Closing racial gaps in COVID-19 recovery, wages, housing, individual safety, public health, and access to equal education
$4.2+ Billion Direct Federal Funds to NYC Under the American Rescue Plan - Priority Spending and Programs to Ensure Equity in Disbursment
The Most Vulnerable and Pandemic Impacted Populations
2021-22 initial proposal – NYC Mayor to propose how he/she will embark on an urgently needed COVID-19 response for the most vulnerable communities and residents).
Adequate-Pay/Living Wage
2021-22 initial proposal – NYC mayor to propose how he/she will provide more adequate pay for essential workers and offering additional health and safety resources for those in high-risk occupations.
Hardest-Hit Communities
2021-22 initial proposal – NYC Mayor to propose how he/she will work from margin to center and using funds to serve the hardest-hit communities and underserved populations first; how he/she will also address economic challenges that have played a role in the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on certain communities.
Rapid COVID-19 Prevention and Recovery
2021-22 initial proposal – NYC mayor to propose how he/she will utilize funds to fund/support rapid COVID-19 recovery; & to further bring the pandemic under control [e.g. vaccinations, testing, implementation of public health orders.
Public Health Response
2021-22 initial proposal – NYC mayor to propose how he/she will fund public health expenses (e.g. relief for medical expenses, behavioral healthcare programs, public health staff).
Lost Revenue and Employment Income
2021-22 initial proposal – NYC mayor to propose how he/she will replace revenue lost in the public sector in order to support public services and raise employment rates.
Investments in People, Businesses, Communities
2021-22 initial proposal – NYC mayor to propose how he/she will invest in economic stabilization for individual households, businesses & communities overall.
Divide in Broadband and Public Utilities Service
2021-22 initial proposal – NYC mayor to propose how he/she will invest in infrastructure that will improve water, sewer and expand broadband systems across underserved communities).
Affordable Rental Housing and Homeownership Equity
Lack of affordability in rental housing for Black and Brown working families
2021-22 initial proposal – NYC Mayor to apply local neighborhood AMI standards and restructuring the affordability brackets in use for developments
Lack of safety and habitability in public housing for low-income families
2021-22 initial proposal – NYC Mayor to hold NYCHA to state-law warranties of habitability and quiet enjoyment
Violations of the laws and tenets of the Fair Housing Act in NYC supported 421-a
2021-22 initial proposal – NYC Mayor to impose mandate that HPD apply NYS tenant protection laws, and impose penalties for rental overcharges, harassment of rent regulated tenants, rental price gouging, and lack of access to, and price-discrimination in, NUC government-sponsored, -funded or -supported developments
Lack of access to homeownership retention options for working-families
2021-22 initial proposal – NYC Mayor to request that NY Congressional delegation consider federal legislation to 1. Stop the HUD and the GSEs distressed mortgage loan programs; and 2. mandate residential mortgage-loan modifications on delinquent residential mortgage loans for working families that can afford repayments, and to also address the NYS Court Administration’s lack of commitment to state-law mandated meaningful foreclosure settlement conferences/alternatives to foreclosure sales and auctions
Prevalent land grab of Black and Brown homes by NYC governmental agencies
2021-22 initial proposal – NYC Mayor to abolish HPD’s TPT Program; deliver on the City’s commitment to TIL residents; provide incentives for the long-term success and further development of HDFC cooperative homeownership
Lack of opportunities to increase one- to four-family Black and Brown homeownership
2021-22 initial proposal – NYC Mayor to develop a working-family homeownership acquisition and retention initiative; to develop/promote working-family home ownership developments and communities
Advancing Resident and Community Safety Equity
Accountability in policing
2021-22 initial proposal – NYC Mayor to propose how he or she will specifically support and/or advance the letter, tenets and spirit of the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2021what policies/programs/training he or she will implement immediately to outlaw racial profiling and menacing in traffic and street control, and in policing overall in NYC.
Continued increase in gang and gun violence in Black and Brown communities
2021-22 initial proposal – NYC Mayor to propose how he/she will reform policing in New York City to encourage partnerships with, and build trust between, the NYC police department and its personnel on the one hand, and neighborhoods, communities, and residents on the other.
Challenges to achieving social justice and racial justice in Black and Brown communities
2021-22 initial proposal – NYC Mayor propose how he/she will support organizations focused on combatting issues regarding social and economic injustice, and on combatting racial inequities in voter suppression.
Racial disparity in NYC family, civil/housing courts, and in NYCHA proceedings
2021-22 initial proposal – NYC Mayor to propose what policies/programs/training he or she will implement immediately to promote crisis prevention, to prevent the breakdown of family unit, to maintain family reunification during and after crises, to remove the barriers to reunification of families.
Increasing gang and gun violence in Black and Brown communities
2021-22 initial proposal – NYC Mayor to propose how he/she will regulate the sale and access of guns to teenagers and young adults in NYC
Use of Excessive Force in Policing
2021-22 initial proposal – NYC Mayor to propose how he/she will direct New York City police to interact with peaceful protestors during demonstrations, and to ensure that New York City police officers abandon the approach of using excessive force against peaceful protestors during Black Lives Matter or any other peaceful demonstrations.
Neighborhood Development, Neighborhood Equity, And Environmental Justice
Continued existence of food deserts in Black and Brown communities
2021-22 initial proposal – NYC Mayor to provide incentives for the development, in low-income communities and in NYC public schools in those communities, of 1. community-operated farmers’ markets and 2. food or grocery stores that market and sell of healthy foods
Lack of upgrade to commercial corridors in Black and Brown communities
2021-22 initial proposal – NYC Mayor to propose tax incentives for the development of technologically and economically vibrant, safe, service-driven, business, service and retail districts in Black and Brown communities
Lack of safe green spaces in Black and Brown communities
2021-22 initial proposal – NYC Mayor to develop, upgrade or expand recreational and athletic park services in Black and Brown neighborhoods and developments
Removal of environmental burdens/taxes on African-American and other marginalized communities in NYC outer boroughs especially
2021-22 initial proposal – NYC Mayor to propose how he or she would reverse the climate injustice and burdens placed on NYC communities of color historically environmental justice in NYC’s communities of color
Lack of access to capital, business start-up or operational, working-capital financing, lack of competitive pricing in financing for minority and women-owned, community-based businesses
2021-22 initial proposal – NYC Mayor to create programs that work with small business owners, both minority-owned and community-based that aid in their success and ability to compete with larger chains and companies.
Further Equity Initiatives
Equity in Voting Rights
Civic Education
Redistricting (to counteract impact of)
Rank Choice Voting (to increase resident/voter participation in local elections)
Equity Business and Entrepreneurship, including:
Expand MWBE participation in government contracts and private sector
Create/improve/expand access to start-up and operational capital
Equity in Education , including:
Reform of Pre-K – 12 Education (better assess and address the needs of students in our communities to advance school-wide enrichment )
Expand Access to Equal Education and Technical Institutions
Broadband (“eradicate the broadband and digital divide”)
Curriculum (“implement [components of] critical race theory”)
Class Size (achieve parity with school districts serving white students)
Equity in Income and Wealth Building
Achieving economic parity and equity
Wage Equality
Access to quality employment
Opportunities for intergenerational transfer of wealth (homeownership, business ownership, parity in real-property taxation)
Equity in Government Access and Accountability
To address lack of meaningful access to local government leaders and services providers in the period between elections to address problems and implement equity-focused initial proposals