Caribbean Life, JUNE 4-10, 2021 47
Over the last year New Yorkers across the city have faced hardship because
of the COVID-19 pandemic. We have seen high unemployment rates,
healthcare disparities, remote learning difficulties, closing small businesses,
and now a startling rise in gun violence. With Election Day just a few weeks
away here, the choices we make will have a huge impact on how our city and
our communities will recover from this last year.
In Brooklyn, we’re lucky to have strong leaders, like Council Member Farah N.
Louis, who has been a strong advocate for our community throughout this
crisis and who is ready to take on the challenges that lie ahead. As our city
began to shut down to curb the spread of the virus, she took action on the
ground, opening over thirty food pantries and delivering over a million
high-quality meals and PPE throughout the district. She also worked in the
City Council to pass legislation that will help those most affected.
The economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has been felt by all of us, as
unemployment puts even more financial strain on many households. For
renters who’ve had to deal with the uncertainty caused by the pandemic,
Council Member Louis introduced legislation to ensure that late rent
payments would not impact credit scores. She also supported mortgage
extensions for homeowners who have been impacted by the pandemic, as
well as small business owners who faced similar hardship.
For our students who have struggled over the last year with the closing of
school and the switch to remote learning, Council Member Louis worked to
pass legislation to create a remote learning training program for parents,
and to ensure that students with disabilities had access to the necessary
equipment to enable remote learning. With the reopening of schools, we
need leaders who understand the challenges students face and will work to
find innovative ways to help those who continue to struggle.
Now, as we see vaccination rates rise and the city begins to reopen, the rise
in gun violence has caused many of us to worry about the future. That’s why
Council Member Louis has made public safety her top priority in her
campaign for re-election to the City Council. She has a plan to make our
neighborhoods safer that includes increased funding for programs that
reduce gun violence by engaging with potential perpetrators to interrupt
violence before it happens. Council Member Louis has also developed public
awareness campaigns to share information about staying safe as we reopen.
To further support our community, she will work to open the first-ever
women’s clinic in our district, create a cease-and-desist zone in the district
to protect homeowners from aggressive and unscrupulous real estate
practices, and launch a new community center in East Flatbush.
The challenges we face make this election one of the most important we
have had in decades. Here in District 45, there is no one better to continue to
serve our communities than Council Member Farah Louis. A daughter of
Caribbean immigrants, a woman of God and a community leader, she is
committed to the growth and stability of the community she grew up in. She
knows that we cannot just go back to the way things were before the
pandemic, but take this opportunity to uplift communities that were largely
ignored for years.
Whether you are voting absentee, early June 12 through June 20, or in person
on June 22, vote Farah Louis as your #1 choice for the Democratic Primary.