1 1 2 ----------------------------------------------x 3 CITY OF NEW YORK 4 2022-2023 DISTRICTING COMMISSION 5 BROOKLYN PUBLIC HEARING 6 ----------------------------------------------x 7 8 285 Jay Street, 9 Brooklyn, New York 11201 10 11 DATE: June 29, 2022 12 13 14 15 PUBLIC HEARING in the above-referenced 16 matter, held at the above-mentioned date and 17 location, transcribed by Jeanna Qvistgaard, a 18 Notary Public of the State of New York. 19 20 21 22 23 LH REPORTING SERVICES, INC. Computer-Aided Transcription 24 (718)526-7100 25 2 1 2 A P P E A R A N C E S: 3 DENNS M. WALCOTT, Chair 4 CRYSTAL HUDSON, Council Member 5 CHI OSSE, Council Member 6 WILLIAM STAMFORD, JR. 7 DR. JOHN FLATEAU, executive director 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 3 1 2 (Whereupon, the audio started.) 3 ANNOUNCER: All right, we will get 4 started. I am -- and we're waiting on 5 Zoom here, they can't see us just yet, 6 but we do want to respect your time 7 here. We will start with our in-person 8 testimony. We will have two city 9 council members to testify. 10 So, we'll start with council member 11 Hudson, followed by council member Osse. 12 And I'll remind everyone, each speaker 13 has three minutes, approximately. 14 CRYSTAL HUDSON: Thank you so much. 15 I'm the New York City council member for 16 Brooklyn's 35th District, which 17 encompasses the neighborhoods, 18 Crown Heights, Prospect Heights, 19 Fort Green, Clinton Hill and Bedford 20 Stuyvesant. And thank you to 21 Chair Walcott, Executive Director 22 Dr. Plato, and the New York City 23 District in Commission, for the 24 opportunity to provide testimony today. 25 I previously submitted testimony in 4 1 2 May, in which I explained my connection 3 to this district, and would like to 4 repeat some of that today. 5 I'm a third generation Brooklynite 6 and the daughter and granddaughter of 7 Jamaican and Honduran immigrants. I was 8 the only child of a single mother, who 9 served as a nurse for more than 30 years 10 at Harlem Hospital, and raised me in the 11 same Prospect Heights community her 12 father laid roots in, when he immigrated 13 from Jamaica in the 1940s. I now live 14 in a home my mother worked hard to buy 15 30 years ago, and I have now planted 16 roots of my own here in central 17 Brooklyn. 18 My story is not unique. The 35th 19 District, is home to many folks like me, 20 form various backgrounds, from 21 multi-generational Caribbean immigrant 22 families in the Lobovich community in 23 Crown Heights and the Bedford 24 Stuyvesant, to long-time Black American 25 families in Fort Green, Clinton Hill and 5 1 2 Prospect Heights, all of whom have deep 3 ties to these communities. 4 More than 14 thousand of these 5 residents live in NYCHA developments in 6 the district. Atlantic Terminal, 7 Lafayette Gardens, Ingersoll Houses, 8 Farragut Houses, and Walt Whitman 9 Houses. The last three, of which used 10 to be one development called Fort Green 11 Houses. These developments serve as 12 much of the cultural fabric of the 35th 13 District. 14 Our district is also home to newer, 15 predominantly white Brooklynite's, who 16 want to plant roots in a diverse 17 community and contribute to it's growth 18 and prosperity. Diversity and history, 19 in particular Black history and culture, 20 is what makes the 35th District so 21 unique. 22 We also have the black retail owners 23 and restauranteurs who set up shop along 24 Fulton Street, Myrtle Avenue, 25 Washington Avenue, Franklin Avenue, 6 1 2 Nostrand Avenue and more. 3 The families that come out every 4 year to the West Indian Day Parade along 5 Eastern Parkway, and the ones who come 6 out in droves each year to the Brooklyn 7 Academy of Music to enjoy Dance Africa, 8 in addition to BAM, and its host of 9 performing arts facilities, families of 10 all backgrounds pay regular visits to 11 the Brooklyn Museum, the Brooklyn 12 Botanic Garden, the Jewish Children's 13 Museum, Mark Morris Dance Center, 14 Theater for a New Audience, and so many 15 other smaller performing arts spaces and 16 artistic hubs. It is these people and 17 cultural institutions that are the 18 reason the 35th District is so special. 19 As the Commission considers new 20 boundaries for councilmanic districts, I 21 urge you to prioritize the needs of the 22 very communities that have never been 23 prioritized before, and ensure central 24 Brooklyn retains it's unique 25 characteristic as home to a myriad of 7 1 2 Brooklynites from diverse racial and 3 ethnic backgrounds, as it has for 4 generations. 5 This councilmanic district has been 6 home to the West Indian Day American 7 Parade since the 1930s, and the Chabad 8 headquarters since 1940. Our current 9 district is centered around numerous 10 iconic community and cultural 11 destinations, and these hubs serve the 12 numerous communities of the 35th 13 District, and provide unique community 14 services, from recreation, to culture, 15 to education. 16 Thankfully, the 35th District has a 17 population deviation under 5 percent, 18 with the current lines, and should not 19 need to see radical changes to its 20 boundaries to fit the charter required 21 deviation requirement, with specific 22 regard to district boundaries. 23 We must ensure Flatbush Avenue 24 remains the western boundary of this 25 district, as has historically been the 8 1 2 case. To move any district boundaries 3 across the de facto highway, will only 4 separate communities of interest and 5 prevent the cohesion of a unified 6 district that has been standing together 7 for generations. I will be submitting 8 written testimony along with a proposed 9 map. 10 Thank you. I was trying to read 11 very fast to hit the three minutes, 12 appreciate the time. 13 ANNOUNCER: Thank you, council 14 member Hudson. I'll pause for a second, 15 and note that our Chair, Dennis Walcott, 16 is participating on Zoom. So I'll go 17 ahead and give him a moment to introduce 18 himself. 19 DENNIS WALCOTT: Thank you very 20 much. Good afternoon to all. I 21 apologize for not being there, but I am 22 doing grandparent duty today. So I am 23 with my two grandchildren, so my 24 apologies, but I will be participating 25 and listening to the entire hearing. So 9 1 2 thank you. 3 ANNOUNCER: Everyone got that? 4 Thank you, Chair Walcott. 5 Council member Osse. 6 CHI OSSE: I got to step down for 7 this. Good afternoon, everyone, 8 Chair Walcott, Dr. Flateau. My name is 9 Chi Osse, city council member 10 representing the 36th District, 11 including the neighborhoods of Bed-Stuy, 12 in Northern Crown Heights. 13 I'm glad to have the opportunity to 14 participate in this essential part of 15 the democratic process, in which we draw 16 the lines that determine our 17 representation at the most local and 18 intimate level of government. 19 As a current representative for my 20 district, I'm deeply familiar with the 21 schools, communities, businesses and 22 blocks that compromise the 23 36 Councilmanic District. I testify 24 today on behalf of my neighbors and in 25 defense of their best interest. 10 1 2 Bed-Stuy and Northern Crown Heights, 3 are historically Black neighborhoods, 4 famous nationwide for their cultural 5 contributions and bonded through 6 collective memory. The two 7 neighborhoods have grown closer together 8 with the influx of Caribbean immigrants, 9 whose food, music and fashion are now 10 integral parts of our shared spaces. 11 While clear cultural boundaries 12 exist between ours and neighboring 13 districts, the cohesion of Bed-Stuy and 14 North Crown Heights is strong, and our 15 unification in a single district, has 16 served us well for decades. 17 On that, since the last census, we 18 have lost only a few thousand residents. 19 This would justify slightly expanding 20 our borders to realign our population 21 with the council district standard. 22 Recognizing the strong and growing 23 connection between Bed-Stuy and North 24 Crown Heights, the most logical and 25 culturally responsive way to do so, 11 1 2 would be to unify North Crown Heights, a 3 cohesive and defined historic district, 4 occupying several blocks above Eastern 5 Parkway into District 36. 6 Our neighborhoods deserve a unified 7 district to provide them with a unified 8 voice, which they use to advocate for 9 their shared interest. For fair, 10 demographic representation, I urge this 11 body to draw from my neighbors, what 12 they need and deserve, a district 13 closely mirroring its current successful 14 lines, expanded to include the whole of 15 North Crown Heights. 16 As someone that grew up in North 17 Crown Heights, had a father that grew up 18 in North Crown Heights, and a 19 grandmother who moved to North Crown 20 Heights from Haiti, I understand the 21 deep Black history that needs to be 22 preserved under a single council member 23 in alignment with the historic deep 24 black history and representation within 25 Bed-Stuy. 12 1 2 While they are two neighborhoods, 3 they are two very cohesive 4 neighborhoods, and that is seen through 5 the representation that the community 6 has seen for decades. The unification 7 of North Crown Heights, is something 8 that, you know, residents have been 9 asking for and wanting to see through 10 representation, so that everyone is 11 represented equally. 12 So thank you so much for letting me 13 testify this afternoon, and looking 14 forward to hearing and seeing all of you 15 soon. Thanks. 16 ANNOUNCER: We're going to continue 17 our in-person testimony. Next we have 18 William Stamford, Jr. 19 WILLIAM STAMFORD, JR.: I just want 20 to inform the executive director and 21 Dennis, Okay passing Master P. Starting 22 public hearings before 6 p.m., is a bad 23 idea, which I mentioned in Queens, okay. 24 You made some careless mistakes. You 25 have a microphone inside, you have no 13 1 2 microphone outside, so those who are on 3 that side, have to squirm like an 4 octopus, in order to reach this 5 microphone. Not very swift, okay. 6 Regardless of "public hearing," you 7 didn't mention where exactly it was 8 scheduled to be held. Yeah, no post 9 assigned. I asked a female CUNY guard 10 where, like I said, where was it 11 scheduled to be held, and she ignored 12 me, which I don't appreciate. If she 13 was aware of this event, she should have 14 known where it was going to be held, 15 okay. 16 And regarding that book you gave us, 17 does it include the City Council 18 district lines? No. Does it include 19 the -- well, forget that. It should 20 have the council district lines. It 21 should mention -- put them in the book. 22 And also, who's mentioned; who's 23 representing them? It'd be easy for us 24 to testify, if you include the maps in 25 the book you gave us. In Queens, you 14 1 2 didn't post any maps, here in Brooklyn, 3 you didn't post any maps, which I find 4 disturbing. You need to post the maps 5 form this point on. Include the maps, 6 include the council member. Regarding 7 the council member, include their names 8 and indicate which district they 9 represent, okay. 10 Also in the future, please start 11 your public hearings at a time when more 12 people can make it. We start them after 13 6:00, not before. Don't start them at a 14 time when people are still working, 15 that's not very swift. If you want to 16 continue starting before 6:00, that's 17 fine with me, but this is what you can 18 expect. 19 So is it -- is this the New York 20 City District Comission or is it the 21 MTA, which stands for "money thrown 22 away"? Because this is what would've 23 happened if the MTA were here, 24 hearing-wise. You would say that a dead 25 -- a dead attendant -- it's a dead 15 1 2 auditorium. Don't imitate the MTA, 3 which stands for "money throw away," 4 please. Don't imitate the RGB a/k/a, 5 the Red Cards Board, okay. 6 As I said before, as I said on 7 Monday, take your time and do it right, 8 like the SOS parent. Okay, that's all I 9 have to say. 10 And also, regarding your future 11 programs, you need to advertise them 12 better, because as I stated on Monday, 13 the events you held for that day, I was 14 unaware of them. So as I said, take 15 your time and do it right, like the SOS 16 Band. 17 ANNOUNCER: Thank you. Next we have 18 Kimberly Whitehead. 19 KIMBERLY WHITEHEAD: Good afternoon. 20 Thank you, Chair Walcott, Executive 21 Director Flateau, and the New York City 22 Districting Commission, for the 23 opportunity to provide testimony 24 regarding the commission's upcoming work 25 to draft a new districting plan for the 16 1 2 New York City Council Districts. 3 My name is Kimberly Whitehead, 4 Senior Vice President for Strategy and 5 Chief of Staff at Medgar Evers College. 6 My college is located in the 35th 7 Council District. Established in 1970, 8 Medgar Evers College is a 9 multi-cultural, multi-generational 10 college, with social justice in its DNA, 11 born out of the unwavering and stalwart 12 advocacy of citizens -- of the citizens 13 of central Brooklyn. 14 Today, I proudly stand representing 15 more than 4,100 students and 908 faculty 16 and staff, who call Medgar Evers College 17 home, through their studies and work and 18 possess a great love for this college 19 and this community, more specifically, 20 276 students and 68 team members reside 21 in District 35. Medgar Evers, through 22 our academic -- academic programs, 23 academic support services and 24 communicate -- community advocacy 25 programs, serves as a beacon of 17 1 2 educational, cultural and social 3 activity, for the citizens of Crown 4 Heights. 5 One such community advocacy program, 6 is our Transition Academy, that not only 7 provides wraparound services for 8 students, but also addresses housing, 9 food insecurity, for the broader Crown 10 Heights community. 11 84 percent of our students who 12 attend Meg, also stay in the state they 13 know and love and use their talent, 14 skills and knowledge as contributors to 15 the workforce in support of the state 16 and local economy. As a trained 17 geneticist, I know well the power of 18 diversity and the robustness, resilience 19 and fortitude, diversity contributes to 20 organizations and communities. The 21 strength of our diverse community is 22 what makes the 35th District home. 23 Historically, the 35th District has 24 included residents from different 25 backgrounds. We need to work to ensure 18 1 2 the 35th District maintains its 3 diversity. The commission should 4 prioritize the needs of the very 5 communities that have historically not 6 been prioritized, to ensure central 7 Brooklyn retains its unique 8 characteristics as home to Brooklyn 9 residents, form diverse and racial 10 backgrounds, ethnic backgrounds. 11 As such, I urge you to keep the 12 district lines as similar as possible to 13 what they currently are. This district 14 has a population deviation from the 15 ideal population of less than 5 percent 16 under the current lines, and does not 17 require changes to its boundaries to fit 18 the charter required deviation. 19 Commissioners, I urge you to ensure 20 main arteries like Flatbush Avenue, 21 continue to be boundaries of this 22 district, to maintain the integrity of 23 existing communities. It is imperative 24 that we ensure council districts truly 25 include neighborhoods and communities. 19 1 2 Thank you, for your time and the 3 opportunity to testify today. 4 ANNOUNCER: Thank you. Norman 5 Lafond. 6 DR. NORMAN LAFOND: Good afternoon, 7 I'm Dr. Norman Lafond. I'm the Chair of 8 the Manhattan Policy Forum, an Upper 9 West Side, Good Government Club, in 10 Manhattan. My wife Audrey and I, are 11 long-term residents of the Upper West 12 Side and Park West Village. Audrey has 13 lived in Park West Village, since 1979 14 and I have as well, since we married in 15 the year 2000. 16 I'm here to testify to the growth of 17 District 7 in our neighborhood, as part 18 of the redistricting process. We are 19 fortunate to have a neighborhood rich in 20 economic, ethnic and religious 21 diversity. We have everything in this 22 area; facilities for low-income elderly, 23 public housing, middle-class 24 condominiums, luxury high-rises, rent 25 stabilized tenants, and market-rate 20 1 2 tenants. 3 We have the elderly, young families 4 with school-age children, and 5 middle-aged empty nesters. But we 6 manage to work for each other for a very 7 special and inclusive community. 8 Unfortunately, our city council district 9 line split the community in two, on 10 Broadway. This east-west divide has 11 been an old one, splitting District 6 12 and 7, and may have been useful in the 13 distant past, but it's clearly no longer 14 useful. 15 The community on either side of 16 Broadway, has shared common interest and 17 needs. We shop at the same stores, we 18 worship together and volunteer together. 19 And yet we live in a district that 20 arbitrarily splits us apart. For 21 example, my wife and I attend services 22 at Holy Name of Jesus Church on 97th and 23 Amsterdam. We also attend Anche Chesed 24 synagogue on 100th and West End, and we 25 are joined by our congregations that 21 1 2 live on both sides of Broadway. 3 And another example, the commercial 4 corridor between 196th Street along 5 Columbus Avenue, runs through Park West 6 Village in District 7. But this also 7 serves many of the constituents in the 8 adjacent parts of District 6. Residents 9 on both sides of Broadway, are invested 10 in the success of this commercial 11 corridor. Our community shops there and 12 works there. 13 Finally, our residents on either 14 side of Broadway, take the 1 trains and 15 the A trains, and use the same exit off 16 of the West Side Highway, to get home. 17 We face the same sanitation issues, as 18 evidenced by our shared commitment to 19 cleaning up Broadway Mall, and 20 advocating for more composting, and 21 other such projects. 22 We are joined in our efforts to 23 pursue many shared projects, including 24 the park to park open streets that spans 25 the entire west side, down 103rd Street. 22 1 2 And so it seems, the most beneficial way 3 for District 7 to increase, is by 4 expanding west of Broadway and south of 5 109th, as you may deem necessary. 6 It is critical, for example, that 7 Park West Village, where I happen to 8 live, remain a part of District 7. This 9 complex, which includes many rent 10 stabilized apartments, and hundreds of 11 middle-class homeowners, along 97th and 12 100th, from Central Park West to 13 Amsterdam, constantly turn out high 14 numbers in every election. In fact, we 15 brag about it. We have the higher voter 16 -- highest voter participation rate in 17 the state. 18 And they have found a strong voice 19 in local politics, because they have 20 become engaged in what's going on in the 21 neighborhood. Our voice would be 22 greatly diluted if we were forced to 23 find new footing in a district that has 24 different priorities and very different 25 needs. And we would be cut off from our 23 1 2 neighbors to the north, that are part of 3 our neighborhood family. 4 As for one other point that you may 5 want to look at, I would also point out 6 that the redistricting process can also 7 remedy another obvious issue in the 8 current map, on the Upper West Side, 9 Manhattan Valley, which is that the 10 Towers on the Park complex and 110th, 11 there are two of them. One on the north 12 side, one on the south side. One is in 13 District 7. The north side of the 14 street is in District -- I think 15 District 10 -- I'm going to have to -- 16 District 9, excuse me. So they both 17 surely should be, clearly should be, in 18 District 7. 19 They have a common board, they have 20 their, you know, obviously the same 21 condominium association, so that creates 22 some problems for them as well. By the 23 way, the District 7 side has managed to 24 be able to get a voting site put into 25 the building, which has been helpful to 24 1 2 getting increasing voter participation, 3 as well. 4 So I thank you very much, and I hope 5 that you're able to help us with this 6 problem. Have a nice day. 7 ANNOUNCER: Thank you. Now we're 8 going to move to our neighbors on Zoom. 9 Who do we have up first? 10 ZOOM ANNOUNCER: We have Frank 11 Lachapelle. 12 ANNOUNCER: Yes we can, thank you. 13 Frank LACHAPELLE: Well, I do want 14 to say thank you to the Commission for 15 letting me have my testimony today, and 16 also to the public that is listening 17 live. 18 Good evening, my name is Frank 19 Lachapelle, and I am a lifelong resident 20 and voter of City Council District 36, 21 which is comprised of Bed-Stuy and North 22 Crown Heights. In this district, my 23 mother gave birth to me at Woodhull 24 Hospital, where I was raised in Tompkins 25 NYCHA housing, where I gained most of my 25 1 2 early childhood public education, and 3 now I currently have the opportunity 4 too, as a member of my local Community 5 Board 3. 6 When my parents migrated from the 7 Dominican Republic, they landed in 8 Brooklyn, more specifically, Bed-Stuy, 9 as did many of my fellow neighbors. In 10 this district, we've grown in culture, 11 arts, and community. Once you step foot 12 in this district, anyone from any walk 13 of life will feel like they're at home. 14 The residents of our community have 15 stayed the same because of that same 16 home-like feeling, which ultimately laid 17 down a rich history that's been shared 18 with generations and generations to 19 come. 20 I ask to continue to leave the maps 21 the same or similar to how it's been for 22 the last decade. One word that comes to 23 mind is relationships. We grow 24 together, unified and caring for one 25 another through relationships. Not only 26 1 2 have we grown that relationship with 3 each other, but we've also grown the 4 relationship with our local 5 representative, who is the champion for 6 our district. It is in the best 7 interest of the neighborhood that we 8 continue to have this relationship by 9 continuing to work together with that 10 bond that we've built, with that bond 11 and with the potential of the map 12 remaining the same. 13 We, as the Bed-Stuy and North Crown 14 Heights family can accomplish more for 15 the present and the future. It is 16 imperative that the district and 17 commission keep that in mind, so that we 18 can continue to build upon the culture, 19 arts, and community that we build hard 20 -- that we took -- it took very hard for 21 us to obtain. 22 Thank you very much. 23 ANNOUNCER: Thank you. We can take 24 another neighbor from Zoom. 25 ZOOM ANNOUNCER: We have Paul 27 1 2 Spring. 3 ANNOUNCER: Sorry, can you repeat 4 that? 5 ZOOM ANNOUNCER: Paul Spring. 6 ANNOUNCER: Paul Spring, are you 7 there? We can move on to someone else. 8 ZOOM ANNOUNCER: Stephanie Wong. 9 STEPHANIE WONG: Hi, I'm here. Good 10 afternoon. Can you hear me? 11 ANNOUNCER: Yes we can, thank you. 12 MS. WONG: Okay, good afternoon. My 13 name is Stephanie Wong. I'm a resident 14 in Bensonhurst for almost 40 years. And 15 I am the personnel of the United Chinese 16 Association of Brooklyn, where I founded 17 this organization 20 years ago. Asian 18 Pacific American community in 19 Bensonhurst, is a community of interest 20 and should be kept whole as possible in 21 a district. Currently, Bensonhurst is 22 divided into four city council 23 districts. So APAs are not a majority 24 in any of these four current districts. 25 Over the last ten years, the APA 28 1 2 population of New York City increased by 3 about 345,000 residents. Between 2010 4 and 2020, the APA population in Brooklyn 5 alone, increased by 43 percent. To keep 6 the APA community in Bensonhurst as 7 whole as possible, we believe that a 8 district can be created that will result 9 in a near majority APA city council 10 district. This is the possible ways and 11 40 percent overall increase in APAs and 12 a 46 percent increase among the 13 voting-age population in Brooklyn. 14 There are now over a quarter million 15 APAs in Brooklyn alone. This means that 16 around one out of four APA's in New York 17 City, is a resident of Brooklyn. Many 18 of these APAs live in an area that spans 19 from parts of Central Park, Bensonhurst, 20 Homecrest and the Sheepshead Bay. 21 Unlike Manhattan's, China Town or 22 Flushing's China Town, Bensonhurst does 23 not have crowds of people and the noisy 24 street vendors. 25 There are Chinese grocery stores, 29 1 2 restaurants, nail-hair salons, auto 3 repair shops, day care centers, 4 community centers for the elderly, 5 medical clinics and a Chinese-Christian 6 church. A Salvation Army that offers 7 parades in Cantonese. I have personally 8 witnessed the growth in the APA 9 community in Bensonhurst, by seeing the 10 number of Chinese immigrant families 11 move into this neighborhood to settle. 12 As you may be aware, the APA 13 community in Bensonhurst, that is 14 currently spread across four city 15 council districts, share many community 16 resources, and the need, including, 17 language access, culturally sensitive 18 services, public safety, affordable 19 housing, public transportation lines and 20 the linguistic landscape. 21 It is extremely important that the 22 APA community be kept whole as possible, 23 mainly because there is a strong need 24 for more equitable community 25 representation. And to have our voices 30 1 2 included in the decision-making process. 3 For example, with issues like, 4 incorporating more homeless shelters 5 into our neighborhood, the other 6 neighborhoods. Fighting anti-hate -- 7 Asian hate crimes in the neighborhood, 8 the other neighborhoods, and the subway, 9 and the converting invisibility -- the 10 invisibility of the anti-Asian races in 11 our community. 12 Our power should not be diluted. 13 This will give us more equal power to 14 have our need for more culturally 15 sensitive bilingual services addressed. 16 Therefore, I'm urging you, the 17 commission, to recognize the community 18 of interest, herby, drawing lines that 19 do not divide the community, and instead 20 keeping the APA community in 21 Bensonhurst, as whole as possible. 22 Please help us, we need you guy's help. 23 Thank you for the commissioner give 24 us this -- a chance to express our 25 concern, and we really need your help. 31 1 2 Thank you. 3 ANNOUNCER: Thank you. Now we'll 4 start alternating, in-person and Zoom, 5 so we'll move to Luis Cruz. 6 MR. GOLD: Madam Chair, can I just 7 ask the speakers, this is Commissioner 8 Gold. When they talk about communities, 9 to give us a general definition of the 10 boundaries of the community they're 11 talking about, because our first two 12 speakers, the council members, both 13 talked about Bed-Stuy and Crown Heights, 14 and to get a better sense of what they 15 think is the community of interest that 16 should be kept together. 17 I -- I would like to make sure we 18 understand what communities of interest 19 they think should be kept together. I'd 20 like them to just quickly go over what 21 the boundaries of the districts that 22 they think the new district should 23 encompass. And perhaps, we could just 24 quickly ask the people who've spoken to, 25 to spend 10 seconds or 15 seconds 32 1 2 defining the boundaries of the district, 3 whether or not it's the current district 4 or the slightly changed districts, based 5 on the communities that they represent. 6 ANNOUNCER: So, just so we're clear, 7 we're asking that each speaker, if you 8 can spend 10, 15 seconds, kind of, 9 explaining the boundaries of the current 10 district that you're referring to. I 11 think that's the gist of the request. 12 MR. GOLD: I would like them to just 13 describe the boundaries of the district 14 they'd like to see, whether it's based 15 on the current districts or based on the 16 community of interest where the 17 communities are located. But I did, as 18 I've noted the first two council members 19 who spoke, talked about the same 20 communities, and I'd like to have a 21 clearer idea of what the boundaries are 22 that they are advocating for. Really, 23 not necessarily the current districts, 24 but what they would like to see. 25 ANNOUNCER: One second. Okay, after 33 1 2 Luis Cruz testifies, then we can have 3 the council members come up and clarify 4 the boundaries and the communities of 5 interest, please. 6 LUIS CRUZ: Good afternoon everyone. 7 My name is Luis Cruz, I am a resident -- 8 sorry. 9 Good afternoon everyone. My name is 10 Luis Cruz, I am a resident of Washington 11 Heights in District 7. I am here to 12 testify regarding the growth of City 13 Council District 7 and 10, in Upper 14 Manhattan. 15 I urge the commission to include the 16 Polo Ground Towers as part of the 17 District 10, and to keep 160s and 150 18 west of Amsterdam, as part of District 19 7. 20 This approach will ensure that Black 21 and Latino communities in Upper 22 Manhattan, continue to have adequate 23 representation. 24 Washington Heights, has been always 25 represented by at least two members of 34 1 2 city council, and it is crucial that 3 this continue to be the case. By having 4 representation from two council members, 5 the programs in our community -- in our 6 community, have more success getting 7 funding from the city. We have strong 8 advocacy for the challenges that we 9 face. 10 If the Commission were to put 11 Washington Heights in just one district, 12 we will lose money, programs and we will 13 lose our voice. The Latino population 14 in District 7, will be especially hurt, 15 if Washington Heights were cut out of 16 the district, as will dramatically 17 change who votes in the district. As a 18 young man, I can also tell you that our 19 schools need -- need as much help as 20 they can get. 21 This is why it is important that our 22 Community Health Academy of the Heights, 23 the only high school in District 7, 24 remain in District 7. If the school is 25 moved to District 10, that will mean 35 1 2 that District 10 is now responsible for 3 three high schools, while District 7 4 will be responsible for none. Our 5 schools need more attention than that. 6 The best way to ensure that District 7 10 and District 7 grows in a way that 8 protects the interest of each community 9 in District 10, is to include the Polo 10 Grounds. The Polo Grounds is the home 11 to the people with the same background 12 and facing the same challenges as the 13 people in District 10. They will have 14 the same interest electing the council 15 member responsible for Coogan's Bluff, 16 which is already part of District 10, 17 each side of congress votes to have a 18 say in who will represent the area. 19 We need our communities, we need 20 empowered communities, we need our 21 communities to be represented so that 22 our communities improve for a better 23 future. 24 Thank you so much. 25 ANNOUNCER: Thank you. Now we'll 36 1 2 have -- I think council member Hudson, 3 is ready to come back up. 4 CRYSTAL HUDSON: Yes, thank you. 5 So, I just wanted to -- to clarify, I 6 think both of us in our testimonies said 7 that we would like, and I know 8 obviously, you know, it's redistricting, 9 but we would like our borders to be kept 10 as similar to our current lines as 11 possible. 12 And you know, I guess, I also noted 13 at the very end of my testimony, that 14 I'm going to be submitting a map. So 15 the map that I submit, along with my 16 longer written testimony, will have all 17 the lines, and the borders, and the 18 specific streets. But I will just note 19 that, I think in -- there should be some 20 sort of effort to keep community 21 districts together and whole. 22 And so, you know, I have on the 23 western side of my district, Atlantic 24 Avenue as a natural, sort of, dividing 25 line between my district and council 37 1 2 member Osse's district. And so, I 3 think, you know, we can explore options, 4 or you all should potentially explore 5 options, to use a major thoroughfare 6 like that. But you know, I didn't -- I 7 didn't come today with the specific 8 lines, because I'll be submitting the 9 testimony, written testimony, that would 10 include the map with specific borders. 11 Thank you. 12 ANNOUNCER: Council member Osse. 13 CHI OSSE: Hi again. I would 14 absolutely love to uplift and echo the 15 sentiments of council member Hudson, 16 especially in terms of hoping that the 17 lines can stay intact as possible, as 18 they have been over the past 10 years, 19 and this has been, you know, an 20 evaluation that we've made -- well, I've 21 made. I'll speak for myself with 22 constituents, both in Bed-Stuy and in 23 North Crown Heights. 24 You know, Bed-Stuy, again, is a 25 unified district within how it's drawn 38 1 2 out currently, as is, and that's very 3 important to the constituency in the 4 community. The map -- the maps as they 5 are, do speak for themselves, but I also 6 do want to uplift, you know, a statement 7 that I made within my -- my testimony, 8 that Northern Crown Heights, but also, 9 in the residence of Northern Crown 10 Heights, would truly appreciate and 11 honestly succeed off being a unified 12 district. 13 So, there is a natural border at 14 Eastern Parkway, which really signifies, 15 you know, the split between Northern 16 Crown Heights and Southern Crown 17 Heights, and that would be, you know, in 18 -- an additional, you know, expansion to 19 the district, given that there was 20 slight, you know, loss of population 21 over the past 10 years. 22 I hope that -- that made sense, but 23 I also will submit testimony, as well as 24 clarification, on specific avenues and 25 streets that would give you a better 39 1 2 picture of what the lines should look 3 like. Thank you. 4 ANNOUNCER: I think now, we'll head 5 back to Zoom. Who do we have up next, 6 please? 7 ZOOM ANNOUNCER: We're going to try 8 Paul Spring. 9 ANNOUNCER: Paul Spring. 10 PAUL SPRING: Hello, thank you for 11 that. Switched to my phone because my 12 computer wasn't working. Yeah, I want 13 to follow up, Mr. Osse, and earlier, 14 Frank Lachapelle, in asking that 15 District 36, not be changed and -- and 16 not be -- and not have Crown Heights 17 removed. I think that the current 18 district lines work in great harmony 19 with Assembly District 56. And they 20 maintain a whole historic Bed-Stuy in 21 one piece, as well as, keeping North 22 Crown Heights within. So, I just wanted 23 to say that piece, and I'll also be 24 submitting written testimony with more 25 detail. 40 1 2 ANNOUNCER: Thank you. I think we 3 can take someone else from Zoom. 4 ZOOM ANNOUNCER: Okay, we have 5 Zulema Blair. 6 ANNOUNCER: I'm sorry, can you 7 repeat that. 8 ZOOM ANNOUNCER: Zulema Blair. 9 ANNOUNCER: Zulema Blair. 10 ZULEMA BLAIR: Hi, good evening, 11 everyone. My name is Dr. Zulema Blair. 12 I'm a professor at Medgar Evers College. 13 I'm also the redistricting research 14 director for the Center for Law and 15 Social Justice, and the interim 16 executive director for the Dubois Bunche 17 Center for Public Policy. 18 Good evening, to all. Good 19 afternoon, to all the commissioners and 20 everyone on the dash and to both council 21 members from districts I'm very familiar 22 with. 23 I want to start by saying the Center 24 for Law and Social Justice, and engaging 25 in the redistricting process, we look at 41 1 2 all districts throughout the five 3 boroughs in totality. We do not draw or 4 map any district in isolation, because 5 we are concerned about the communities 6 of interest for people of African 7 descent throughout the five boroughs. 8 We also know that there are 9 differences between the different levels 10 of government; congressional district 11 lines and State Assembly district lines. 12 We cannot assume that they would mimic 13 city council lines. And so city 14 council, they stay right here in New 15 York City and rally the troops, if you 16 will, for lived legislation and use the 17 community as their backbone. 18 Having said that, the city council 19 need to maintain as much as possible of 20 its boundaries. We know that there are 21 some changes, because there are -- have 22 been a lot of development, 23 gentrification included. But also a lot 24 of immigration and remigration of 25 population. 42 1 2 So for example, in Districts 35 and 3 36, where I was raised in 35 and work in 4 35. If we separate or use Eastern 5 Parkway as the boarder, we would be 6 separating Crown Heights, we would be 7 creating two separate communities, we 8 cannot do that. It would be creating a 9 tale of two districts, if you will. One 10 side are very poor that don't utilize 11 all the aspects and features of District 12 35. Versus another side, where many 13 shops and restaurants and bars, 14 etcetera, and people attend and go to 15 school together throughout District 35. 16 The historic Prospect Heights, 17 churches, communities, etcetera, and as 18 noted before, the West Indian American 19 Carnival Association and the museum. 20 District 36, we have to keep the 21 boundaries as is, as much as possible. 22 We can extend the western boundary a 23 little bit over, maybe one block off -- 24 for Classon Avenue, which some say is a 25 natural boundary for Bedford-Stuyvesant, 43 1 2 and I will get some arguments there. 3 So, in keeping with the 13 districts 4 of people of African descent in the city 5 council and also the 10 communities of 6 interest that we have throughout the 7 Bronx, and Brooklyn, and Queens, we 8 maintained that Sheepshead Bay remain in 9 District 46, Sheepshead Bay Housing. 10 That in District 46, which is the 11 Canarsie area, that we also have the 12 Rockaway Parkway train station placed in 13 that district because that serves the 14 districts of Canarsie, also the small 15 business area, etcetera. We maintain 16 that Coney Island should be with all the 17 beach areas, so that it would not be an 18 isolated area, and would not be left out 19 of the conversation when hurricane Ida 20 super-storm, or another super-storm, or 21 another hurricane approaches that area. 22 For Staten Island, we had to take 23 20,000 people from Brooklyn, so that was 24 Dyker Heights in the Fort Hamilton 25 Parkway area. For Queens, our beloved 44 1 2 Queens, we need to keep 31 with Far 3 Rockaway. Extend it just a little bit 4 for population purposes, so that we 5 maintain three districts of people of 6 African descent, because we know that 7 there are some conversions of different 8 populations. 9 We think that there are -- since 10 there's still 8,000 people in South 11 Ozone Park, that we cannot relinquish 12 South Ozone Park. It's too much people 13 of African descent to just be pushed 14 back to a different boundary and lose a 15 district. 16 We think -- not think, we know, 17 District 9 is central Harlem. And in 18 central Harlem, there are a lot of 19 firsts, there are a lot of historical 20 movements and institutions, such as the 21 Polo Grounds. And that has to remain 22 the same, because central Harlem is what 23 we have for people of African descent. 24 And all the institutions and forces that 25 are there, should remain the same. 45 1 2 The Northern Bronx, we have a 3 significant community of interest now 4 sprinkled throughout. The Northern 5 Bronx maintains it, but we think 6 Wakefield has been left out of the 7 conversation. Large Caribbean, utilizes 8 all the institutions there. The Mosholu 9 Parkway Golf Course, etcetera, for all 10 of its events. It should not -- it 11 should be placed in District 12 and 12 leave the border at Gunhill Road. And 13 we have a significant community of 14 interest in the Allerton area, right 15 below Gunhill Road. 16 So -- and keep trying to keep 17 Crotona Park East whole, because we're 18 growing back again in the South Bronx, 19 and it -- actually, in that area in 20 District 16, where other districts were 21 losing people of African descent, that 22 district has grown. So, more 23 unification in that area. Thank you. 24 ANNOUNCER: Thank you. Next up, we 25 have Robert Smith III. 46 1 2 ROBERT SMITH III: That was the 3 longest walk to a microphone in my life. 4 That was a joke, but hey, there we go. 5 Thank you. Good afternoon, to the 6 districting commission and to the public 7 participating in this very glamorous 8 moment of democracy. My name is Robert, 9 I'm a resident of Bedford- Stuyvesant, 10 and I'm the president of my block 11 association and a member of Brooklyn 12 Community Board 3. 13 I'm here today, to ask each of you 14 to keep the deeply interconnected and 15 historically Black neighborhoods of 16 Bedford-Stuyvesant, Crown Heights 17 intact, as the 36th District. Even 18 though I live north of Atlantic Avenue 19 on Macon Street, I count Northern Crown 20 Heights as part of my community. 21 We share schools, hospitals, 22 culturally specific arts organizations, 23 subway stations, bus routes, churches, 24 demographics, historic architecture. 25 And importantly, unique relationships to 47 1 2 pressing political questions, like, 3 public safety, gentrification, 4 sanitation, and I can go on and on. 5 And I want to echo, you know, what 6 Paul Spring was saying on Zoom, about 7 how the city council District 36, aligns 8 with the assembly District 56. And I 9 think this alignment allows for, you 10 know, historical Black residents of 11 Bedford-Stuyvesant and Crown Heights to 12 have a important share of political 13 power. 14 And I think within our national 15 context, you know, being dead set on 16 diluting Black electoral power, it's 17 really important that this comission, 18 you know, makes the right decision to 19 draw maps that keeps District 36 intact 20 or as similar as possible. And allow 21 our well-organized and historic Black 22 community to represent and govern itself 23 for the next 10 years and beyond. Thank 24 you. 25 ANNOUNCER: Thank you. Carlos 48 1 2 Castellano. 3 CARLOS CASTELLANO: Hello everyone. 4 My name is Carlos Castellano, and I was 5 born and raised in Washington Heights, 6 and currently reside in Inwood, in 7 District 10. 8 I'm here to testify regarding the 9 growth of Council District 7 and 10 in 10 Upper Manhattan. I urge the commission 11 to take steps that ensure districts in 12 Upper Manhattan are compact, but they 13 are not oddly shaped. That communities 14 of interest are served, and that Black 15 and Latino populations are adequately 16 represented on the city council. 17 To achieve these goals, the 18 commission should include the 19 Polo Grounds as part of the District 10, 20 and ensure that the 160s and the 150s 21 remain part of District 7. If 22 District 10 is to grow, the Polo Grounds 23 is the most natural direction to -- I'm 24 sorry, natural direction for the 25 district to expand. 49 1 2 The Polo Ground is already connected 3 to District 10 via the FDR Highway, all 4 the way up to Dykers Street. The 5 highway extends down both sides of the 6 district, connecting Dyckman Housing to 7 the Polo Grounds, and forming a 8 community of interest. The current 9 northeast part of the District 10, 10 already connects to the FDR Highway, 11 which directly connects to the 12 Polo Grounds, as well. Coogan's Bluff, 13 which is currently part of District 10, 14 should serve residents on either side, 15 including those currently in District 16 10, and the people who reside in the 17 Polo Grounds Towers. 18 The people living on each side of 19 Coogan's Bluff, are equally invested in 20 selecting the council member who will be 21 responsible for this major green space. 22 Polo Grounds, and the remaining area of 23 Washington Heights, already share 24 representation. For instance, assembly 25 District 71, currently included the Polo 50 1 2 Grounds and east of Amsterdam, south of 3 159th Street. 4 District 10, is already east of 5 Amsterdam, including Amsterdam, 6 St. Nicholas and Edgecombe. I simply 7 ask that the district continues south 8 along these lines. 9 Finally, the 160s and 150s west of 10 Amsterdam, should remain in District 7. 11 Washington Heights had always been 12 represented by at least two council 13 members, and shifting these blocks in 14 the heart of Washington Heights, would 15 functionally cut representation of these 16 communities in half. Programs that have 17 historically received funding from 18 council members representing both 19 districts, would likely see their 20 fundings cut in half. 21 Even if these needs in poverty in 22 District 10 were to dramatically 23 increase, cutting the 160s and 150s west 24 of Amsterdam, out of District 7, also 25 would dramatically increase the 51 1 2 proportion of white voters, and reduce 3 the voting power of the substantial 4 Black and Latino population. 5 It will move the Community Health 6 Academy of the Washington -- of the 7 Heights, to District 10. Meaning that, 8 no high school would operate in District 9 7, and that all funding for high school 10 programs, would likely need to come from 11 the District 10 budget. 12 District 10, already has two high 13 schools. One is George Washington High 14 School Educational Campus. Which I was 15 the last graduating class of George 16 Washington High School, and worked in 17 Summer Youth, Gregorio Luperon, back 18 when I was a teenager. Both of which 19 are in great need of additional support 20 and resources. 21 District 10 is not equipped to 22 provide full attention and resources to 23 a third high school. The 160s cannot be 24 separated from the 150s west of 25 Amsterdam. A number of Hispanic-serving 52 1 2 institutions operated in the 150s, 3 including Boricua College and the 4 Hispanic Society Museum. 5 And these institutions are likely to 6 thrive, if they are represented by a 7 council member elected by the people of 8 southern -- southern Washington 9 Heights, who have a historic and 10 cultural connection to these 11 institutions. 12 I'll be providing my testimony and 13 the map outline to everyone. Thank you. 14 ANNOUNCER: Thank you. Let's head 15 to a neighbor on Zoom. 16 ZOOM ANNOUNCER: We have Ekram 17 Alrowmeim. 18 ANNOUNCER: I'm sorry, could you 19 repeat that again? We couldn't hear you 20 well. 21 ZOOM ANNOUNCER: We have Ekram 22 Alrowmeim. 23 EKRAM ALROWMEIM: Good afternoon, 24 everyone. Can you hear me? 25 ANNOUNCER: Yes, we can. Thank you. 53 1 2 EKRAM ALROWMEIM: My name is Ekram 3 Alrowmeim, a community health partner at 4 the Academy of Medical and Public Health 5 Services, and is a non-profit healthcare 6 organization in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, 7 working to make healthcare more 8 accessible to marginalized immigrant 9 communities and people of color. 10 So we provide free clinical 11 screenings, bilingual mental health 12 therapy, individualized health education 13 and social services, primarily, with the 14 Chinese, Latino, and Arab communities of 15 Brooklyn in New York, in Sunset Park, 16 and Bensonhurst. We are also a member 17 of the APA Voice Redistricting Task 18 Force. 19 The APA community in Bensonhurst, is 20 a community of interest and should be 21 kept as whole as possible. It currently 22 is divided into four city council 23 districts, and in none of these four 24 districts, is a APA community has a 25 significant plurality. This is despite 54 1 2 the fact that between 2010 and 2020, the 3 APA population of New York City 4 increased by about 345,000 residents. 5 About a third of this increase was 6 in Brooklyn, and between 2010 and 2020, 7 the APA population in Brooklyn increased 8 53 percent. To keep the Bensonhurst 9 community of interest as whole as 10 possible, we believe a district can be 11 created that would result in a 12 near-majority APA city council district, 13 that contains just parts of Bensonhurst. 14 While the APA community in Sunset 15 Park and Bensonhurst may have -- have 16 many shared interest, it's too large to 17 put both neighborhoods in one single 18 district. The APA community in Sunset 19 Park, in current -- currently hold in 20 Council District 38 and should remain 21 whole as possible in a single district. 22 The APA community interracial -- the APA 23 community is a racial minority protected 24 under the Voting Rights Act and 25 protecting racial and language 55 1 2 minorities is a high priority of the 3 city charter. 4 Dividing communities with common 5 interest will only tear our communities 6 farther apart, and will just continue to 7 marginalize an already marginalized 8 communities. 9 Dividing Bensonhurst into four city 10 council Districts, means limited 11 resources. It means over-populated 12 schools, lack of language access, and 13 increased homeless -- homelessness 14 rates. It means rising food insecurity 15 and unemployment. It means lack of 16 affordable housing and increased 17 violence and crime rates. More 18 divisions, means being unfairly ignored. 19 Therefore, I urge the New York City 20 districting commission to keep the APA 21 community of interest in Bensonhurst as 22 whole as possible, and the APA community 23 of interest in Sunset Park, as whole as 24 possible. 25 Third districts are the foundation 56 1 2 for fair political and social 3 representation. The right decision must 4 be taken. If not, our communities will 5 live with the results for this next -- 6 the results for the next decade. But 7 fair redistricting will allow our 8 communities to fight for their fair 9 share of funding for community-based 10 services, language access, better public 11 safety and more. 12 Thank you for your time. We hope 13 truly, you consider the interest of the 14 different communities who will be 15 impacted. Please keep us together and 16 not divided. Thank you so much. 17 ANNOUNCER: Thank you. Benjamin 18 Rosenfield. 19 BENJAMIN ROSENFIELD: Good 20 afternoon, my name is Benjamin 21 Rosenfield. I'm a resident of the 22 Manhattan Valley area of the Upper West 23 Side, and I'm here to testify regarding 24 the expansion of District 7. 25 Specifically, I would urge the 57 1 2 Comission to increase the size of 3 District 7, by expanding west of 4 Broadway and south of 109th Street. All 5 of us are reliant on the same 6 transportation infrastructure, namely 7 the 1 train, and the same exit off the 8 West Side Highway to get home in the 9 evenings. We face the same sanitation 10 issues, which is why we are working 11 together to clean up Broadway Mall, and 12 to fight for more composting in the 13 area. We are also working together for 14 a park to park open street, across 15 103rd Street. 16 Increasing the size of District 7, 17 by expanding west of Broadway and south 18 of 109th Street, would create greater 19 continuity for the Jewish community, of 20 which I'm a proud member. I worship at 21 the Ansche Chesed synagogue on 109th 22 Street and West End Avenue, alongside 23 many of my neighbors in District 6 and 24 District 7. 25 Expanding the district in this 58 1 2 manner, would allow many Jews, like 3 myself, who live in the area to have our 4 homes and places of worship, as well as, 5 community centers, covered in a singular 6 city council district. There's no 7 existing benefit from communities west 8 of Broadway and east of Broadway in the 9 100s, having separate representation. 10 We each have the same distinct needs 11 from city government. We frequent the 12 same businesses, eat at the same 13 restaurants, and are impacted by the 14 same developments, and advocate for and 15 against policies that affect us in 16 identical ways. 17 There are a few additional specific 18 recommendations I urge the board to keep 19 in mind. First, the Towers on the 20 complex on 110th Street, should be 21 wholly contained in District 7, rather 22 than having the north building as part 23 of District 9 and the south building as 24 part of a District 7. 25 Second, I wish that the Park West 59 1 2 Village remains specifically a part of 3 District 7. This economically diverse 4 complex, is home to many engaged voters, 5 including many members of the minority 6 communities and elderly, whose voices 7 would be diluted if they were moved into 8 another district. 9 Third, the commercial corridor on -- 10 between 196th Street along Columbus 11 Avenue, runs through Park West Village 12 in District 7, and equally serves and 13 employs the people of the District 6 in 14 District 7. 15 Finally, I would like to thank the 16 members of the district committee for 17 their time, and would like to commend 18 you for the work that you're doing in 19 service of our city and our democracy. 20 ANNOUNCER: Thank you. Let's head 21 to a neighbor on Zoom. 22 ZOOM ANNOUNCER: We have Lurie 23 Danielle Flower -- Favors -- Favors. 24 ANNOUNCER: Lurie Daniel Favors. 25 LURIE DANIEL FAVORS: Good 60 1 2 afternoon. Good afternoon 3 commissioners. My name is Lurie 4 Danielle Favors, and I'd like to thank 5 you for the opportunity to testify 6 today. 7 I am here on behalf of the Center 8 for Law and Social Justice at the Medgar 9 Evers College. My family home is in 10 Bedford-Stuyvesant District 36, where my 11 father spent the first half of his life. 12 My mother lives there to this day, and I 13 work in the beautiful District of 35, in 14 Crown Heights Brooklyn. 15 CLSJ, is a racial justice law center 16 that envisions a civically educated and 17 engaged political electorate, that is 18 consistently building political power to 19 marshal the representation and resources 20 needed for our communities to thrive. 21 Prior to this hearing, CLSJ 22 submitted a city-wide map that outlines 23 our 13 districts that comprise a 24 significant and performing communities 25 of interest of people of African 61 1 2 descent. In addition to those 13 3 districts, we also submitted a map 4 outlining our additional 10 communities 5 of interest that are located outside of 6 those districts and which should be 7 maintained regardless of whatever 8 district that they are drawn into. 9 People of African descent, the 10 population of African descent in 11 Brooklyn, increased over the past 12 decade. And as Brooklyn consistently 13 boast the largest population of diverse 14 communities of African descent in the 15 city, that overall growth accounted for 16 nearly 40 percent of the Black 17 population increase in our city 18 neighborhoods, like in central Brooklyn, 19 like Bedford-Stuyvesant, Crown Heights, 20 East New York, Brownsville, 21 Prospect Heights, Prospect Lefferts 22 Gardens, Flatbush, East Flatbush, and 23 more recently, Canarsie Flatlands, 24 collectively have the largest and most 25 concentrated Black populations in all of 62 1 2 North America. 3 And the communities of interest in 4 these areas, saw exponential growth 5 through influxes of people of African 6 descent from the South, Caribbean, 7 Africa, and of course, Spanish-speaking 8 people of African descent, from Latin 9 America and South America, while others 10 relocated from other New York 11 neighborhoods to be closer to their 12 respective communities of interest. 13 For those reasons, we urge you to 14 maintain adherence to the redistricting 15 criteria, as noted by my colleague, 16 Dr. Blair. We do not draw maps on 17 single district basis, we look at the 18 city as a whole. And for example, while 19 council district's 35 and 36 have much 20 in common, including the fact that they 21 both struggle with population loss due 22 to lack of affordable housing and 23 gentrification, they are in fact, made 24 up of two different communities of 25 interest, and that should be respected, 63 1 2 preserved. 3 We also advocate, that you strive to 4 keep the shoreline communities together 5 and not allow them to be divided. 6 Communities like those in Coney Island, 7 Manhattan Beach, and Brighten Beach, 8 those communities should be maintained 9 as communities of interest, as they all 10 face similar challenges that transcend 11 their respective populations. 12 And it is important that communities 13 like Coney Island are not isolated away 14 from other shore-based communities of 15 interest, as a way of ensuring that 16 their short-term and long-term needs can 17 be met. 18 Additionally, we urge that the 19 Sheepshead Bay Housing be maintained in 20 District 46, because that too, is a 21 community of interest that should be 22 kept as a whole. 23 I will be submitting my full written 24 testimony, along with a copy of the 25 Center for Law and Social Justice, 64 1 2 people of African descent in New York 3 City report, currently available on our 4 website. And I refer you again, to our 5 previously submitted district maps and 6 the communities of interest maps for 7 additional details. 8 I would also note that the Center 9 for Law and Social Justice is a member 10 of the Unity Map Coalition, which is 11 comprised of our organization, the 12 Asian-American Legal Defense Fund and 13 Latino Justice PRLDEF. And we also -- 14 we are working to also submit maps for 15 your consideration which demonstrate an 16 equitable distribution of power, based 17 on census data and our data-driven 18 understanding of the geo-placement of 19 our communities of interest. And we 20 look forward to engaging with the 21 commission further. Thank you. 22 ANNOUNCER: Thank you. Benny Chen. 23 BENNY CHEN: My name is Benny Chen, 24 and since birth, to just about a year 25 ago, I lived in Sunset Part, Brooklyn, a 65 1 2 neighborhood community -- a neighboring 3 community -- community from Bensonhurst. 4 I am 28 years old -- 28 years old now, 5 and I live in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. 6 Still a short distance from Bensonhurst. 7 Bensonhurst, like Sunset Park, has a 8 rooted and growing population of Chinese 9 Americans. In 2020, I helped APA voice 10 and efforts to get residents of 11 Bensonhurst to complete the 2020 census. 12 We did so by walking the streets of 13 Bensonhurst, making stops to engage with 14 local businesses, and even residents on 15 the street. We walked from the area of 16 the J-mart supermarket of Utrecht 17 Avenue, to where the elevated subway 18 trains taper off at Stillwell Avenue and 19 86th Street. 20 We did this in multiple days, in 21 order to cover as much ground as we 22 could. Each day that we walked, it was 23 evident that there existed a strong 24 Chinese-American community. The 25 residents communicated with one another 66 1 2 in Chinese. I could make out Gan, 3 Cantonese, Mandarin, Fujianese, Formosan 4 Taiwanese. The local bakeries, 5 restaurants, businesses, had their names 6 displayed above their doors in both 7 English and Chinese, sometimes only in 8 Chinese. 9 A bulk of the members of Bensonhurst 10 are Chinese American. Unlike the 11 Asian-American community in Sunset Park, 12 which has kept whole in District 38, 13 Bensonhurst is divided into four city 14 council districts. If the geographical 15 districting of the community continues 16 to be split into four different 17 districts, the voices of Asian-American 18 residents will continue to be diluted. 19 I ask that the district maps be 20 drawn so that those with common 21 interest, who live in the same 22 neighborhood, be kept to the same 23 district to the best extent possible. I 24 feel that this is something very 25 reasonable to ask for. I encourage you 67 1 2 to walk the streets of Bensonhurst, so 3 that you can see for yourselves what I 4 had saw. Thank you. 5 ANNOUNCER: Thank you. Who do have 6 next up on Zoom? 7 ZOOM ANNOUNCER: We have Deborah 8 Young. 9 ANNOUNCER: Deborah Young. 10 DEBORAH YOUNG: Yes, I'm here on 11 Zoom. My name is Deborah Young, and I 12 live in the 35th District. I am also 13 the president and co-founder of the 14 Crown Heights North Association, and I 15 also serve as the second vice chair of 16 the Community Board 8. 17 I want to thank Chair Walcott and 18 the commission for this opportunity. 19 And Chair Walcott, you may not know me 20 as Deborah Young, and I'm not going to 21 date us, but we did our undergraduate or 22 internship together, and you knew me as 23 Debbie Cuffy, at that time, so it's good 24 seeing you. 25 I submitted a testimony that's a 68 1 2 little lengthy, so I'm just going to 3 take the key points and share at this 4 point. 5 Currently, the Crown Heights North 6 community is split between the 35 and 7 36th council districts. Clearly, this 8 fragmentation impacts the residents of 9 our community. We are fortunate to have 10 two council members who are 11 hard-working, conscientious, engaged and 12 fully committed to working together for 13 their constituents and the common good. 14 Nonetheless, the schism, however, 15 impacts our ability to be represented as 16 a complete. For example, on any given 17 street, one side can be represented by 18 the 35th, while the neighbors across the 19 street, are represented by the 36th. 20 While our goals may be similar or even 21 the same, this arbitrary division forces 22 us to work with two officers, two staff, 23 two representatives, in any endeavor, 24 making just about everything, much more 25 complicated and time consuming than it 69 1 2 needs to be for both our representatives 3 and the community. 4 We need to be joined as one, to 5 foster our cultural, religious and other 6 related commonalities. Ideally, it is 7 in Crown Heights North's community's 8 best interest, to be in one council 9 district, making us whole. 10 And it's hard to testify, because 11 we've been successful, and we work very 12 well with both representatives in the 13 35th and 36th, but we think it's equally 14 as important that we be made whole. So 15 we urge the commission to ensure that 16 streets are not divided down the middle, 17 and that the boundaries of our district, 18 maintain the integrity of existing 19 neighborhoods. 20 As state and congressional 21 boundaries split neighborhoods and have 22 resulted in my district having four 23 members of congress, whereas it 24 previously had two, it is imperative 25 that we ensure council districts truly 70 1 2 include interior -- entire neighborhoods 3 and communities. 4 I thank you for this opportunity. 5 CHAIR WALCOTT: If I may, for one 6 second to say, while I won't date the 7 year, if I remember correctly, Columbia 8 School of Social Work, so I do remember, 9 but I will not say the year, not for my 10 benefit, but for mutual benefit. So 11 thank you, good seeing you. 12 ANNOUNCER: Thank you. Cesar Ruiz. 13 CESAR RUIZ: Good evening 14 commissioners of the New York City 15 redistricting commission, and thank you 16 for providing me with the opportunity to 17 testify. 18 My name is Cesar Ruiz. I'm an 19 attorney and legal fellow at Latino 20 Justice. Latino Justice, is a Latino 21 civil rights organization that fights 22 for equitable treatment of Latinos under 23 the law. We have actively participated 24 in New York City's redistricting process 25 over the past several decades, and we 71 1 2 are proud to join our partners of the 3 Unity Coalition Project, AALDEF 4 Asian-American Legal Defense and 5 Education Fund, Center for Law and 6 Justice at Medgar Evers College, in that 7 effort once again, and we hope to have 8 maps for you soon. 9 I want to start by highlighting the 10 immense growth of the New York City's 11 Latinx community. Over the past 10 12 years, according to recent U.S. censor 13 -- census bureau data, Latinos 14 compromise 28.3 percent of the city's 15 total population and have added over 16 150,00 residents. Particularly in 17 Brooklyn, we've added over 20,000 18 residents with a growth rate of 4.1 19 percent over the past 10 years. 20 Plainly, this expansion warrants a 21 configuration of city council districts 22 that accurately reflect that growth. 23 Now, shifting to mapping 24 suggestions, I think the first point is 25 just reflecting on some of the changes, 72 1 2 and particularly the impact of 3 gentrification, which has shifted 4 traditional Latinx populations 5 throughout Brooklyn. It's no secret 6 that there has been unprecedented 7 historical development of these areas, 8 particularly in William's -- 9 Williamsburg and Bushwick. Which has 10 disproportionately placed -- displaced 11 many Latinx residents, given the lack of 12 affordable housing. 13 So recognizing this impact, it's 14 important that we follow these trends 15 which shows the Latinx community has 16 shifted into neighboring areas, 17 including Ridgewood, Cypress Hills and 18 Woodhaven. Future districts have to 19 reflect this reality and endeavor to 20 connect these communities to ensure that 21 their vote isn't diluted. 22 Recognizing the demographic trends 23 and shifts that I had mention 24 previously, we want to highlight that's 25 important that we continue the crossing 73 1 2 between Brooklyn and Queens as currently 3 configured in District 34. This 4 connects the communities of 5 Williamsburg, Bushwick and Ridgewood. 6 Their combination has enabled them to 7 consistently elect candidates of their 8 choice, which protects their interest 9 adequately, represents their shared 10 cultural, economic, and social interest. 11 Additionally, we're also suggesting 12 that any future configurations of 13 existing District 38, be kept compact, 14 centering Sunset Park and Red Hook as it 15 currently does. These neighborhoods 16 share a rich history of social activism, 17 and share a -- any cultural and economic 18 interests warranting -- warranting a 19 continued pairing. 20 Lastly, we turn to Hope Gardens, 21 which is a Latinx community of interest 22 that is currently split between existing 23 districts 34 and 37. To remedy the 24 issue of the split, we're suggesting 25 that you bring the remaining part of 74 1 2 Hope Gardens left out of existing 37, 3 into the district, as opposed to having 4 it split. And to guide that boundary, 5 and to effectively make that change, 6 we're suggesting a shift of the southern 7 boundary to Broadway, which would 8 capture the entirety of Hope Gardens 9 community of interest within existing 10 District 37. 11 Lastly, I just wanted to highlight, 12 that the commission is subject to the 13 newly passed John Lewis -- John R. Lewis 14 New York Voting Rights Act. In the 15 spirit of the John R. Lewis, the law was 16 enacted to ensure that there was 17 unfettered access to the ballot, 18 including the redistricting process, 19 which has historically had the effect of 20 diluting the vote of racial ethnic and 21 language minority community members. 22 Simply put, the commission is bound 23 by the New York State law to ensure that 24 the resulting district lines do not 25 diminish the ability of Latinx, Black, 75 1 2 and Asian communities to elect 3 candidates of their choice. 4 Thank you so much for the 5 opportunity to testify, and I look 6 forward to submitting maps in the 7 future. Thank you. 8 ANNOUNCER: Thank you. Next up on 9 Zoom. 10 ZOOM ANNOUNCER: We have Jerry 11 Vattamala. 12 ANNOUNCER: Jerry Vattamala. 13 JERRY VATTAMALA: Hi, good evening. 14 My name is Jerry Vattamala. I'm the 15 Director of the Democracy Program at the 16 Asian-American Legal Defense and 17 Education Fund, ALDEF. We are a 18 national organization headquartered in 19 New York, we were founded in 1974. 20 Our mission is to protect the civil 21 rights of the Asian-Americans, and we've 22 been involved in redistricting since the 23 1980 redistricting cycle. 24 ALDEF is a member of the Unity Map 25 Coalition, along with Latino Justice, as 76 1 2 well as the Center for Law and Social 3 Justice at Medgar Evers College. We are 4 also a founding member of the APA Voice 5 Redistricting Task Force. 6 I do want to highlight to the 7 commission, that we have already 8 submitted our 16 Asian-American 9 communities of interest boundary lines. 10 So we submitted that -- that list to you 11 with links to our community of interest 12 maps. There are sixteen of them, with 13 input from our partners at APA VOICE, 14 and other organizations that give you 15 the street boundaries and that was asked 16 earlier by Commissioner Gold, that gives 17 you the north, south, east, west 18 boundaries of all of our communities of 19 interest. 20 And as I had testified earlier, what 21 we're asking you to do, is try and keep 22 those communities of interest full to 23 the extent possible. And any map that's 24 being considered, to please superimpose 25 those sixteen Asian-American communities 77 1 2 of interest to get a sense of the 3 community is being kept whole or not. 4 When you do that with the current lines, 5 you'll see that in Brooklyn, our 6 community of interest of Bensonhurst, is 7 divided into four different city council 8 districts, which is really not 9 acceptable. 10 In Queens, Richmond Hill, 11 South Ozone Park, is divided among three 12 different districts. We're hoping with 13 this commission, we can remedy those 14 problems as mentioned by colleagues, we 15 are working on a Unity Map for city 16 councils. It will be a full 51 District 17 map, that we believe is the most fair 18 and equitable for the communities of 19 color protected under the Federal Voting 20 Rights Act. And it complies with the 21 charter and other federal and local 22 requirements. 23 As mentioned earlier by some of my 24 colleagues, the Asian community was the 25 fastest-growing racial group in the 78 1 2 city. In Brooklyn, in particular, the 3 growth was 43 percent -- 43 percent 4 growth, the highest rate in the borough. 5 In Queens, it was 29 percent, and in 6 Manhattan, 24 percent. So these new 7 lines should reflect that growth. They 8 should reflect that growth of the 9 Asian-American community in their 10 respective boroughs. In particular, in 11 Brooklyn where we're hoping to that 12 change with Bensonhurst being kept 13 completely within one city council 14 district. 15 We know it's possible and that it 16 would result in an almost majority 17 Asian-American district in city council. 18 Asian-Americans, as I mentioned, are a 19 protected group under the Federal Voting 20 Rights Act, and the Charter specifically 21 mentions, it has, as you all know, this 22 prioritized list. First their 23 population equality, and the second item 24 on this prioritized list, is that there 25 must be fair and effective 79 1 2 representation for language and racial 3 minorities protected under the Federal 4 Voting Rights Act. That includes the 5 Black, Latino and Asian community in New 6 York City. 7 That must be considered before 8 looking at other communities of 9 interest. And we know there are other 10 communities of interest that don't fall 11 into that category, that are not 12 protected by the Federal Voting Rights 13 Act, and that includes religious groups, 14 you know, waterfront communities, you 15 name it. There's a lot of other 16 communities of interest in Brooklyn we 17 know, and the rest of the City. 18 But those can only be considered 19 after ensuring there is fair and 20 effective representation for language 21 and racial minorities protected under 22 the Federal Voting Rights Act. So we're 23 expecting adherence to the city council 24 prioritized, the city charter 25 prioritized list for this redistricting 80 1 2 process. 3 I should also mention, that there 4 are performing -- performing districts 5 for these protected groups. These are 6 districts that are electing candidates 7 of their choice in their respective 8 districts. Those districts should not 9 be retrogressed or dismantled in any way 10 to make it harder for these communities 11 to continue to elect candidates of their 12 choice. They currently do have fair and 13 effective representation in these 14 performing majority or plurality 15 districts. 16 And just to give you examples, I 17 gave you some in Queens' Districts 20, 18 23, 25, 26, who it's not a coincidence 19 that many of these districts keep our 20 communities of interest almost entirely 21 whole, that's why they're performing. 22 So those should not be dismantled or 23 retrogressed in the new plan. 24 We look forward to working with you 25 on this and submitting a Unity Map for 81 1 2 your consideration. But as I mentioned, 3 you do have our sixteen Asian-American 4 communities of interest that we hope you 5 will use and superimpose over any plan, 6 including our plan, which we'll submit 7 to you to analyze whether these 8 communities have been kept whole or not. 9 And we're hoping that they are kept 10 whole in compliance with the Charter and 11 the Federal Voting Rights Act. 12 Thank you very much. 13 ANNOUNCER: Thank you. Council 14 member Ari Kagan. 15 ARI KAGAN: Okay. Good evening, I'm 16 council member Ari Kagan. I represent 17 the 47th Councilmanic District, in 18 Southern Brooklyn. Currently includes 19 beautiful neighborhoods of Sea Gate, 20 Coney Island, Warbasse, Beach Haven, 21 Gravesend, Bensonhurst and Brighten 22 Beach. 23 I would like to say that before the 24 last redistricting, 47th District looked 25 different because, for example, Warbasse 82 1 2 Houses, is high-risers, and they're 3 absolutely neighboring to from Village 4 Luna Park, Bright Water Towers. And 5 also, I would like to emphasize that 6 previously 47th District was inside, and 7 is currently inside this district in 8 46th Assembly District, in the community 9 border team, in the same congressional 10 district, in the same senatorial 11 district. 12 So it's absolutely logical to have 13 similar communities, similar even size 14 of the buildings as 20 floors, and 15 similar issues. It's all waterfront 16 communities and Chair of Waterfronts and 17 Resiliency Committee, they should be in 18 the same council -- council district, 19 number 47. 20 Right now, like our neighbors from 21 Warbasse, they're saying why across the 22 street, we have residents in a different 23 Councilmanic District, constantly in our 24 office our office is located on 25 445 Manhattan Avenue. We're getting 83 1 2 phone calls and request and people 3 coming in from Luna Park, Brightwater 4 Towers and from Brighton Beach. I'm not 5 talking about the entire Brighton Beach, 6 I'm talking about half of Brighton Beach 7 all the way to Coney Island Avenue. 8 It will be fair to Russian-Americans 9 to Muslim-Americans, to be in the same 10 district. It will be fair to the 11 residents of these high-risers. It 12 makes total sense, even, if you're 13 talking about contentious district. 14 Right now, my district looks like a 15 headless body with one hand like this, 16 you know doesn't make any sense. So 17 this head should be another district, 18 you know. It's not contagious, you 19 know. 20 So, and again, it was the way I'm 21 talking about it, was before last 22 redistricting and before 2012. And I 23 think it should stay this way, like it 24 was before last redistricting. 25 And I know many communities in my 84 1 2 district feel the same way. I was once 3 at the hearings with several 4 Chinese-American groups. They are 5 saying, they don't want to be split in 6 four council districts. 7 I talked to many leaders of the 8 Pakistani-American community, and to 9 many leaders of the Russian-speaking 10 American community, Italian-American 11 community, everybody is saying the same, 12 that it will benefit all communities in 13 the 47th District, to keep -- to come 14 back to the lines that were in effect 15 before last redistricting. 16 I hope you will consider it and 17 we'll change, will make this change. 18 Thank you so very much. Thank you for 19 your great work. 20 ANNOUNCER: Thank you. Zoom, 21 please. 22 ZOOM ANNOUNCER: We have Elizabeth 23 OuYang. 24 ANNOUNCER: Elizabeth OuYang. 25 ELIZABETH OUYANG: Hi, I apologize 85 1 2 first, for my attire. I don't know if 3 you can see it, but it has -- has "I am 4 a volleyball aunt". I am in, like, 5 Commissioner Walcott, family called, and 6 I'm at my nephew's national tournament 7 volleyball tournament in Orlando, 8 Florida. It was very important that I 9 be here. I've missed all his games 10 because of COVID, and he understands 11 that I am missing his game now. 12 I caught his first game as a 13 nail-biting tie breaker. He lost, but 14 he knows that I can't be there watching 15 him now. There's 2,000 people below me 16 in this sports center. Because this is 17 important, he understands. 18 I am the Coordinator of APA VOICE 19 Redistricting Task Force, And as Jerry 20 Vattamala said, just before me, from 21 ALDEF, we, our coalition of 21 groups, 22 contributed to the neighborhood 23 community of interest maps that they 24 have already been submitted to the 25 commission. 86 1 2 Three of those communities of 3 interests is in Brooklyn, Sheepshead 4 Bay, Sunset Park and Bensonhurst. 5 Sheepshead Bay and Sunset Park are 6 largely kept whole in one single 7 district. But Bensonhurst, as you 8 heard, is divided into four different 9 districts. And this is critical, not 10 only because it dilutes Asian-American 11 power and communities of interest that 12 has so many things in common, but it 13 also prevents Asian-Americans from 14 participating in civic engagement, 15 because it dilutes our community. 16 And not only are APAs not willing to 17 run for office, but it impacts our 18 community's ability to vote. And if 19 that -- their vote will make a 20 difference. 21 And it's important as well, because 22 given, as you heard, over and over 23 again, the undisputed fact of the growth 24 of the APA community in Brooklyn. That 25 not one of these four districts is a 87 1 2 majority APA city council district or 3 even a near majority APA city council 4 district. We believe it is possible to 5 keep Bensonhurst as whole as possible, 6 by creating a near-majority APA 7 district. 8 This is long overdue, and I hope the 9 commission will address this. It is the 10 neighborhood that is divided the most in 11 APA communities of interest. 12 Bensonhurst, and in response to 13 Commissioner Gold's questions, as Jerry 14 said, the maps and the boundaries have 15 been submitted, but just in general, 16 we're talking about the communities of 17 interest in Bensonhurst, that from the 18 West 14th Avenue to the North 55th 19 Street, then on the East McDonald 20 Avenue, to South Shore Parkway on 21 this -- 22 And so I hope that you listen to not 23 only Jerry's testimony, but also the 24 testimonies of UMC that testified 25 earlier, Stephanie Wong. Ekram, who 88 1 2 testified from Academy of Medical Public 3 Health Services. UCAB is about to 4 testify, the largest social service 5 organization in Brooklyn for 6 Asian-Americans as well as in the city. 7 As well as the individuals who testified 8 in support of keeping our communities of 9 interest as whole as possible. 10 Thank you very much. 11 ANNOUNCER: Thank you. Kevin Corte. 12 KEVIN CORTE: Good evening, 13 commissioners. I'll keep this extremely 14 brief, since you've literally just heard 15 this. 16 I am a member of Community Board 7 17 in Manhattan, and I'd like to talk about 18 community District 7 and community 19 District 10 in Manhattan, both of which 20 have lost population. 21 Just three points I agree and concur 22 with, I think the comments you've 23 already heard. We'd love to see the 24 district expanded to the west of 96th 25 Street, to include both sides of 89 1 2 Broadway. Our main street, as you would 3 imagine, is Broadway, and it's currently 4 split between two different districts, 5 and that's not an ideal situation. It 6 makes the forming of business 7 administrations a little more difficult. 8 We have some initiatives, like the 9 103 park to park initiative, which is to 10 create an open street that spans from 11 Riverside Park to Central Park. That's 12 made more difficult by the fact that 13 covers two different council districts. 14 And generally, north of 96th is 15 Bloomingdale's, it's Manhattan Valley, 16 and it's very much a cohesive unit, has 17 a large Hispanic population, of which 18 I'm a member. And the unity between 19 that district and the streets to the 20 north of 125th, all the way up to 21 Washington Heights, is a lot stronger 22 than it would be otherwise. 23 Last, I'll just conclude with 24 District 10, which has lost a lot of 25 population. I formally lied in 90 1 2 District 10. There's a little sliver at 3 the bottom, which is Coogan's Bluff, 4 it's part of the Highbridge Park. One 5 side is in one district and the other, 6 who's residents of the Polo Grounds 7 complex are completely cut off between 8 that cliff and the FDR Highway, that 9 part should be -- make a lot more sense 10 as being part of Manhattan Community 11 Board District 10. 12 We'll submit written testimony on 13 behalf of Community Board 7. So, I'll 14 let you read more there. Thanks for 15 your time. 16 ANNOUNCER: Thank you. Next up on 17 Zoom. 18 ZOOM ANNOUNCER: We have Ashley 19 Chen. 20 ANNOUNCER: Ashley Chen. 21 ASHLEY CHEN: Good evening, 22 commissioners. My name is Ashley Chen, 23 and I'm a Policy Fellow with the 24 Chinese-American Planning Council, CPC. 25 The mission of CPC is to promote the 91 1 2 social and economic empowerment of 3 Chinese-American immigrant and 4 low-income communities. CPC is a proud 5 member of APA VOICE Redistricting Task 6 Force. CPC is the largest AAPI social 7 service organization in the U.S., 8 providing vital resources to more than 9 125,000 people per year in all 51 10 council districts. 11 CPC has more than 50 programs at 12 over 30 sites, primarily across the 13 Lower East Side, and Chinatown, and 14 Manhattan, Sunset Park in Brooklyn, and 15 Flushing, Queens. CPC employs over 700 16 staff, whose comprehensive services are 17 linguistically accessible and culturally 18 sensitive. CPC directly serves the APA 19 communities in Brooklyn, including 20 Bensonhurst from our Community Center 21 Incentive Park, which provides services 22 in English, Mandarin, Cantonese, 23 Fujianese and Taiwanese. 24 Their services include childhood 25 education, nutrition, mental health, 92 1 2 senior services, career services, 3 immigration legal help and more, to 4 24,000 community members. 5 As you learned from the recent 2020 6 census data, AAPI communities are the 7 fastest growing racial group in the 8 city. There has been an incredible 9 210 percent increase in the Asian 10 population in Brooklyn, over the last 10 11 years, and the APA community in 12 Bensonhurst's communities of interest, 13 with a shared need for culturally 14 responsive services. 15 It has the largest population of 16 residents born in China and Hong Kong 17 out of any neighborhood in New York 18 City, and has been coined as Brooklyn's 19 second Chinatown after Sunset Park. The 20 AP community in Sunset Park is currently 21 whole in city council District 38, and 22 should remain so. 23 However, the APA community in 24 Bensonhurst is currently divided into 25 four city council districts, with APs 93 1 2 ranging from 17 percent to 30 percent in 3 districts 44, 47, 43 and 38, 4 respectively. Bensonhurst needs to be 5 kept as whole as possible. While 6 Bensonhurst might be too big to be in 7 one city council district, there's a way 8 to keep Bensonhurst as whole as 9 possible, that can result in at least 10 one near-majority APA city council 11 district. 12 From a service provider perspective, 13 it is important to keep the community as 14 whole as possible, because it ensures 15 more voting power for our communities to 16 elect a candidate of their choice. It 17 is critical that we elect candidates 18 that respond meaningfully to the needs 19 and demands of our communities. 20 Furthermore, we have continued to 21 see the disproportionate distribution of 22 public funding community-based 23 organizations serving AAPI communities, 24 despite the rapidly growing population. 25 More specifically, the Coalition for 94 1 2 Asian-American Children and Families, 3 reported that organizations serving the 4 Asian-American Pacific Islander 5 community, received 4.37 percent of city 6 council discretionary dollars, and less 7 than 1.5 percent of social service 8 contract dollars. 9 In the midst of a healthcare crisis, 10 we need to ensure that our communities 11 are heavily invested, which is precisely 12 why the redistricting process needs to 13 be as fair and as transparent as 14 possible. 15 In order to prevent the dilution of 16 APA community power and representation, 17 we urge the commission to keep 18 communities of interest intact. Unfair 19 redistricting will divide rapidly 20 growing communities, minimize their 21 concerns and deprive them of effective 22 representation for years to come. 23 Thank you. 24 ANNOUNCER: Thank you. Next up on 25 Zoom. 95 1 2 ZOOM ANNOUNCER: We have Tyron 3 Allen. 4 ANNOUNCER: I'm sorry, can you 5 repeat that? 6 ZOOM ANNOUNCER: Tyron Allen. 7 ANNOUNCER: Tyron Allen. 8 ZOOM ANNOUNCER: Let's try Jack 9 Plushnick. 10 ANNOUNCER: Jack Plushnick. 11 JACK PLUSHNICK: Yes, thank you. Im 12 sorry, I'm in the middle -- there we go, 13 there we go. 14 Good evening, thank you. I wanted 15 to thank the commissioners, and I wanted 16 to thank the redistricting -- the 17 redistricting commission on reviewing 18 and listening to our testimonies 19 regarding the redistricting of city 20 council districts here in Brooklyn and 21 throughout the City. 22 I am a member, or I used to be a 23 member, of the city council -- not a 24 staff with the city council. I was 25 formally, for seven years, working in 96 1 2 the 48th council district. I also did 3 constituent services there. I also am a 4 vice president and former president of a 5 non-profit in the district as well, and 6 I have a long history in the district. 7 It's for that reason, that I think 8 it's incredibly important that when 9 redistricting -- when redistricting 10 consideration is taken into account for 11 the 48 council district, that it's -- 12 that the redistricting commission 13 considers including the original lines 14 that existed in the district prior to 15 2013, before the previous redistricting. 16 It used to be that the district went 17 up to Avenue I, the 48th council 18 district, by the way, is the district 19 that I'm talking about. The 48th 20 council district used to go up to Avenue 21 I, comprising of the larger Orthodox 22 Jewish community. I happened to be, as 23 I mentioned before, a vice president, 24 former President of a Jewish 25 organization, a synagogue in the 97 1 2 district. 3 Currently, the district is split. 4 The Orthodox community in the district, 5 is split in half between the 45th and 6 the 48 city council district. I think 7 it's incredibly important and imperative 8 that we -- we reintroduce and we include 9 the Orthodox community so they can be 10 properly represented, and that way they 11 have a voice in the council more than 12 they were able to before, due to the 13 split that happened in 2013. 14 Additionally, with regard to the 15 Sheepshead Bay and Ocean Housing Project 16 that is right outside the district, 17 previously, those projects were -- those 18 NYCHA projects were included in the 19 district prior to 2013. Those -- those 20 residents that live in those buildings, 21 regularly use the transit hubs that are 22 in the 48th council district. 23 Those are transit hubs that are used 24 by people both in the 48th and in the 25 neighboring 46th city council district, 98 1 2 which is where the Sheepshead Bay 3 Nostrand Housing is currently. 4 Without the Sheepshead Bay Nostrand 5 Housing projects being included in the 6 48th District, the residents of those -- 7 of those housing projects, aren't able 8 to effectively have a member who can 9 advocate for them when it comes to those 10 vital transit hubs on Nostrand Avenue, 11 one of the most vital transit hubs for 12 those projects, the -- there -- it's the 13 largest transit hub in that district -- 14 for those projects currently. 15 So it's for that reason, that I 16 think that it's incredibly important 17 that those -- that the Sheepshead Bay 18 Nostrand Housing get re-included into 19 the 48th council district as well. 20 With that being said, I also feel 21 that Coney Island is currently included 22 in the district, should no longer be 23 included in the district. The Coney 24 Island section of the district is 25 splitting off from the -- I'm sorry, 99 1 2 from the Coney Island section, the Coney 3 Island district, which represents all 4 Coney Island. So I think, that the 5 Coney Island district should be taken 6 out of the district as well. 7 With that, I just wanted to thank 8 you again, the commission, and thank you 9 for the time to allow me to give my 10 testimony regarding the 40th council 11 district. 12 ANNOUNCER: Thank you. Next on 13 Zoom? 14 ZOOM ANNOUNCER: We have Eli Cohen. 15 ANNOUNCER: Eli Cohen. 16 ELI COHEN: Thank you, just want to 17 put my video on. I'm technically 18 challenged. I'm a graduate from Medgar 19 Evers, and very proud of your people 20 from that great institution. Just 21 attended a graduation there last week. 22 Crown Heights Jewish Community 23 council, which -- of which I'm the 24 executive director, is a representative 25 organization of the over 70 Jewish 100 1 2 congregations of the Crown Heights 3 neighborhood and surrounding areas in 4 Central Brooklyn. I submit this 5 testimony on behalf of the community of 6 common interest that historic -- has 7 historically seen it's voice diminished 8 by being split into three or four 9 separate city council districts. 10 We are proposing a map, of not an 11 entire district, but of a section that 12 should be kept together within one 13 council district. The section is from 14 Rogers Avenue on the west, to the 15 Rochester -- Rochester Avenue and the 16 park on the east, and from Sterling 17 Place on the north side, down to 18 Clarkson Avenue in the south, with a 19 little corner down Remsem Avenue also. 20 So that map, will -- which we'll 21 submit as part of this testimony, shows 22 all those 70 synagogues mapped out. And 23 about a dozen schools and all pretty 24 much, all the Jewish residents of that 25 area, in that square. And all the 101 1 2 children who live in that square, all 3 attend school and synagogue within that 4 square. 5 So, it's a very compact and clear 6 boundary that had -- the 90,000 7 residents that are there. So it's not a 8 full council district, 90,000 residents. 9 We would have about 6,000 households 10 comprising about 23,000 individuals, so 11 they would not be more than 17 percent 12 of that square. And of a total council 13 district, not more than about 10 14 percent. 15 So, this -- well, the point of 16 rasing these numbers, is that it will be 17 possible to keep this district of 18 interest, this community of interest 19 together, without compromising issues of 20 voting rights issues with regard to not 21 looking at a minority of any -- of a 22 majority of anything districting. We're 23 talking about a distinct minority within 24 a larger district, which is mostly 25 African-American and Caribbean-American 102 1 2 residents. 3 So, and interestingly enough, our 4 organization has been involved in a lot 5 of communal work with our 6 African-American and Caribbean-American 7 partners. So that's a very -- a very 8 homogenous and very well-defined 9 district that includes most of Community 10 Board 8 and Community Board 9, north and 11 south of Eastern Parkway. 12 To describe -- I just want to 13 describe for a minute, how this really 14 is a -- a communities of interest. The 15 vast majority of the Jewish residents, 16 white, non-Hispanic residents of this 17 area, are affiliated in some form or 18 other, with the Kabbalah movement. So, 19 it's one religious movement, centered at 20 the main synagogue, which is 770 Eastern 21 Parkway, right in the center. 22 And we've had as many as 15,000 23 people from this area gather in one 24 place, at one event, several times on 25 the property over the course of last 103 1 2 year. So, it's really, really tight. 3 The High Holy Days, the entire community 4 comes to the main synagogue, to the 5 ceremony of casting the sins into the 6 waters, a little fountain over there, 7 where they worship. Year round, they 8 meet for prayers in the smaller 9 congregations that, again, all within 10 this area, and at storefronts, and 11 private homes in the area where this 12 group gathers. 13 And 5,000 school-age children who 14 live in this area, mostly attend these 15 12 religious-based schools in this area. 16 So, it's a very tight area, which right 17 now, is split into three districts 18 between, 35, 40 and 41. So, it's really 19 -- right now we're being divided into 20 three districts with a line right at the 21 center of the district of these -- where 22 these three districts come together and 23 that -- and -- 24 The only priority that goes more 25 than, according to the Charter, the only 104 1 2 priority greater than keeping 3 communities of interest together, is 4 voting rights. And I think since it's a 5 relatively small group, it can be kept 6 together and still not impinge on any 7 voting rights issues, and therefore, I 8 submit a -- the testimony. 9 Thank you. 10 ANNOUNCER: Thank you. Excuse me. 11 Is there anyone in person who did not 12 get a chance to sign in, who wanted to 13 testify? I just want to check before I 14 continue on with the Zoom. 15 No takers. 16 Okay, we'll continue on with our 17 neighbors on Zoom. 18 ZOOM ANNOUNCER: We have Thomas 19 Gilroy. 20 ANNOUNCER: Thomas Gilroy. 21 THOMAS GILROY: Yes, hello. Hi 22 there. My name is Thomas Gilroy. I'm a 23 community activist, who's worked with a 24 variety of organizations across New York 25 City, in a varied -- variety of 105 1 2 different places in New York City. 3 And specifically, I'd like to 4 testify today to talk about the 36th 5 District representing Bedford-Stuyvesant 6 and North Crown Heights. I've worked as 7 a community activist and organizer in 8 the area for a while now. And looking 9 at the ways the neighborhood has been 10 affected and changed over the past 10 11 years, 15 years, I'd just like to 12 testify to the effect that it is just so 13 important to keep the neighborhood of 14 Crown Heights and Bedford-Stuyvesant 15 group together. 16 There -- the incredible amount of 17 history and culture tied in with 18 Brooklyn's black community that is 19 present in both of those neighborhoods, 20 is incredibly valuable. And because of 21 the ways that the neighborhood is 22 changing because of the money coming in, 23 thanks to gentrification and real estate 24 development, the integrity of the 25 communities, of the black communities, 106 1 2 are more and more at threat every day. 3 And right now, a group together in 4 District 36, it's a very tight cohesive 5 area. It has a great degree of overlap 6 with assembly District 50 -- assembly 7 District 56, allowing for communication 8 and collaboration between them. And it 9 essentially allows the people of 10 Bed-Stuy, the people of Crown Heights, 11 to have a strong voice in their 12 governance, at the city level, at the 13 state level. Preserving that, is 14 something that I think needs to be 15 prioritized in redistricting. 16 As the area becomes more and more 17 fragmented, there is an increasing 18 chance that the neighborhood's Black and 19 Brown communities, are going to find 20 themselves increasingly balkanized into 21 the other districts and cut off from 22 each other. And in doing so, lose their 23 ability to speak up for themselves, to 24 speak up for the rights of the people in 25 the neighborhood. 107 1 2 And I think that it's important that 3 the territorial integrity or the 4 integrity of the districts, of District 5 36, be preserved in order to make sure 6 that the people of Bed-Stuy continue to 7 have a strong voice for themselves, and 8 continue to represent themselves, and be 9 heard at the city level. 10 Yeah, thank you so much, for your 11 time. 12 ANNOUNCER: Thank you. Next up on 13 Zoom? 14 ZOOM ANNOUNCER: We have Sheikh 15 Khalib Rahman. 16 ANNOUNCER: I'm sorry, can you 17 repeat that one more time? 18 ZOOM ANNOUNCER: Sheikh Galib 19 Rahman. 20 SHEIKH GALIB RAHMAN: Hello there. 21 I represent District 24 in Jamaica 22 Queens, and I'm here to see what's going 23 today. But I do like to raise a voice 24 for South Asian voters, and we would 25 like to request to have a South Asian 108 1 2 district around Jamaica and Richmond 3 Hill, because we are the second largest 4 population. And I don't have much 5 details today, but I would like to join 6 the next one and come up with more 7 particular request. 8 Thank you. 9 ANNOUNCER: Thank you. 10 ZOOM ANNOUNCER: Alexa Aviles. 11 ANNOUNCER: Alexa Aviles. 12 ALEXA AVILES: Hi there. Can you 13 hear me okay? 14 ANNOUNCER: Yes, we can, thank you. 15 SPEAKER: Thank you so much, Chair 16 Walcott and the commission, for allowing 17 me to testify today. My name is Alexa 18 Aviles. I am the city council member of 19 council District 38, in South Brooklyn. 20 And I will be submitting my testimony in 21 written form, and I'm essentially 22 testifying today for a few critical 23 considerations related to the 24 redistricting process. 25 New York has learned many lessons 109 1 2 following the recently concluded state 3 and congressional redistricting 4 processes. And at this juncture, we 5 have time and opportunity to do better. 6 So first, the commission, I would 7 recommend would prioritize keeping 8 districts compact with an eye towards 9 keeping communities of interest 10 together. South Brooklyn communities 11 often face intersectional struggles on 12 key issues, such as the environment, 13 social justice, economic and security 14 language access, all known, too well, in 15 housing stability. Compact districts 16 would allow for stronger representation 17 as communities can collectively leverage 18 their concerns and organize around 19 shared interests. As such, District 38 20 should remain a majority Latino 21 district, largely due to this 22 intersectional struggles faced by this 23 community. 24 Second, I just would love to, for 25 the comission to consider the history of 110 1 2 representation within a particular 3 geography. Our district includes Red 4 Hook and Sunset Park, which has been 5 shared across city, state, and federal 6 levels of government. The commission 7 should take this into account as we 8 consider the redistricting. We are now 9 being presented with an opportunity for 10 communities to coalesce around a set of 11 elected officials that truly represent 12 their interest. And history tells us 13 that gerrymandered districts result in 14 neighbors on the periphery, feeling not 15 only left out, but disenfranchised. 16 And lastly, I would recommend that 17 the commission should keep an eye out 18 for community board cohesion. Many 19 council districts overlap with several 20 community boards and we, in particular, 21 currently overlap with five. As an 22 elected official, our mandate is to 23 serve everyone and while our office 24 is -- 25 Is my time up? 111 1 2 ANNOUNCER: You can have a bit more 3 time. 4 ALEXA AVILES: Oh, I'm so sorry. 5 I'm almost done. Something weird 6 happened on the screen. Apologies. 7 So I was just -- I -- I will wrap up 8 by saying, you know, community board 9 cohesion should be a consideration, also 10 in the process. 11 And I just want to thank the 12 commission for their work. It is my 13 hope that we learn from the mistakes of 14 the past and avoid gerrymandering 15 practices that has resulted in mistrust 16 and disaffection in many of our 17 communities. 18 Thank you so much for your work, and 19 I will submit my testimony. 20 ANNOUNCER: Thank you. Next on 21 Zoom. 22 ZOOM ANNOUNCER: There are no more 23 testifiers on Zoom. 24 ANNOUNCER: So we will now take a 25 10-minute break, and we will resume the 112 1 2 hearing in 10 minutes. Thank you. 3 (A brief recess was taken.) 4 JOY CHAUDHARY: Hello, my name is 5 Joy Chaudhary. I'm a community 6 organizer in Woodside, Jackson Heights. 7 I actually ran for office in the past. 8 I see -- I ran for a seat where it's 9 only 20 percent South Asian, therefore, 10 it has been -- it's been -- even though 11 the district was majority immigrant, and 12 I was the only immigrant candidate, I 13 was not able to do good, because of lack 14 of community presence in my district. 15 So, I would like to see a solid South 16 Asian district instead of having any 17 South Asian neighborhood divided into 18 five, six, different districts. I think 19 it will help our community to now help 20 empower ourselves and have a seat at the 21 decision-making table. 22 Thank you so much. 23 MR. SADIQUE: So I feel that it 24 should be the districts in -- in the 25 Brighton Beach area, the Coney Island 113 1 2 Beach and also the Beach Haven should be 3 combined with the 47th District, so that 4 all becomes one, a large territory where 5 we exercise some influence over the 6 electoral process. 7 It has been a tough battle for our 8 community, because we've noticed that we 9 have been neglected over the years. 10 And, unless we feel a change in the 11 redistricting, we will never be able to 12 have a voice that we can raise and get 13 our issues addressed. We don't have 14 resources coming into our territory at 15 all. 16 In our neighborhood, none 17 whatsoever. So, we're always 18 struggling, using private funds. And 19 during the pandemic, we used private 20 funds for a very long period of time, to 21 take care of the food needs of the 22 community. And I think that, after a 23 little bit of struggle, we got some 24 help, but we still feel we are not able 25 to raise enough awareness among the 114 1 2 electoral process, in the electoral 3 process, so we can have our voices 4 heard. 5 So I feel, the Muslim community in 6 the Brighten Beach, Beach Haven, Bath 7 Beach, all of this, should be into one 8 contiguous area where we can exercise 9 some influence. 10 Thank you. 11 ANNOUNCER: Thank you. 12 UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: On this -- on 13 this brief lull, Mr. Sadique, what would 14 be very helpful to the comission, if at 15 some point, you could define the street 16 boundaries of the Pakistani community, 17 that would encompass the neighborhoods 18 that you're concerned about, if you 19 could. You don't have to do it 20 literally right this minute. 21 MR. SADIQUE: I also submitted a 22 written testimony, so I think that -- 23 UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: And that does 24 have that information? 25 MR. SADIQUE: And it doesn't have 115 1 2 the descriptive, yes. 3 UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: Oh, okay. A 4 map helps. 5 MR. SADIQUE: I didn't have a map. 6 But I can come back and give you a 7 little -- 8 UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: Or you don't 9 even have to come back. On this card, 10 there is a e-mail address that you could 11 just upload that information to the 12 commission, and we will follow up with 13 that. 14 MR. SADIQUE: Excellent, thank you. 15 UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: Thank you. 16 ZOOM ANNOUNCER: We may have some 17 folks on Zoom. Shah Nawaz. 18 SHAH NAWAZ: I have a request that 19 is to the commission, that is Jackson 20 Heights, Woodside, Elmhurst, there 21 should be a redistricting on South Asian 22 district. Another thing, under this 23 area is a South Asian district. 24 ANNOUNCER: Thank you. 25 UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: Brother 116 1 2 Nawaz, are you still there? Nawaz are 3 you still there? 4 SHAH NAWAZ: Yes, I am still there. 5 UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: Will you 6 kindly explain what you mean by a South 7 Asian district in those areas; can you 8 elaborate on that? 9 SHAH NAWAZ: Actually, the Jackson 10 Heights, Woodside, and Elmhurst area, 11 our -- so a lot of South Asian business 12 and South Asians peoples are living 13 there, so we need a district for this 14 area. That is our proposal. 15 UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: Thank you. 16 SHAH NAWAZ: Thank you. 17 UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: In College, 18 on July 7th, we'll let Staten Island 19 Borough Hall. Then after we've 20 completed this round, our commissioners 21 have been in all five boroughs and have 22 heard all New Yorkers, and now they have 23 to get to work with the staff here. 24 In about 30 days, we will be 25 releasing a map, and then you will have 117 1 2 opportunity for the public to comment on 3 this first map released by the 4 commission, and the city council will 5 have the opportunity also. I noticed 6 some council members were here today 7 also to submit testimony on this very 8 important process and work. 9 So we thank you for being here this 10 evening. Don't forget that e-mail 11 address, at anytime you could submit any 12 information you want to get to the 13 commissioners. 14 Have a good evening and safe get 15 home. Thank you. 16 ANNOUNCER: I'd like to thank 17 everyone for their time, those who 18 testified, those who listened and my 19 fellow commissioners. 20 (Inaudible). 21 ANNOUNCER: Chairman Walcott, would 22 you like to say a few words. 23 CHAIR WALCOTT: Oh thank you, very 24 much. I just want to thank all of you 25 and those who testified, as well, and 118 1 2 look forward to seeing all of you in the 3 Bronx and then in Staten Island next 4 week. 5 So thank you all for participating, 6 and all to the commissioners as well. 7 ANNOUNCER: Thank you. I think this 8 adjourns our hearing. We will see you 9 next week in the Bronx and Staten 10 Island. Thank you. 11 (Whereupon, the audio ended.) 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 119 1 2 C E R T I F I C A T E 3 4 5 I, Jeanna Qvistgaard, the assigned 6 transcriber, do hereby certify the foregoing 7 transcript of the proceedings in their entirety, 8 is a true and accurate transcript of the 9 proceedings as recorded, and to the best of my 10 ability. 11 IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set 12 my hand this 6th day of June, 2022. 13 14 15 _signature_ 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25