdani closing the gap to single digits in the final round of a ranked choice voting tally. Cuomo has raised the most money and is backed by well-funded local super PACs called independent expenditure groups. But the Mamdani campaign is banking on one thing to set them apart: their ground game. According to the campaign, nearly 30,000 people have signed up to canvass, and they've knocked on more than 750,000 doors. Mamdani has called it 'the largest volunteer operation in NYC history.' It's certainly the largest one happening this election cycle. Mamdani's canvassers are in every borough, every night of the week. It can be a thankless task. In the city, volunteers must work their way into apartment buildings, past doormen and buzzer systems — often only to find themselves on the ground floor of one of New York's infamous walk-ups. And more often than not, no one is home. But that does not discourage Halper and Sani. Halper, a member of the DSA like Mamdani, is inspired by the candidate's vision for New York City. But like many other volunteers, he's not immune to the pull of something much more tangible — merch. All Mamdani volunteers receive a 'ZetroCard' — it looks like a MetroCard, but with spaces on the back to mark how many times they've canvassed. Halper has heard that if he fills out the card fast enough, he'll get a poster — a coveted keepsake that he can't get anywhere else. In fact, none of the campaign's swag is available for purchase — a result of New York City's campaign finance laws, according to Mamdani spokesperson Andrew Epstein. It's turned Zohran-branded items into cult collectibles — like vibrant yellow bandanas decorated with classic NYC iconography such as pigeons and hot dogs — worn by volunteers or tied onto their tote bags. And the only way to get one is to show up — something the campaign makes very easy to do. 'I've thought about volunteering for other things, and no one replies to your emails, or you have to apply and go do this thing, and then they only have one shift a week — and it's when you work,' said Anna Henderson, 25. But the Mamdani signups are simple and numerous: 'When I decided to do it, I just clicked on a day I could go in my neighborhood and just went,' Henderson said. Now, she's a seasoned Lower East Side canvasser. The low barrier to entry — and the opportunity to canvass in your own neighborhood — has benefits and drawbacks. On one hand, volunteers can pull in their own neighborhood-specific information, like a local bus that was free due to Mamdani's legislation. On the other, it leaves some neighborhoods like Williamsburg and Astoria canvass-dense, while the entire South Bronx has no canvasses at all. One field lead in The Bronx, Maxwell Dickinson, ventured out on a Saturday afternoon with a diverse group of volunteers, including multiple people over 40, a vital demographic Mamdani needs but has not yet cornered. Originally from Miami, Dickinson now lives in Riverdale. He likes to open his canvassing conversations with Mamdani's free bus platform and mentions universal child care if he sees a kid in the apartment. 'Personally, I've never mentioned that he's in the DSA, especially being from Miami,' Dickinson said, referring to that city's socialism-skeptical Cuban population. 'But maybe that's me being paranoid.' The Bronx canvassers know that their borough is being underserved. Over coffee and pancakes at a diner, they chat after the canvass about ways to expand their operation. One volunteer said she thinks Parkchester would be receptive to Mamdani because of its large Bengali population. Another suggested that the campaign partner with local organizations to help get the word out. 'You need people who are from there,' Dickinson agreed. Mamdani is following in the footsteps — literally — of another NYC Democratic Socialist: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. In 2018, Ocasio-Cortez touted her ground game as essential to her defeat of incumbent Rep. Joseph Crowley. Her worn-down shoes, once displayed in a Cornell museum, became a symbol of how speaking to people face-to-face could make the difference for underdog candidates. (Ocasio-Cortez has not yet made an endorsement in the mayoral race.) But Ocasio-Cortez had to mobilize voters in her district in The Bronx and Queens only; Mamdani needs to reach people across the five boroughs. The turnout for the congressional primary was also incredibly low — at only 11.8% of registered Democratic voters — so the supporters Ocasio-Cortez reached through her door-knocking had an outsized effect. Because Mamdani's canvasses are mostly available in neighborhoods where many volunteers live, it's easy to see where his voter base lies: Bushwick and Bedford-Stuyvesant in Brooklyn, the East Village in Manhattan and Astoria in Queens offer the most frequent canvass opportunities at five days a week. But the younger, often transplant-heavy population of those neighborhoods may not actually turn out for the election. In 2021, the west side of Manhattan — from Greenwich Village up to Columbia University — had some of the highest voter turnout at between 30% to 40%, whereas Bushwick in Brooklyn saw around 14%. Plus, younger voters are notorious for staying home: Only 18% of registered Dems between 18 and 29 voted in the 2021 mayoral primary, compared to over double that percentage for 70- to 79-year-olds. The median age of a New York primary voter is 54. Some Mamdani organizers are trying to change that. At first, Myesha Choudry canvassed for Mamdani everywhere from Hillside, Queens, to Brighton Beach, Brooklyn, to Staten Island. She was especially inspired by her conversations with small business owners in Jackson Heights. 'I was literally speaking about New York City politics in Bangla, in my native language, to New Yorkers who had been here for decades and decades,' she said. But unlike those she spoke to, Choudry wanted to reach people who haven't lived in the city long enough to get a feel for local politics — and may not plan to stay long enough to care. 'I feel like it's so important for young adults who have been living the dream in New York to uplift New York as well,' explained Choudry. To get young New Yorkers off of their phones and into their communities, she was part of creating Hot Girls 4 Zohran. The organization, which is not affiliated with the campaign, hosts picnics, postering sessions, raves, fundraisers and, of course, canvasses. Bright and early on a Sunday morning, 15 of the Hot Girls chatted and cheered as they made their way down Central Park West, papering lampposts with pink posters that paired a Mamdani plank with an instruction not to rank Cuomo — a position the official canvassers take, as well. 'Cuomo's literally hiding from New Yorkers because he knows if he's confronted about his platform, he's screwed,' one said, taping a poster. Cuomo has appeared at very few candidate forums, and is not taking an on-the-street campaign approach. 'I saw something like 'New York deserves a hot mayor,' and that's true. Hot girls deserve a hot mayor.' Compared to Mamdani and most of the field, Cuomo has avoided many public appearances, and for some, the sexual harassment allegations that drove him out of office — which Cuomo continues to deny — may be disqualifying. But his campaign has amassed a formidable slate of boosters. Cuomo has picked up major endorsements from large unions — even those who called for his resignation in 2021 — whose money, influence and members go a long way in city elections. He's also focused on courting Black clergy members in a bid to win over a demographic that helped propel Mayor Eric Adams to victory last cycle. 'The benefits of what he's doing is to maintain a frontrunner status — to not let opponents attack you personally,' explained political consultant Hank Sheinkopf. 'They're empty voices talking into a vacuum, and he's not responding to them, which makes them less consequential.' Of course, the canvassers want Mamdani to win. And increasingly, at least to the volunteers, his campaign seems like less of a long shot. 'I am not under any illusions that he has it in the bag,' said Henderson from the Lower East Side. 'But I don't think it's impossible. It doesn't feel like a lost cause,' she said. 'I guess I'm canvass-pilled.' After his first time canvassing, the experience on the Upper East Side has left Sani more energized than when he began. 'I look at my past self, and I see someone who watched John Oliver, watched 'The Daily Show,' watched Hasan Minhaj, and I felt politically active — but when I look back, I did nothing,' Sani mused. 'I was angry all day, but nothing happened from that anger.' 'Now, I do not watch John Oliver, I do not watch 'The Daily Show,' I do not watch Hasan Minhaj. And I'm a thousand times more politically active,' he continued. 'And then I can go to bed at night, and I'm not stressed existentially about it.' But inspiring 29,000 canvassers may not be enough. With early voting starting on June 14 and primary day just three weeks away, the volunteer army still has a lot of work to do to inspire voters — and it's running out of time. Inside the cramped vestibule of an Upper East Side apartment, Sani hits the buzzer. He's pushed a few so far, with no answer. But this time, a garbled voice comes from the other side, asking: Who's there? 'I'm here to talk about Zohran,' Sani says, rushing through the words. But the voice on the other end is confused: 'What?' 'I'm here to talk to tenants about Zohran Mamdani?' Sani tries again. No acknowledgement. One last try: 'I'm here to talk about the election?' 'Oh,' says the voice on the other end, sounding disappointed. 'You woke me up. I was sleeping.' 'I'm sorry for waking you up,' Sani says. He's genuinely contrite and, turning to Halper, asks, 'Did I do something wrong?'
Yahoo
19-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Immigrants Keep Lining Up to Learn English as City Hall Cuts Support
This article was originally published in THE CITY. Inside a classroom at the Center for Family Life in Sunset Park on a recent Monday morning, teacher Julian Colón was busy setting out notebooks, folders, pens and crayons on a table. Outside in the hallway, a sign taped to a wall reads 'CLASES DE INGLÉS POR ESTE CAMINO' — English classes this way. It was the first day of the spring semester in this predominantly Latino corner of the Brooklyn neighborhood, where Colón was expecting about 30 students in class. Get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for The 74 Newsletter But not everyone who wanted a seat at the table was there. More than 400 students are now on the center's waitlist, according to Maria Ferreira, its adult employment program director. 'I sit right by the reception, and every single day we get inquiries about ESOL,' Ferreira told THE CITY, using the acronym for English for Speakers of Other Languages. 'Every day we're adding people to the waiting list.' Demand for English classes has increased with the influx of migrants that began in 2022, according to a new report by United Neighborhood Houses, which represents 46 settlement houses that help serve immigrant populations, even as City Hall has slashed funding. At Flatbush-based social services giant CAMBA, program manager Jude Pierre said more than 700 prospective students are now waiting to get into one of its 10 city-funded ESL classes, which collectively accommodate about 200 students. Related 'With the migrant crisis…we ended up getting a lot of individuals coming here to register for classes to the point where we basically had to stop taking registrations,' Pierre told THE CITY. 'We got to the point where it didn't make any more sense to have thousands of people on a waiting list, knowing we would never get to most of them. We started saying, 'Sorry, we can't do this, because it's not fair to you,' and trying to refer them to other places.' Last year, the Department of Youth and Community Development reduced funding for literacy classes by nearly 30% to $11.9 million from $16.8 million, the report noted. Many long-time providers in areas where migrant shelters were clustered also lost out on DYCD dollars after the agency adjusted its funding eligibility formula,' as THE CITY previously reported. According to the report, many classes now depend entirely on discretionary dollars from the City Council, which increased its funding to $16.5 million in fiscal year 2025 from roughly $6.5 million in recent years to back organizations DYCD left behind. Several providers, however, told THE CITY that compared to DYCD's multi-year contracts, Council funding, which requires annual reconsideration, makes it difficult to plan ahead and maximize offerings. And for some, like CAMBA, Council funding was not enough to cover the losses from DYCD with the group reducing the number of students it serves by 174 and closing its waitlist, Pierre said. So far, providers say, demand among new arrivals has remained steady even as the Trump administration's mass deportation efforts have led many new arrivals fearful of working or sending kids to school or even walking the streets. 'Ideally, these programs would be supported by a robust, baselined program managed by DYCD that offered students and providers stability with year-over-year funding,' the report says. 'However, until DYCD revisits its unnecessarily restrictive stance…it is crucial that the City Council continue this support to make sure that adult learners continue to have access to quality classes.' While fewer than 3% of the 1.7 million immigrants in need of English classes are able to access it through city-funded programs, according to the report, students who were able to find their way into a class told THE CITY improved English has helped with their daily lives — and their job prospects. Currently, two-thirds of New Yorkers with limited English proficiency earn less than $25,000 a year, according to American Community Survey data cited in the report. Rosanie Andre, 42, came to New York City from Haiti in 2023, and said she started taking English classes at CAMBA last year after three months on a waitlist. Since then, she's been able to get a job serving food at Speedway while also delivering packages for Amazon per diem. 'When I did my interviews, you have to speak in English with the manager. And it helped me a lot because I understand people now,' Andre, a native Haitian Creole and French speaker, said in English. Learning English has also helped Andre communicate with her 6-year-old — who only started speaking after their move to New York City. 'And she started to speak English — English only. She knows nothing in Creole,' Andre said. 'I try to listen to my daughter and speak to her English-only.' With her English improving, Andre said she is better able to help her daughter with her homework. 'I try to explain her how to do it in English,' Andre said. 'If no CAMBA, I have difficulty to understand. Cuz when I come here, I don't understand nothing. When people speak, I smile because I understand nothing.' Roodleir Victor, 29, saw English classes as an essential stepping stone in furthering his education. He had completed his college coursework for an economics degree in his native Haiti, he said, though he ultimately fell just short of obtaining a degree because it would have required him to stay in the country's capital, which has been embroiled in political turmoil and gang violence. He started taking English classes when he moved to the city in 2023, he said, in hopes of continuing his studies here. For four days a week, he attended English classes in Flatbush from 1 to 4 p.m. before heading to Long Island to work at a pasta factory on a 5 p.m. to 5 a.m. overnight shift. Victor is now enrolled in a GED class, he said, and hopes to study computer programming after that. 'I would like to study at a university which I can learn technology. But it's difficult for me, because I don't have the support I need to go there,' Victor said in English. 'But for me personally, I believe in my capacity to adapt.' Back in Sunset Park, a 55 year-old asylum seeker was patiently waiting to enter the room half an hour before class started at 9 a.m. 'I'm just eager to learn,' the native of Ecuador said in Spanish. 'It's important because I want to communicate with others for a job.' The mother of five arrived in New York City three months ago, she said, after seeking asylum at the Mexico-California border then being detained there for three months. She's cleaning homes to help make ends meet, but hopes to land a job with steadier income soon. 'Whatever I can get I pick up, but those jobs come and go,' she said. 'I was in a workforce development program but the curriculum was in English so I started looking for classes.' Oscar Lima rolled into English class with his e-scooter just after class started at 9:30 a.m. The 34-year-old is now in his second semester of classes, he said, which he makes time for in between catering gigs, food deliveries and a third job as a barback. 'My bosses told me, 'You're a good worker, but you need to learn English,'' Lima said. 'And I decided that I didn't want to learn English myself.' Lima and other students now settled into their seats, turning their attention to Colón. 'Everybody, are we ready? Listos?' Colón asked. 'Yes,' the class responded timidly. Colón then began presenting ground rules on a digital whiteboard: Try to arrive within the five-minute grace period after the class start time, and come prepared with books, papers and pencils. 'The most important rule,' Colón continued, before repeating himself in Spanish. 'Please don't be afraid to participate and make mistakes.' At break time, Lima shared how he, his wife and his two sons had arrived in the city from Colombia about three years ago. While the family had started off at a shelter, Lima said, they're now able to afford an apartment of their own. His two kids — seven and ten years old — quiz him about names of objects around the house, he said, and often encourages him to learn English alongside with them. 'New York, it poses many challenges. It's difficult at the beginning, but it's not impossible,' Lima said in Spanish. 'My American Dream is my sons…I want my children to perhaps have what I didn't have, but at the same time I want to show them how to earn it, and how to work like good people.' The story was originally published on THE CITY.
