Flushing assemblyman endorses Yang for mayor
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
State Assemblyman Ron
Kim on Friday, Jan. 15, endorsed
Andrew Yang, an entrepreneur
and Democratic candidate
for mayor of New York
City.
Together, Yang and Kim
toured the biggest food pantry
in Queens — La Jornada, located
at 133-36 Roosevelt Ave. in
Flushing, which has fed 10,000
families each week during the
COVID-19 crisis.
Kim, who is a representative
for New York’s 40th Assembly
District and the first and only
Korean-American ever elected
to the New York State Legislature,
said he is proud to endorse
Yang, who “champions bold
policies that will lift countless
New Yorkers out of poverty.”
“The pandemic has laid
bare the policy failures that
have further dehumanized the
most vulnerable New Yorkers.
Too many of my neighbors are
suffering and it’s all the more
egregious when so much wealth
resides in this city,” said Kim,
who is known as a progressive
anti-poverty champion. “From
cash relief, to a People’s Bank,
to Borough Bucks, to supporting
a caring economy, I know
Andrew will ensure New York
City’s recovery is both robust
and inclusive. It’s what my constituents
deserve.”
Yang thanked Kim for his
leadership and endorsement,
saying he was honored to be
standing beside his friend,
who serves as an inspiration
for those who are committed
to eradicating deep poverty in
New York City.
“It pains me that right outside
these doors, New Yorkers
have been forming a mile-long
line just to have enough food
to feed themselves and their
families,” Yang said. “As mayor,
I plan on giving struggling
New Yorkers a guaranteed
basic income and small businesses
the resources they need
to thrive in this city. New York
is ready for bold solutions, not
incremental changes, to get out
of this crisis. With Ron by my
side, we will move New York
City forward.”
Additionally, Yang noted
that one of the things that he
would be most proud of is if his
mayoral campaign activates
the Asian-American community
of New York City politically.
“The reality is Asian-Americans
vote in New York City on
lower levels than other groups.
And that is something that I
would love to change,” Yang
said. “I believe this campaign
can help change it. And I think
having leaders like Ron Kim
endorsing the campaign will
be tremendously helpful. My
campaign is going to invest in
the Asian-American community
here in New York City, and
let them know that this race is
important.”
The conference was briefly
interrupted by a protester, as
public library security tried
to remove the man while urging
him to put on his mask.
Although the security officer
told Yang they had called the
police, Yang and Kim told them
not to call the NYPD.
Yang, who moved to New
York City 25 years ago, won a national
following (#YangGang)
as a presidential candidate in
the 2020 Democratic primary.
He officially launched his campaign
for mayor on Wednesday,
Jan. 13, his 46th birthday, in a
two-and-a-half minute video.
In the video, Yang wears a
“Forward New York” mask, as
he walks the streets, promising
to create a guaranteed minimum
income, expand access to
high-speed internet, “take back
control of our subway,” and create
a People’s Bank, “so it stops
being so expensive to be poor.”
During the conference, Yang
said he would work to alleviate
poverty in the city, guarantee a
minimum income, and build an
economy that works for people
in the city.
“So many people were left
behind even before the pandemic.
TIMESLEDGER | Q 2 NS.COM | JAN. 22-JAN. 28, 2021
But the pandemic has
magnified and amplified those
inequities to levels that are unconscionable,”
Yang said. “If
you look around our city, you
see scenes that should shock
our conscience. It does not have
to be this way. This is a dangerous
pandemic, but we owe
it to ourselves to take care of
our people then accelerate our
comeback from COVID.”
In response to the current
vaccine protocols and what he
would do to help the people of
New York, Yang said he thinks
that many New Yorkers are
frustrated by the vaccination
process so far and wants the
state and city to get on the same
page.
“As mayor, I will be working
closely with the state to
make sure that New Yorkers
are not frustrated,” said Yang,
who wants to target the most
vulnerable population.
In regards to alleviating
living conditions in NYCHA
housing without heat, gas and
water, Yang said he would
invest millions of dollars in
these complexes by activating
resources (though he didn’t
elaborate on what kind of resources)
to make them “safer
and modern.”
When asked about his position
on defunding the NYPD
and how he intends to work
with NYPD Commissioner
Dermot Shea, Yang said that
the NYPD could use a civilian
commission who is a bit more
independent in culture and
background mirrored after the
federal level, where there is a
civilian head of the military.
“I think that most New
Yorkers would agree that we
have been underinvesting in
our communities for years and
generations at multiple levels,”
Yang said. “There are so many
ways that we should be investing
resources, that I think
most New Yorkers would agree
that we have been overinvesting
in measures that may not
actually make us safer.”
After visiting the site in
Flushing where a prostitute
leaped to her death from an
apartment building during an
NYPD operation sting in 2017,
Yang talked about migrant
workers who work in the sex
industry that have been harassed
by the NYPD.
“We need to decriminalize
sex work here in New York
City to show a model for what
the better approach is. Right
now, these workers are being
pushed into the shadows and
being killed, mistreated, systematically
marginalized,”
Yang said. “Their pain is being
ignored by our city and our
community. And we can and
must do better.”
The New York City mayoral
primary is in June. Yang joins a
list of candidates that includes
Brooklyn Borough President
Eric Adams, city Comptroller
Scott Stringer, former Civilian
Complaint Review Board chair
Maya Wiley, former sanitation
commissioner Kathryn Garcia,
former HUD Secretary Shaun
Donovan, Dianne Morales, and
several others in the running to
succeed Mayor Bill de Blasio.
Reach reporter Carlotta
Mohamed by e-mail at
cmohamed@schnepsmedia.
com or by phone at (718) 260–
4526.
Photo via Twitter/@AndrewYang
A protester interrupts NYC Mayoral Candidate Andrew Yang’s press conference outside Queens
Library in Flushing on Jan. 15, 2021. Photo by Gabriele Holtermann
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