FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM JUNE 27, 2019 • THE QUEENS COURIER 29
politics
Meeks engages with millennials to discuss important issues
BY BILL PARRY
bparry@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
In an eff ort to boost homeownership in
southeast Queens, Congressman Gregory
Meeks met with more than 200 millennials
living in the 5th Congressional District
at Pa-Nash restaurant in Rosedale.
Meeks announced a fi ve-day “Achieve
the Dream” event at Resorts World Casino
beginning Th ursday, June 27, through
Monday, July 1.
“Till this day, redlining is one of the
root causes of the foreclosure trend plaguing
New head of Queens County Dems facing own challenge from left
BY MARK HALLUM
mhallum@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
Congressman Gregory Meeks, months
aft er being appointed Queens County
Democratic Party chair, now has a target
on his back by a progressive group known
as Roots Action.
Released almost exactly a year aft er
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez routed
high-ranking former Congressman Joe
Crowley, the far left is now making the
rounds to other congressional districts as
denoted in the list of 15 who “deserve” to
be unseated.
Roots Action alleged Meeks has long
taken money from the real estate industry,
claiming he had turned his back on the
black community in during the Recession
when black homeowners suff ered from
rampant foreclosures.
“In a borough that off ered grassroots
support to the strong insurgent campaigns
of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for
Congress in 2018 and Tiff any Cabán for
Queens District Attorney this year, experienced
activists could fuel a challenge to
Meeks. A former AOC campaign staff er,
Shaniyat Chowdhury, has announced his
candidacy,” the report stated.
Chowdhury not only worked with the
Ocasio-Cortez campaign, but has much
in common with the freshman congresswoman
who swung a wrecking ball at the
Queens Democratic “machine” last year.
At 27, Chowdhury is a bartender at a
Latin club in Elmhurst and a member of
the Democratic Socialists of America.
Chowdhury has lived in Meeks’ district
since 2007 in the South Jamaica Houses, a
NYCHA complex, and served in the U.S.
Marine Corp for six years.
Th e south Queens resident said the district
could be one of the most progressive
in the country, if only it could be
taken back from Meeks who claimed in
an interview with City&State is “a corporatist
that hasn’t represented our interests
in a very, very long time.”
Chowdhury looked to the fact that
Meeks has been in offi ce for over 20 years
– since 1997 – and with the housing crisis,
healthcare and the student loan crisis, it is
now time for Millennials to take responsibility
for imposing change.
“Even with Donald Trump in offi ce,
what it comes down to is our own party
and what they’ve done. It’s not always
about Republicans or Democrats,”
Chowdhury told QNS.
Meeks’ district covers much of southeast
Queens, the communities of which
have yet to turn out for the June 25
Queens District Attorney race. But local
organizations seem to be less in favor of
mainstream Democrats than the county
party would let on with the majority of
grassroots organizations across the borough
backing Tiff any Cabán.
Carl Stubbs, with VOCAL NY, told
QNS they were supporting Tiff any Caban
for DA in opposition to the Democrats
currently representing their communities
backing up the claim that leaders in
southeast Queens no longer see eye-toeye
with constituents.
Stubbs claimed that community support,
even in fi nancial form, for the party
has not paid off for residents.
Meeks as well as the party has back
Melinda Katz for DA, a candidate who has
been criticized for having the highest level
of corporate and real estate contributions
in the pack fi eld of candidates.
With Tuesday’s primary just a day away,
thousands of dollars continued to fl ow
into the campaign coff ers of Melinda Katz
as of Monday.
Over $300,000 was contributed to her
committee for district attorney, Katz NYS,
from another committee listed with the
state Board of Elections as Katz 2021 near
the end of May.
In the race for District Attorney, Katz
consolidated wide support including
that of an opponent – Councilman Rory
Lancman – who conceded to her four
days before primary day with $1.3 million
in contributions already raised.
Rumors of a political deal began to circulate,
which Lancman denied, attributing
his sudden backing of Katz to the
numbers simply not being on his side. He
will still be on the ballot alongside Cabán,
Katz, Gregory Lasak, Mina Malik, Jose
Nieves and Betty Lugo.
But Meeks is not the only Democrat facing
a challenge.
Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney will
go up against Erica Vladimer in 2020. As
a former staff er for now-unseated State
Senator Jeff Klein, Vladimer made headlines
in 2015 speaking out against her boss
on sexual assault allegations.
Klein lost his seat to state Senator
Alessandra Biaggi in 2018 as part of a
sweep of former Independent Democratic
Conference members which also included
former state Senator Tony Avella,
replaced by John Liu, and the late state
Senator Jose Peralta, who was defeated by
Jessica Ramos just weeks before his sudden
death.
Aft er coming to terms with the trauma
of her experiences working for Klein,
Vladimer said she took a break from
working in government until fi nding the
right support groups.
“By not speaking out, I was not helping
to fi nd a solution to something that
was so clearly pervasive and systemic in
Albany and so many other work spaces,”
Vladimer said.
Vladimer fell in love with government
work and education policy reform early
in her career, she told QNS, and aft er leaving
Klein’s offi ce switched over to the city
Independent Budget Offi ce.
Although Vladimer did not express a
hard stance against Maloney, she echoed
the views of many progressives of hoping
to ensure housing as a human right and
decriminalizing sex work.
our neighborhoods. One of my top
priorities in the district is to help homeowners
keep their homes,” Meeks said.
“Additionally I want to ensure that more
people, especially our millennials, have
the opportunity to own their own home
here in southeast Queens. Th us, I have
invited the Neighborhood Assistance
Corporation of America, the nation’s
leading nonprofi t, community advocacy
organizations, to increase home ownership
in southeast Queens. Programs like
NACA are essential in building minority
communities and removing the barriers
of home ownership.”
Aft er housing, the discussion moved
to another pertinent issue facing the millennial
generation: student loans. Meeks
pointed to recent studies show a proven
link between decreasing homeownership
and high student loan debt.
“It’s no secret that the rising cost of
student debt is a growing national crisis
that is burdening our nation’s young
adults,” Meeks said. “In order for young
people to participate in the homeownership
arena, signifi cant student loan reform
will need to take place. Americans now
owe more than $1.53 trillion in student
loan debt, with the average student loan
debt amount of $37,000. I fi rmly believe
that we as a nation, from the oval offi ce
to the Halls of Congress, must do more
to address this issue facing our young
Americans.”
Next, Meeks informed the crowd about
current projects and initiatives taking
place in his district.
“Another priority of mine as a representative,
is to ensure more job opportunities
are available in the 5th Congressional
District. For example, there is currently a
historic $13 billion vision plan vision plan
to transform JFK Airport,” Meeks said.
“Under this project, thousands of jobs will
be coming to the district. My duty is to
ensure my constituents, including millennials,
have access to these jobs.”
Earlier in the year, Meeks helped cut the
ribbon to open the JFK Redevelopment’s
Community Outreach Center, which
serves as a resource for information about
employment opportunities.
“I encourage you to visit the location
located at 144-33 Jamaica Ave. to learn more
about the ways our community can benefi t
from this massive project,” Meeks said.
Towards the end of the meet-and-greet,
Meeks announced he would hold a series
of forums across the borough to further
engage with millennials and bring them
closer to the political process.
“Now more than ever, it is important
that we invest in our younger generations.
Th ey are instrumental in our resistance to
the Trump administration and its harmful
policies,” Meeks said. “We must empower
our millennial generation because they
are the future.”
File photo
Courtesy of James Johnson
/WWW.QNS.COM
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