I’m running to fight for our community.
I’ve seen how those with influence and wealth call the shots in Albany. For years, real estate developers and corporations have pulled the strings, while those affected by their policies are shut out and pushed to the margins. Last year, with Neighbors Helping Neighbors and others in the Housing Justice for All coalition, we won historic tenant protections that began to put power back in the hands of renters across the state.
That fight inspired me to run for office, but we still have so much work to do to change New York and to help make it equitable for all.
These are the top issues I’ll fight for:
Fighting COVID-19
Our political leadership has failed us. People are forced to do “essential labor” in unsafe conditions, and pay rent despite having no income. Incarcerated people are dying because they are trapped in unsanitary jails and detention centers. The Governor even had the nerve to balance this year’s budget by cutting state Medicaid funding during a pandemic-- while proudly boasting on his national press conference that he’s never raised taxes on anyone (not even millionaires and billionaires) during his three terms as governor.
It is time we elect people who will advocate for working class people, not the 1%.
Housing is a Human Right
Housing is a human right, not a commodity to be traded to the highest bidder. I will work tirelessly to fight evictions, stop displacement of communities of color, fully fund NYCHA, and create affordable housing. I will fight to make Good Cause Eviction protections a reality for renters across New York State and to guarantee every New Yorker a home.
Immigration Justice
Our campaign will push back against the deportation machine, make New York ICE-free, and ensure that we keep families together. I will fight for increased resources for immigrant families, including support services, English language classes, workforce training, and guaranteed legal representation in immigration court.
Environmental Justice
Big developers want to rezone and turn the Sunset Park waterfront into a playground for the rich, full of luxury hotels and retail, but we know that the waterfront is a hub for working class jobs and an anchor for our community’s affordability. The Sunset Park waterfront deserves the funding and support necessary to become a center of green jobs through a true Green New Deal for New York. I reject Industry City’s rezoning proposal, because no developer has the right to single-handedly dictate our community’s future.
Healthcare as a right, not a privilege
I firmly believe that healthcare is a human right. The size of your bank account or the type of insurance you have should not determine the quality of care you receive. We must stop predatory insurance companies from getting rich off of people’s illnesses.
A Humane Criminal Justice System
The conditions in jail have proven to be inhumane, and do not keep people safe; they create more harm and problems. We must reverse the criminalization of communities, cycles of violence enacted by our criminal justice system, and invest in our communities.
Tax the Rich
New York is one of the richest states in one of the richest countries in the history of the world. There is no reason for us to struggle financially. The solution to this issue is taxing the rich, and making them pay their fair share. We must significantly raise taxes for the 1%, luxury housing and Wall Street transactions-- and fund services like universal healthcare, a housing guarantee and free college that we all deserve.
Governance
Get big money out of politics, end dealmaking by “3 people in a room,” and fight for budgets that tax the rich their fair share.