Fair Workweek + Khader El-Yateem Interview

Local News

• The city enacted a package of bills providing for clearer scheduling practicesfor fast food and retail workers, which will allow workers to plan on a stable income. However, there is speculation that the state will soon enact a law that will override the city regulations.
• Plans for a massive apartment complex at the Pfizer/Broadway Triangle site in Williamsburg have come up for public review. Development of the area has been a significant source of controversy for a number of years.
• The Association for Neighborhood and Housing Development released a report in conjunction with 45th District Councilmember Jumaane Williams (Flatbush) that highlighted the issue of overcrowding as a precursor to homelessness, which has been on the increase. Among the areas most affected are Sunset Park, Brooklyn; Elmhurst and Corona, Queens; and Fordham in the Bronx.
• De Blasio and The City Council have agreed on an $85 billion budget but the mayor faces criticism from progressives who want lawyers for all immigrants facing deportation charges, whether or not they are facing serious criminal charges.
• De Blasio vows to end the use of “cluster sites” to house homeless families, but won’t do it before 2021
• The Albany DA will not pursue charges against the GOP and IDC Senators who got illegal stipends. However, there is still the possibility of action from both State and Federal agencies, with at least one federal subpoena pertaining to the matter already issued.
• Brokelyn published an informative guide detailing every community board meeting in Brooklyn to assist those who would like to get involved in NYC politics at its most basic level.
• Jacobin summarized the decades of underfunding that have contributed to the MTA’s current state of decay.

Elections

• Brooklyn DSA voted to endorse Jabari Brisport in his bid for the District 35 (Crown Heights) City Council seat. NYC DSA steering committee will vote to make the endorsement official.
• Candidate for District 2 City Council seat Carlina Rivera has joined the DSA.
• Queens City Councilmember for the 21st District (Elmhurst) Julisa Ferreras-Copeland has decided not to run for re-election. However, current Assemblymember for the area Francisco Moya has announced his intention to runfor the seat, as has controversial former State Senator Hiram Monseratte.
• As the race for the open 41st City Council seat (Brownsville) shapes up, Alicka Ampry-Samuel, Henry Butler, and Deidre Olivera have emerged as the frontrunners.
• Communication Workers of America released a list of endorsements for mostly incumbent candidates but for a few newcomers, including Carlina Rivera, Alicka Ampry-Samuel and Justin Brannon.
• Tonight, Monday June 5th, the DSA’s Racial Justice Working Group will be attending a Forum for Democratic candidates for District Attorney to demand they commit to closing Rikers and reducing the jail population. Let them know if you want to join!

Interview with Khader El-Yateem

The Newsletter conducted an interview via email with DSA endorsee for City Council in District 43 (Bay Ridge) Khader El-Yateem. Come to his campaign kick-off party and BBQ hosted by the NYC DSA this Saturday, June 10th, noon, at the An-Noor Center in Bay Ridge.

NYC DSA Electoral Newsletter: What motivated you to seek the endorsement of NYC-DSA? How do you feel being aligned with DSA will help you win the election?

Khader El-Yateem: My campaign is about social, racial, and economic justice, and no other group articulates these issues and focuses on them in the same way as DSA. I want to be part of a political group that prioritizes truly ending economic inequality, and is not beholden to the political establishment in the process. I think there are many, many residents in my district with whom this agenda resonates - people who can no longer afford to live in the neighborhood, people that can’t afford health insurance, people that can’t afford college for their kids and are realizing that politics as usual isn’t helping them.

NYCDSAEN: Do you see identifying as a socialist and other potentially controversial positions, like supporting Boycott, DIvest, Sanctions (BDS), as assets? Are you worried about alienating conservative voters?

KEY: I am fortunate that I have been working in my community for 22 years, and my legacy in the community is that I am known as someone who can work with everyone, and who will work across party lines to accomplish what needs to be done. Being firmly rooted in values of justice, including socialism and BDS for example, is not only important, it’s who I am. So yes, I do believe there will be some who will be turned off by these words. But I am proud of what I have accomplished over the past 22 years while having these values, and I think that’s what I will be known for. I’m excited to have conversations with people for whom these are new concepts.

NYCDSAEN: How do you see socialism from a religious perspective? Do you feel like socialist policies will get support from religious communities? Could those communities help normalize socialism?

KEY: Jesus was a socialist - plain and simple. He believed in redistributing wealth, he believed in looking after his neighbors, in ailing the sick and feeding the hungry above all. As a Christian, I see it as my duty to promote these values as much as I can. I hope that as a clergyman who serves in City Council, I can help to encourage religious communities to take the lead in fighting for policies like universal healthcare, free tuition, and other issues, and to see it as an extension of Jesus’s work.

NYCDSAEN: What are some specific policy goals that set you apart from progressive Democrats already on the City Council?

KEY: I support the Right to Know Act, I support municipal voting for green card holders, closing Rikers in under ten years, and working with colleagues on the state level to fight for Single Payer healthcare. I want to fight for moving Community Boards to an elected, as opposed to appointed, model. And in general, I want to fight to put our workers, and the issues faced by our unions, at the forefront - because I see that sometimes “progressive” doesn’t translate to progressive on labor issues when developer money is on the table.

NYCDSAEN: What are some ways that NYC-DSA members can help your campaign?

KEY: We need as many boots on the ground as possible so that we can get on the ballot, knock on every door in the neighborhood, and turn out the votes of our supporters. DSA members can help by showing up to canvass, phone bank, and petition. And in the process, you will be helping to build up an alternative to the political establishment in Southern Brooklyn.