Overview:
In a dialog with The Haitian Instances, State Senator Zellnor Myrie discusses how rising up in a Caribbean immigrant family formed his priorities on housing, sanctuary metropolis protections and neighborhood security. Myrie emphasised his long-standing relationship with Haitian New Yorkers and pledged to middle immigrant dignity in metropolis governance.
Editor’s observe: This interview has been condensed and a few responses paraphrased for size and formatting.
Earlier than working for mayor, State Senator Zellnor Myrie was already a well-recognized face in central Brooklyn’s Caribbean neighborhoods, together with Flatbush and Crown Heights. He shares a cultural and political kinship with Haitian New Yorkers grounded in his background because the son of Costa Rican immigrants. In an interview with The Haitian Instances, Myrie emphasised shared struggles round affordability, immigration advocacy and seeing new options to previous issues.
Myrie, at the moment representing the 20th Senate District in Brooklyn, outlined his top priorities to maintain individuals within the metropolis, from creating 1 million properties to assuaging youngster care prices to spurring new varieties of jobs. He additionally pledged to guard immigrants, get nonprofits paid and hold New Yorkers safer.
The Haitian Instances: Why do you say your connection to the Haitian neighborhood is private?
Zellnor Myrie: [Haitians] have been my classmates, my associates, my neighbors—a deep a part of the material of Brooklyn and, by extension, New York Metropolis. It’s why what is occurring on this second has been so private and deeply offensive to me as a result of we share a lot historical past as immigrants. It’s why what is occurring on this second has been so private and deeply offensive to me, as a result of we share a lot historical past as immigrants.
Each of my dad and mom are from Costa Rica. They labored exhausting, put meals on the desk, despatched me to public colleges, allowed me to change into a lawyer and a state senator. That’s the similar dream, the identical journey that many Haitian Individuals have.
THT: Let’s discuss sanctuary metropolis insurance policies, then. With federal strain growing, what’s your place?
Myrie: I’m somebody who was born to 2 undocumented dad and mom. They didn’t have their citizenship after they had me, however they nonetheless took me to Kings County Hospital as a result of I had very dangerous bronchial asthma they usually did so with out concern of deportation. I don’t know if they’d be doing that in at present’s environment.
With what we’re seeing popping out of this federal administration, each single particular person in New York Metropolis needs to be furious about what is occurring on the assaults towards the Haitian neighborhood and TPS. They need to acknowledge that at present they’re coming for Haitians and tomorrow they’re coming for all of us. You will need to stand in solidarity.
Within the state legislature, we now have a invoice now referred to as New York for All that will shield authorities establishments and never require pointless cooperation with ICE, not letting them into our buildings and guaranteeing that New Yorkers, no matter their standing, would be capable to proceed to make the most of authorities companies with out the concern of deportation. We’ve held some ‘Know Your Rights’ canvases in Little Haiti and Little Caribbean, achieved some door knocking and displaying as much as locations that also has some foot visitors.
One of many issues I’d additionally love to do as the subsequent mayor is to implement Work NYC, which is a New York Metropolis particular work allow that will enable individuals to work for our companies and provides them the chance to do the factor they got here to this nation to do, similar to my dad and mom. And that’s work, put meals on the desk and be capable to elevate a household right here.
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THT: Inform us extra your prime three priorities—the mandate for 1,000,000 properties, public alternative agenda and public security.
Myrie: That is changing into a metropolis that nobody can elevate their household in, that’s changing into wholly unaffordable. I discuss to voters each single day and nearly to an individual, their response to me about their primary challenge is, ‘I want an inexpensive place to remain.’ That’s why I set a mandate for 1 million properties. We’re going to create 700,000 over the subsequent 10 years and protect one other 300,000. To make youngster care inexpensive, I need to not solely present after college for all, I need to prolong pre-Ok and 3K from 2:30 to six:00 p.m. as a result of most New Yorkers don’t get off at 2:30 p.m.
I need to add 50,000 extra summer time youth employment slots, present extra jobs and pathways for younger individuals not taking the route of school training. Now we have a inexperienced financial system, we now have a care financial system that may present some alternatives for them.
Lastly on public security, the present methods that we’re using should not working. We’re both sending individuals to Rikers Island the place they deteriorate and worsen, or we’re sending them to the emergency room the place they cycle out after a few days. Now we have proposed quite a few options to that. A part of that may be a police and clinician trio staff that’s out in our subways and on our streets 24/7. It’s stabilization facilities, the place individuals might be introduced out of the general public area to get the analysis and the assistance towards actual restoration. Pre-pandemic, we had a police head rely that was nearer to 36,000. I need to return that head rely.
THT: Would this imply extra taxes for residents in a metropolis that’s already unaffordable?
Myrie: Not one of the issues I simply laid out would require a rise in taxes. On the housing entrance, we’re leveraging the non-public market with a view to generate a few of this income, and constructing and incentives round zoning and city-owned property. Once we take a look at childcare area, different areas and jurisdictions which have made youngster care extra common have seen their tax income go up as a result of households select to remain. So extra persons are going to be right here to spend their cash in our native companies to assist enhance the native financial system.
On the general public security piece, there are going to be locations that we do have to speculate and make some decisions within the funds. However we find yourself paying extra on the again finish if we don’t make investments on this second. What we might spend on after college, what we might spend on extra clinicians and legislation enforcement, this stuff are going to save lots of us cash in the long term.
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THT: The town has delayed funds to nonprofits serving immigrant communities. What’s your resolution?
Myrie: These are companies which might be important to the neighborhood, that most individuals would count on town to be doing itself. We will make it simpler for the smaller organizations to borrow cash and get grant cash upfront. We have to additionally change the tradition on the mayor’s workplace of contract companies, and elevate it to a full-level company. Additionally, there needs to be penalties when we don’t pay again on time, similar to in some other business. We should be proactive in serving to our distributors and people who find themselves doing enterprise with town. Not simply ready till they’re in hassle to assist them, however bringing Metropolis Corridor and our companies to them to assist.
THT: What would you do to assist the for-profit small companies?
Myrie: We bought to say a plain. What has occurred is that in case you are politically linked, then you definitely get entry, then you definitely get contracts, then you’ve got alternatives to flourish. That’s by no means how our authorities ought to function, and it’s one thing that I’ve been forceful on. Within the Senate, I launched a invoice that mentioned, “If you’re bidding on a authorities contract, you’re restricted from giving to political campaigns for that interval of if you find yourself bidding, as a result of we don’t even need the looks that it was politically influenced.”
Donald Trump issued government orders to eliminate CDFIS and to additionally eliminate the Minority Enterprise Growth Company, which had simply been elevated to full company standing just a little over two years in the past. So we’re going to must do much more than what we’re at the moment doing with a view to make up for a few of these losses if these government orders are held up by the courts.
THT: A urgent high quality of life challenge is the inadequate sanitation in lots of elements, like Little Haiti. How would you resolve such points?
Myrie: I applaud and respect the efforts of neighborhood cleanups, however in the end, the duty is on our metropolis authorities to get that achieved. That is a part of why we pay taxes. I’d actually prefer to deal with getting these fundamentals achieved as the subsequent mayor. We’re utilizing [sanitation] routes which were used for a lot of, many a long time, regardless that communities have modified, regardless that know-how has modified. It’s vital for us to be having a dialog round how we most effectively get the streets clear and accomplish that in a manner that also permits for individuals to traverse the neighborhood.