1 1 2 ------------------------------------------------X 3 CITY OF NEW YORK 2022-2023 DISTRICTING COMMISSION 4 QUEENS PUBLIC HEARING 5 ------------------------------------------------X 6 36-01 35th Avenue 7 Astoria, New York 8 DATE: August 16, 2022 TIME: 5:32 P.M. 9 10 11 12 PUBLIC HEARING in the above-referenced 13 matter, held at the above-mentioned time and 14 location, before Makeda Edwards, a Notary Public 15 of the State of New York. 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 LH REPORTING SERVICES, INC. 24 Computer-Aided Transcription (718) 526-7100 25 2 1 2 A P P E A R A N C E S: 3 4 COMMISSIONERS: 5 6 DENNIS M. WALCOTT, Chair 7 YOVAN SAMUEL COLLADO 8 HON. MARILYN D. GO 9 KEVIN JOHN HANRATTY 10 MARIA MATEO 11 LISA SORIN 12 MONSIGNOR KEVIN SULLIVAN 13 MAF MISBAH UDDIN 14 KRISTEN JOHNSON 15 MARC WURZEL 16 DR. JOHN FLATEAU, Executive Director 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 3 1 2 CHAIR WALCOTT: Kindly, we're going 3 to start now. We have a long evening, 4 and we want to make sure that we are 5 respectful to everyone to have an 6 opportunity to testify. 7 My name is Dennis Walcott, and I 8 have the honor of being the Chair of 9 this Commission, and while we have 10 several of our commissioners here, 11 others will be joining us virtually. 12 Let me have the commissioners who are 13 here introduce themselves. 14 Mark. 15 COMMISSIONER WURZEL: Good evening. 16 My name is Mark Wurzel, grew up in 17 Forest Hills, currently live in the 18 Upper East Side. 19 CHAIR WALCOTT: Maf -- no, no. 20 COMMISSIONER UDDIN: Yes, my name is 21 Maf Misbah Uddin, representing Queens 22 and the neighborhood. Thank you. 23 CHAIR WALCOTT: Okay. 24 COMMISSIONER HANRATTY: Kevin 25 Hanratty, I'm from Jackson Heights, 4 1 2 Queens. 3 CHAIR WALCOTT: Thank you, Kevin. 4 And our executive director. 5 COMMISSIONER FLATEAU: John Flateau, 6 servant of the People. 7 CHAIR WALCOTT: Welcome John, and 8 thank you to the commissioners. I'm not 9 sure if we have any commissioners on 10 virtually, but we'll bring them on as we 11 see them. And before I get to our first 12 person to testify, I just want to go 13 over a couple of housekeeping things. 14 As we know or may know, we have a 15 long agenda for this evening, and in 16 addition to that, we want to make sure 17 we get all the folks in as possible. 18 And for those who may have large groups, 19 we're kindly and friendly asking if 20 you're a large group, if you could 21 possibly designate a couple of people to 22 testify. 23 That may be helpful as well as far 24 as allowing others to testify later, but 25 hopefully not late, late at night. It's 5 1 2 up to you, but we are requesting that as 3 well. We will have walk-in testimony 4 being accepted as well, and walk-ins 5 will be called after the preregistered 6 testimony is complete. 7 And should you decide you want to 8 testify, and say it's getting too late, 9 we will have other hearings in other 10 boroughs where you could testify both 11 in-person, or virtually, as well. 12 Tomorrow is the hearing in Lehman 13 College, at CUNY New York's auditorium, 14 also from 5:30 to 9:00 p.m. Thursday, 15 August 18th, is also from 5:30 to 9:00 16 p.m., at Staten Island Borough Hall; 17 Sunday, we'll be holding a hearing at 18 Medgar Evers College, and that one will 19 be from 3:30 to 7:30 p.m.; and Monday, 20 on August 22nd, we'll be at the 21 Schomburg Center For Research and Black 22 Culture, up in Harlem, and that is also 23 from 5:30 to 9:00 p.m. So you'll have 24 an opportunity to either be in-person or 25 to testify virtually. 6 1 2 Now, we're at this great museum as a 3 result of the support and the advocacy 4 of our local council member who is here 5 virtually. And she has been just there 6 in all ways, and just being supportive 7 of making sure we have access to the 8 museum, and also able to extend the 9 hours of the museum; so we could 10 accommodate those who want to testify 11 beyond our original close time of 9:00 12 p.m. 13 She's on the road. I will let you 14 hear from her as far as where she's at, 15 but she is representing our city in a 16 variety of ways, and it's my pleasure to 17 say, one, a personal thank you to the 18 council member. Thank you for 19 everything you've done to allow us to be 20 here, and your advocacy, and also being 21 there for your constituents, and it's my 22 honor to bring on Councilmember Julie 23 Won. Julie, councilmember. 24 (Applause.) 25 JULIE WON: Thank you so much, 7 1 2 Commissioner Walcott, as well as the 3 rest of the Redistricting Commission. 4 My name is Julie Won, representing the 5 26th District, where you currently are 6 sitting or Zooming into, representing 7 Long Island City, Sunnyside, Woodside 8 and Astoria. 9 I believe it is not a mistake that 10 currently, I can't be there physically 11 in-person, because as the first 12 Korean-American elected official, 13 Councilmember Linda Lee and I both have 14 been invited to South Korea to meet with 15 the Korean government in the celebration 16 of the Korean Independence Day, as well 17 as other planning to make sure that we 18 are continuing to be representatives of 19 the United States, as well as New York 20 City, as a sister city, too. 21 For me, I just want to clarify that 22 our testimony that my office, and I have 23 created, is a reflection of what we have 24 heard from the community since the first 25 generation of maps have been released. 8 1 2 We have heard both from the Manhattan 3 and Roosevelt Island side, as well as on 4 the Queens side, and we have tried our 5 best to follow the Unity Map and have 6 adapted it to make sure that we're 7 meeting every single community member's 8 needs, because we are incredibly engaged 9 and -- we're an incredibly engaged 10 community that is pretty much really 11 like a family. 12 And it is also no mistake that you 13 see me in Korea, because this is the 14 first time that we've elected a 15 Korean-American, but also an 16 Asian-American. And we have seen that 17 in the last 2020 census, that the 18 Asian-American population in District 26 19 has grown by 33 percent, as well as the 20 immigrant population represents more 21 than half, at 60 percent. 22 And we know that due to -- according 23 to the latest census, 66 percent of my 24 district has said that they are a 25 representative of people of color. So 9 1 2 first and foremost, according to the 3 City Charter's criteria, I want to make 4 sure that we are fighting for fair and 5 effective representation of racial and 6 language minority groups protected by 7 the VRA, and those are Asian-Americans, 8 Black-Americans, as well as Latin 9 American -- those of Latin American 10 descent, and to keeping our communities 11 of interest intact. 12 So right now, with the first 13 proposed map from the Redistricting 14 Commission, I want to point out that it 15 does opposite of that, and it violates 16 those two criteria. Our white 17 population increases from 29 percent to 18 44 percent, and the Hispanic population 19 increases from 29 percent -- decreases 20 from 29 percent to 22 percent. 21 Asian-American population decreases from 22 31 percent to 25 percent, and the Black 23 population decreases 6 percent, to 4 24 percent. So that means that every 25 single group protected by the VRA, has 10 1 2 now been decreased in population, and 3 only the white population has increased. 4 I also want to point out that 5 according to the latest census, the most 6 recently proposed map for District 26, 7 would also double our average income 8 from about 70 to 80k to 140k to 150k. 9 So again, I want to reiterate, we go 10 from mostly a working class people of 11 color district and 60 percent 12 foreign-born of immigrants, to a white 13 district that is predominantly wealthy. 14 That violates the VRA's -- the City 15 Charter completely. 16 In addition to the violations for 17 the first two, I also want to point out 18 that our district compactness goes from 19 almost a perfect square to a C shape, 20 and we're supposed to limit crossover 21 districts. Yet, we see another addition 22 of a borough crossover district between 23 Queens and Manhattan, and we are hearing 24 very loudly from Community Board 8 on 25 the Manhattan side, as well as our 11 1 2 Roosevelt Island neighbors and neighbors 3 on the Upper East Side, that they do not 4 wish to be in a crossover district and 5 would like to remain in Manhattan. 6 Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, as 7 well as Councilmember Julie Menin, 8 Borough President Mark Levine, and 9 former Borough President and now 10 Councilmember Gail Brewer, have all 11 written public letters with each other, 12 saying that they would like the Upper 13 East Side and Roosevelt Island to remain 14 in Manhattan and Community Board 2, as 15 well as myself, support this fully, that 16 the borough stays intact in Manhattan, 17 and the borough stays intact in Queens, 18 fully. 19 And I also want to point out that it 20 is not contiguous. But in order for me 21 to travel to Roosevelt Island or any of 22 my residents to travel to Roosevelt 23 Island, according to the latest 24 preliminary map, I would have to 25 physically leave this district to get to 12 1 2 the land bridge that is in District 22, 3 to get to Roosevelt Island. 4 I also want to make sure that it is 5 clear that we're supposed to avoid oddly 6 shaped districts. And again, we go from 7 almost a compact, perfectly square, 8 rectangular district, to now a C-shaped 9 district; the opposite of what we 10 currently have and also violating the 11 City Charter's requirements. 12 So according to the City Charter and 13 looking at our preliminary maps, it is 14 very clear that almost every single one 15 of the City Charter's criteria has been 16 violated by the first preliminary map. 17 So we ask you as a district, to not have 18 crossover districts between Manhattan 19 and Queens, and that you listen to our 20 neighbors on both sides, and that our 21 Roosevelt and Upper East Side remain in 22 Manhattan. 23 In addition to that, you will hear 24 from multiple community groups, from the 25 Filipino-American community, the 13 1 2 Tibetan-American community, the 3 Nepali-American community, the Colombian 4 community, the Ecuadorian community, and 5 there are -- and our Black community, 6 from the NYCHAs, that are going to plead 7 with you to make sure that our community 8 remains in whole. Because when you 9 fracture them into four different 10 council districts, then you are 11 eliminating their ability to advocate, 12 and effectuate public policy, for public 13 interest. 14 And by fracturing representation, it 15 will negatively impact where they 16 reside, where they live, where they 17 work, where they worship, and where they 18 gather. And we do not want the 19 immigrant community or the Black 20 community, being divided into multiple 21 council districts, which you 22 predominantly see in Woodside. 23 And you will continue to hear from 24 them in detail of how this is going to 25 impact their daily lives. But I just 14 1 2 also want to make sure that it is clear 3 to my entire community in District 26, 4 that I personally am heartbroken, but I 5 have no choice but to lose population as 6 well as land, because I'm 11 -- roughly 7 about 11,000 people over the limit. 8 And in order for us to do so, we're 9 going to be working closely with you, 10 continuing to listen to the community on 11 where you would like to see district 12 lines be drawn, and we will continue to 13 support that. So the current council 14 map that we are proposing, have been 15 again, an adoption of what the Unity 16 Maps have been, along with our community 17 partners and the non-profits, and faith 18 leaders, who have asked us to support 19 them, to make sure that places of faith 20 or places of worship, their small 21 businesses and places where they gather, 22 like Little Manila, Little Bangladesh, 23 Tibet Way, and all of those other 24 community groups, continue to remain 25 intact together. 15 1 2 Lastly, I want to point out that the 3 Tibetan-Americans represents a 4 geopolitically persecuted community, who 5 have been part of District 26 since the 6 '90s, when they first seeked asylum here 7 as refugee seekers. And the largest 8 Tibetan-American community center for 9 the country of the United States, is in 10 Woodside. Tibetan-American community 11 members predominantly reside in 12 Sunnyside, Woodside, and have started 13 their migration from Astoria, as well as 14 Long Island city. And by cutting them 15 into four different council districts, 16 especially in Woodside, it would 17 completely diminish the political power 18 that they have been building for the 19 last twenty years, especially as a 20 geopolitically persecuted group. 21 So I ask that you would listen 22 intently to all of the Tibetan-American 23 community members that will be 24 testifying, as well as the other 25 Himalayan community members, like the 16 1 2 Nepalese community, Bhutanese community, 3 who are also part of the community, 4 along with so many other immigrants who 5 make up the district. And if you ask 6 anybody, immigrant, a person of color or 7 White, whoever it may be, if you stand 8 in Sunnyside and you ask them where 9 Woodside begins, or if you stand in 10 Woodside and you ask them where 11 Sunnyside begins, you will start an 12 outright war, because we are one 13 community. 14 We refer to ourselves as "the sides" 15 because there is no side, we are one. 16 Sunnyside and Woodside must remain 17 together. That is the end of my 18 testimony. 19 Oh, and I also want to add that 20 Blissville is also a huge part of our 21 community, and we want to make sure that 22 we all stay together. I recognize that 23 along the border, because I have to lose 24 11,000 people, we are going to lose land 25 somewhere, but I just want to point out 17 1 2 that Blissville has been a beloved part 3 of this community. They have been 4 active members on our community board, 5 as well as just everything from 6 ecological issues from Newtown Creek. 7 Their advocacy has been tremendous, and 8 they are a beloved part of the district. 9 We would like to continue to remain 10 intact. So I continue to hope that you 11 will listen to all of us. And I thank 12 you so much for your time. 13 (Applause.) 14 CHAIR WALCOTT: Councilmember, thank 15 you for your testimony, and we 16 appreciate your virtual presence from 17 Korea, so thank you, and have a safe 18 trip, and a productive trip, and 19 congratulations to both you and 20 Councilmember Lee, as well. So thank 21 you very much. 22 A couple more housekeeping pieces 23 for the audience as well. Just so 24 you'll know that we have official 25 transcription taking place, so we have a 18 1 2 transcriber here, who is taking very 3 detailed notes, and that we do take a 4 look at them afterwards, and we just 5 want you to be aware of that. 6 In addition to that, we have other 7 commissioners who have joined us. So 8 starting with Judge -- Judge, just 9 introduce yourself. 10 COMMISSIONER MARILYN GO: I'm 11 Marilyn Go. I was a -- I'm a retired 12 Magistrate Judge and sat in Brooklyn. 13 CHAIR WALCOTT: Thank you, judge. 14 COMMISSIONER LISA SORIN: Good 15 evening. Lisa Sorin, from the Bronx. 16 COMMISSIONER JOVAN COLLADO: Jovan 17 Collado, from the Bronx, as well. 18 MONSIGNOR KEVIN SULLIVAN: Kevin 19 Sullivan, Manhattan. 20 CHAIR WALCOTT: Thank you. I know 21 virtually we have Commissioner Johnson. 22 COMMISSIONER KRISTEN JOHNSON: Good 23 evening, everyone. I'm Kristen Johnson, 24 from Brooklyn. 25 CHAIR WALCOTT: Thank you very much. 19 1 2 I'm not sure if any other members are 3 yet on virtual, but again, I will have 4 them introduce themselves as they join 5 us. 6 Next, we have Councilmember Nantasha 7 Williams. Councilmember. 8 The mic is up there, too, right 9 behind Councilmember Holden. 10 NANTASHA WILLIAMS: Good evening, 11 everybody. Again, I'm Councilmember 12 Nantasha Williams, currently serving the 13 27th Council District, which encompasses 14 St. Albans, Cambria Heights, Adesleigh 15 Park, Hollis, Queens Village, parts of 16 Springfield Gardens, and Jamaica. 17 After reviewing the proposed maps 18 that the New York City Districting 19 Commission released, I believe that it 20 would be a disservice to the community 21 to implement these district lines. In 22 the released preliminary map, Rochdale 23 Village is split between two council 24 districts. This historic city within a 25 city, should be kept contiguous in one 20 1 2 council district. This current 3 separation would disenfranchise this 4 community, currently in Speaker Adams' 5 district, and diminish the powerful 6 voice that exists. 7 Additionally, the proposal leaves 8 downtown Jamaica out of my council 9 district, District 27. Downtown Jamaica 10 is critical to the 27th Council 11 District, and has historically been a 12 part of the district many, many moons 13 ago, before I even became councilmember. 14 This would stall so many of the 15 ongoing projects contributing to the 16 revitalization of the Southeast Queens 17 community that I, myself, have been 18 working on since the beginning of my 19 term. I'm following up from the amazing 20 work of my predecessor, Councilmember 21 Miller and Councilmember Comrie and back 22 to Councilmember Spengler. 23 An example of this is the downtown 24 Jamaica task force that Queens Borough 25 President Donovan Richards and I began. 21 1 2 This task force is comprised of multiple 3 city agencies, elected officials, 4 businesses and community leaders, all 5 working towards a goal of ensuring a 6 vibrant downtown Jamaica. 7 Downtown Jamaica is also where most 8 of the assets in the 27th Council 9 District are found. It is the home of 10 Jamaica Center Arts and Learning, the 11 Jamaica Performing Arts Center, we have 12 York College, which is not only a great 13 educational institution, but an amazing 14 community partner. It is also home to 15 new developments, such as the Greater 16 Nexus Coworking Space, that I was 17 incredibly proud to attend the grand 18 opening of. 19 It is -- the legacy of 20 downtown Jamaica, belongs in the 27th 21 Council District, because it began in 22 this district. Downtown Jamaica is a 23 hub and serves as the connection for 24 thousands of commuters in Southeast 25 Queens, specifically my council 22 1 2 district. 3 It is commonly known that Southeast 4 Queens is a transportation desert, and 5 relies heavily on the bus network that 6 is also located in the downtown Jamaica 7 area. The bus terminal in this 8 district, directly serves residents from 9 my district. It is a project that I 10 have been heavily involved in as well, 11 working with MTA and Department of 12 Transportation, because it is in 13 desperate need of repair. 14 I have been a strong advocate for 15 the downtown Jamaica area and will 16 continue the advocacy for this area. 17 Ensuring that it is unified under the 18 27th Council District, should be a 19 priority to the Commission. Instead of 20 removing it completely from the 21 district, which the current draft maps 22 do, we actually should be representing 23 more of it, as we did ten years ago, 24 when redistricting happened. 25 I would like to thank you New York 23 1 2 City Districting Commission. I know 3 this is really hard work and I commend 4 you. I am not jealous of you and 5 appreciate your intention around making 6 sure this is an equitable process in 7 your listening ear. I look forward to 8 listening to the rest of the 9 testimonies, reading the rest of the 10 testimonies, and having ongoing 11 conversations on the redistricting 12 process. Thank you so much. 13 CHAIR WALCOTT: Thank you, 14 Councilmember. 15 (Applause.) 16 Next, we'll have Councilmember 17 Robert Holden. Councilmember. 18 ROBERT HOLDEN: Thank you so much 19 and again, I'm Councilmember Robert 20 Holden. I represent, right now, the 21 30th Council District, which has 22 constituents in Maspeth, Middle Village, 23 Glendale, and parts of Woodside and 24 Woodhaven, and Ridgewood. Thanks -- 25 thanks again for your -- it's a very 24 1 2 challenging job that you guys have, and 3 I appreciate the undertaking here, and 4 for your willingness to be transparent. 5 As this process moves forward, I 6 urge you to seriously consider the 7 public testimony you're hearing today, 8 not only from me and other council 9 members, but from civic associations and 10 individuals as well. 11 Today you'll hear my thoughts on the 12 current draft map, and then I'll offer 13 some solutions to some of the problems I 14 see with the current map, and offer 15 recommendations on what the final lines 16 of the 30 Council District might look 17 like, and should look like. 18 My testimony is based on what I have 19 been hearing from my constituents and 20 also residents from other council 21 districts, who believe they should be 22 part of the new 30th District moving 23 forward. 24 As part of my testimony, I have 25 submitted a memo and map detailing my 25 1 2 proposed lines for the 30th District. 3 The Commission's draft plans splits 4 neighborhoods comprised of 1 and 5 2-family -- 2-family or 3-family homes, 6 out of the 30th District, and I think 7 that's problematic. Thus, it divides 8 the communities that have the same 9 interest, the same housing stock. 10 My recommendations for the new 30th, 11 will maintain a consistent housing stock 12 throughout the district, keep natural 13 borders of major highways and 14 boulevards, which is, I think a priority 15 even for the Districting Commission -- 16 I think it's in chapter 50, 51, 52. And 17 you meet the target populations of about 18 172,000 voters. 19 The most serious problem with the 20 draft map, is that it exceeds the 30th 21 Council District north of Queens 22 Boulevard, to include parts of Woodside, 23 and remove sections of Glendale. So it 24 kind of splits Glendale up, and we're 25 losing in the 30th Liberty Park, which, 26 1 2 again, why split the neighbors that have 3 the same housing stock on this other 4 part of the district. 5 Adding large Woodside apartments 6 also, you know, actually makes the 7 district kind of, you know, we're 8 representing large apartments and then 9 one- and two-family, and that's been a 10 problem for a while. And it splits 11 Woodside -- it splits from itself 12 Woodside and Sunnyside, which have 13 similar housing stock. 14 So the southern part of the 15 district, Liberty Park, is separated 16 from the rest of Glendale, as I 17 mentioned, and it's added to the 32nd 18 Council, and again, Liberty Park's 19 housing stock is similar to Glendale's 20 housing. So again, why split it up, 21 considering Liberty Park is already in 22 the 30th Council District. And I think 23 they're happy, and their civic 24 associations, police department, 25 community boards, are all tied into the 27 1 2 30th Council District, it makes sense, 3 more sense, to keep these residents in 4 the new 30th, rather than lumping 5 Liberty Park residents into the same -- 6 into the same council district as the 7 Rockaways, which is very, very far away 8 from there. 9 So besides removing Liberty Park, 10 the draft line also removes election 11 District 14, the 38th Assembly District, 12 which is Glendale. This ED comprises 13 streets north of Myrtle Avenue, and 14 essentially removes our arbitrary blocks 15 in the heart of Glendale, out of the 16 30th District. Separating two sections 17 of Glendale out of the 30th District, is 18 frustrating to residents. 19 This type of arbitrary line drawing 20 is what draws the eye of voters, and 21 ultimately results in the legal 22 challenges that prolongs the 23 redistricting process. The natural 24 border of the 30th District should be 25 Queens Boulevard, not arbitrary streets 28 1 2 and avenues and sidewalks. 3 My proposal, which is supported by 4 civic associations and residents, is to 5 keep Glendale united, extend the 6 northern boundary of the 30th Council 7 District to Queens Boulevard, and 8 include the Elmhurst Triangle in the 9 district which, again, I have it in my 10 drawings. 11 The three corners of the triangle 12 include Grand Avenue and 57th Avenue 13 intersections in the south, the 14 intersection of Woodhaven Boulevard and 15 the LIE in the northeast, and Queens 16 Boulevard and Leland Street in the 17 northwest. This neighborhood is 18 considered Elmhurst. However, the 19 housing stock in the neighborhood, is 20 more reflected of Maspeth, at least in 21 my 30th Council District. 22 The residents attend -- by the way, 23 this is important, those residents 24 attend the same civic meetings as the 25 Maspeth residents right now. So they 29 1 2 shop in the same local stores, and their 3 children attend the same schools as 4 Maspeth residents. So, again, please 5 don't split them up. 6 Including this neighborhood in the 7 30th Council District will empower these 8 residents to bring them into a greater 9 -- into the greater Maspeth community. 10 Additionally, sections of Rego Park, 11 known as the Crescents, should be 12 considered part of the 30th because, 13 again, it's the same housing stock. 14 Just as I said, you know about the 15 other neighborhoods, the Rego Park 16 residents are comprised of single-family 17 homes, which makes the housing stock 18 more like Middle Village and less like 19 the rest of the 29th District. So 20 again, that's a suggestion. 21 It is also important to keep 22 residents who have similar housing, like 23 I mentioned before, in the same council 24 district. The plan I outline, will keep 25 and unite residents who have the same 30 1 2 interest, same zoning, same civic 3 meetings, and whose children attend the 4 same schools. This includes the new 5 areas of Queens I've identified for 6 expansion. Rather than arbitrary lines 7 to meet population goals, my proposal 8 will have the natural borders that keep 9 communities together. 10 So again, I just want to -- if you 11 look at my district map, the 30th, it 12 extends from Queens Boulevard all the 13 way down a little to Atlantic Avenue. 14 It's probably one of the longest 15 districts, at least in square miles. If 16 you look at that and then you look at 17 the proposal that where the 30th becomes 18 squarer, it becomes shorter distances 19 and more compact, which I think is the 20 goal. 21 So I want to thank you, again, for 22 the hard work and the terrific work 23 you're doing on behalf of New York City. 24 We know it's not an easy process. I 25 encourage you to examine my proposals 31 1 2 and everybody else's, obviously, and 3 really consider the 30th map that I 4 propose to be something that all, I 5 think the neighbors can work with -- 6 around it too. Thank you so much. 7 CHAIR WALCOTT: Thank you, 8 Councilmember Holden. 9 Next up is Councilmember Selvena 10 Brooks-Powers, and as she's going up -- 11 and then, we'll go into the public. We 12 have one more councilmember, virtually. 13 Then we'll be going to the general 14 public. Just to let you know, that if 15 you require interpretation services, we 16 have interpretation services provided by 17 the Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs 18 with us tonight. Please let one of our 19 folks know about that. 20 Also, I would be remiss if I didn't 21 thank the mayor and his team, the 22 speaker and her team, for all of their 23 help and support about tonight, as well, 24 so thank you. 25 And Councilmember Brooks-Powers. 32 1 2 SELVENA BROOKS-POWERS: Good 3 evening. I'm Councilwoman 4 Brooks-Powers, proudly representing 5 District 31, which include Arverne, 6 Brookville, Edgemere, Far Rockaway, 7 Laurelton, parts of Rockaway Beach and 8 Rosedale. 9 I would like to thank Commissioner 10 Walcott and the entire New York City 11 Districting Commission for granting me 12 this opportunity to testify on behalf of 13 my district, once again, this time in 14 response to the preliminary map. As the 15 map takes shape, we must ensure there is 16 minimal disruption, and that communities 17 of color, specifically Black and brown 18 communities, do not see their voting 19 power marginalized and their voice 20 diminished. 21 History has shown that redrawing the 22 lines in this way, will dilute Council 23 District 31's voting power and misaligns 24 the community's collective voice. In 25 the state's redistricting process, we 33 1 2 saw firsthand, historically Black 3 communities; like in the case of Senate 4 District 14, where Queens Village, 5 essentially disenfranchised due to the 6 new lines, were drawn out of the 7 district, and now include other 8 communities of interest and, dilute our 9 voice in government. 10 I'm here to make sure that doesn't 11 happen in District 31. Southeast 12 Queens, a community predominantly 13 composed of African-American, one- and 14 two-family homeowners, is a community of 15 interest sharing similar ethnic and 16 demographic background that share a 17 unified voice. Southeast Queens 18 encompasses Districts 27, 28, and 31, 19 represented in the City Council by the 20 only three Black elected officials in 21 the entire borough of Queens. 22 My community wants to ensure that we 23 can maintain our representation for 24 residents and maintain our historic 25 assets, from downtown Jamaica in 34 1 2 District 27, Rochdale Village in 3 District 28, and JFK Airport in District 4 31. 5 I'd like to thank the Commission for 6 listening to the voices of my community 7 by making JFK Airport whole under the 8 31st Council District, and the 9 preliminary map issued by this 10 Commission here. My communities are 11 most acutely impacted by the flight path 12 of JFK, especially those that live in 13 Rosedale, Springfield Gardens, and Far 14 Rockaway. JFK is nestled in between our 15 communities, and it is important my 16 neighborhoods have one representative 17 that is speaking with a unified voice 18 around issues of noise mitigation and 19 environmental justice. 20 I think it's also important to note 21 that JFK is represented by one 22 congressional member, one state senator, 23 one assembly member, and should also be 24 represented by one councilmember in the 25 31st District. 35 1 2 I'd also like to thank the 3 Commission for ensuring the Hamill's 4 Houses and Arverne by the Sea, both 5 remain within the district recognizing 6 the economic and social contributions 7 both developments contribute to the 8 overall district. The Hamill's 9 development currently is the tail end of 10 the 31s Council District, and it is 11 predominantly African-American 12 population. It anchors our district, it 13 is one of five NYCHA developments that 14 exist in the community. It is also a 15 consolidated NYCHA development with 16 Carlton Manor Houses, as well. 17 However, the Commission's 18 preliminary map proposed the cutout 19 portions of Springfield Gardens, one of 20 the existing enclaves in my district, a 21 longstanding District 31 community, 22 replacing with parts of Ozone Park. 23 It would not only remove the 24 Springfield Gardens' Church of the 25 Nazarene, a major institution in my 36 1 2 district, but also segregate community 3 organizations, such as the Springfield 4 Gardens Taxpayers Association. 5 We'd like to see Springfield Gardens 6 restored to maintain these connections. 7 They respectfully ask the Commission to 8 consider adopting the map that can be 9 found at districtr.org/plan/137797. 10 I have hosted a number of public 11 sessions across my district, and have 12 consistently heard the desire to keep 13 the lines the way they currently exist, 14 with an exception of wanting to see JFK 15 Airport wholly within District 31, as 16 the Commission has already proposed in 17 the preliminary map. Residents have 18 also expressed the desire to bring two 19 important assets, that up until ten 20 years ago, was a part of the 31st 21 District, back into the district, which 22 is the Stop&Shop Plaza at Merrick and 23 Springfield Boulevard, and Montebello 24 Park, both in Springfield Gardens. 25 Additionally, the Rockaway Peninsula 37 1 2 should remain as they currently stand 3 and not be adjusted. The current 4 peninsula representation includes a 5 vibrant Jewish community, several NYCHA 6 developments, and everything in between. 7 Developments like Arverne by the Sea, 8 helps to create generational wealth for 9 many young Black and brown homeowners. 10 Our communities share similar needs 11 and rally around many of the same 12 issues; such as access to emergency 13 healthcare, which we have a task force 14 forming right now the digital divide, 15 illegal dumping in commercial parking 16 where there currently exists a task 17 force that started in my district. 18 Lower property taxes, equitable funding 19 for our schools, environmental justice, 20 issues dealing with Jamaica Bay and, 21 Rockaway Beach, which both are a part of 22 the district as well, currently and, the 23 need for better infrastructure, just to 24 name a few. 25 As stated in my previous testimony, 38 1 2 redrawing our lines -- redrawing our 3 lines should not dilute our voting power 4 or weaken our voice. It is vitally 5 important that my district remains 6 intact and include the Stop&Shop Plaza 7 and all of JFK Airport. 8 We need districts that unify our 9 communities together, strengthen our 10 voices and ensure upward economic 11 mobility. 12 I appreciate all of the work the 13 commissioners have invested to date, and 14 urge the Commission to keep these issues 15 in mind as you continue your work. 16 Thank you. 17 CHAIR WALCOTT: Thank you, 18 Councilmember. 19 (Applause.) 20 We have one more council official, 21 and then we'll get to the audience, and 22 the next councilmember virtually, 23 Councilmember Ariola. 24 Councilmember. 25 Is the councilmember available? 39 1 2 MS. ARIOLA: Yes. 3 CHAIR WALCOTT: Oh, there you are. 4 JOANE ARIOLA: Yes, I am. 5 My name is Joane Ariola, and I'm the 6 councilmember for District 32 in Queens. 7 Thank you for the opportunity to offer 8 testimony regarding the preliminary 9 redistricting maps released by the 10 Districting Committee, that will 11 directly affect the residents of 12 District 32. 13 District 32 has always been a 14 district rich in cultural diversity. 15 Immigrants from across the world have 16 called it home, and over the course of 17 many decades, have opened their business 18 here. From Ireland to Guyana, you can 19 find every culture, race, and religion 20 in our district. When one looks at the 21 racial diversity ratio of the two 22 community boards within the district 23 that have sizable areas located on the 24 mainland portion of Council District 32, 25 you will note that they have been 40 1 2 described as among the community board's 3 district's most diverse community board 4 districts in this borough. 5 Over the course of decades, Council 6 District 32's composition has ensured 7 that it reflects all sorts of good 8 government groups across the nation, 9 they should be the ultimate goal or 10 reapportionment, competitive districts 11 where no single political party has a 12 gerrymandering advantage. Over the 13 course of decades, residents of District 14 32 have been represented by persons of 15 different parties along the way. 16 Pre-1993, it was represented by 17 democrats, from '93 to 2001, a 18 republican, who was followed by a 19 democrat, who was followed by a 20 republican. It's a competitive 21 district, which is a good thing, from 22 the prospective that people who reside 23 in the district evaluate and elect 24 candidates based on their views, a 25 candidate's strength, and their ability 41 1 2 to work to address issues and concerns 3 in a matter beyond just party politics. 4 The retail strips within the 5 district have people from all parts of 6 the district shopping in them, no matter 7 which part of the district people reside 8 in. Our children may live in one part 9 of the district, but attend school, 10 whether public or parochial, in another 11 part of the district. The same is true 12 of all the diverse religious 13 institutions across the district, people 14 often live in one part of the district 15 yet, worship in another. Youth groups 16 and sports leagues also draw their 17 participants from all parts of the 18 district. 19 As adjustments are considered to the 20 proposed map for Council District 32, I 21 would urge that you evaluate how better 22 to keep communities of interest intact 23 from a perspective of common interests 24 and concerns. For example, East 25 Glendale and Woodhaven share similar 42 1 2 transportation interests, as Woodhaven 3 Boulevard is the corridor that runs 4 through both and, one of the city's 5 flagship parks. But both neighborhoods 6 and, the needs and concerns would be 7 better addressed from a governmental 8 standpoint, if both were in District 32. 9 Adding East Glendale to the district as 10 opposed to Liberty Park, would make the 11 district more compact and more 12 contiguous. 13 The neighborhoods of Woodhaven and 14 the eastern portion of Glendale are 15 connected by Woodhaven, versus 16 neighborhoods of Woodhaven and Liberty 17 Park, which are separated by Forest 18 Park, and would isolate Liberty Park and 19 the Ridgewood portion, currently 20 included in the proposed District 32 map 21 from the rest of the district. 22 Under the current map, one would 23 literally have to pass through District 24 30 or Brooklyn, to get to Liberty Park 25 Ridgewood piece of the proposed 32nd 43 1 2 Council District map. The two 3 communities share a common bus and 4 driving route and the traffic problems 5 associated with it. Both neighborhoods 6 would be affected by proposed Queens 7 Link Greenway and the Rockaway Beach 8 Line reactivation and, both are 9 underserved by public transportation and 10 have a common interest in seeing north 11 to south transportation options 12 improved. 13 Another example would be retaining 14 the South, the area in South Ozone Park, 15 south of Rockaway Boulevard, that is 16 currently in Council District 32 between 17 114th Street and Lefferts Boulevard. 18 Community concerns, housing stock 19 density and the diverse area are far 20 more similar to Howard Beach, than to 21 areas north of Rockaway Boulevard. 22 Transportation, sanitation, policing and 23 many other city issues are also similar. 24 I urge that you consider the common 25 interests regarding the two examples 44 1 2 I've mentioned when considering the 3 lines that will define Council District 4 32. I thank you for your time, your 5 hard work, willingness to listen, and 6 time to present. 7 CHAIR WALCOTT: Thank you, 8 councilmember, for your testimony. 9 Now, we'll go down the list and 10 we'll start with -- is it Emilia 11 Decaudin. 12 EMILIA DECAUDIN: Hello and good 13 evening. My name is Emilia Decaudin. I 14 am the state committee member and 15 district leader for Assembly District 16 37, which includes Long Island City, 17 Hunters Point, Sunnyside and Ridgewood. 18 I'm testifying today against the 19 current proposed plan for Council 20 District 26 and the surrounding 21 districts, in part for a lot of the 22 reasons that Councilmember Won stated. 23 But I want to restate some of those in 24 my own words, to really give folks a 25 clear picture of what it means for 45 1 2 communities of interest, like Woodside 3 and other places, to be cut apart. 4 When you're an advocate and an 5 activist, or just someone whose life is 6 impacted by the choices made by people 7 in government, either your council 8 members or the agencies ran by the city 9 or other state agencies that your 10 council members are appealing to, it's a 11 lot of work. I know that a lot of 12 commissioners here have done that kind 13 of work and so you understand what goes 14 in it. And when you're in a position 15 where the kind of issue that you're 16 trying to advocate for is directly 17 making your life more difficult, that's 18 directly contributing to a community's 19 marginalization, the simple fact of the 20 matter is that having to talk to 21 multiple people, multiple council 22 members to get the issue resolved, it 23 goes from being -- multiplying from one 24 to two, to three, to growing 25 exponentially difficulty, like ten, 46 1 2 twenty and thirty. 3 Having to spread your efforts across 4 multiple members, increases the 5 likelihood that the departments that 6 you're going to be speaking to, whether 7 that's DOT or HPD or whatever agency 8 you're trying to get your councilmember 9 to advocate upon, is going to be more 10 likely to run around the bush and delay 11 or deflect to other people for 12 responsibility, simply because it's 13 easier to do so in responsibility and 14 things like that. 15 Keeping our neighborhoods together 16 is not just a metaphysical or abstract 17 issue, it directly leads to different 18 outcomes when it comes to performing on 19 the advocacy. On the level of the 20 councilmember themselves, it also makes 21 it more difficult for them to do their 22 jobs when it comes to advocating for 23 specific neighborhoods to those 24 different agencies, as well as trying to 25 get resources for institutions within 47 1 2 those neighborhoods. 3 We saw from the council members' 4 testimony, that the average income of 5 this district is going to increase, the 6 average number of hospitals in the 7 district is going to increase, even 8 though they're all entirely -- almost 9 entirely located on the Manhattan side. 10 And those statistics are directly used 11 when it comes to how funding is 12 distributed to different districts, and 13 to different council members' budgets. 14 And having those two disparate 15 communities, you know, those parts in 16 Manhattan that actually decided to bite 17 around this district and around 18 Roosevelt Island today, before giving my 19 testimony to better understand the 20 geography at play. 21 And Roosevelt Island is a nice 22 place, but it's very different from the 23 communities that are currently, 24 represented in the District 26. And 25 combining those two communities, 48 1 2 Sunnyside, Woodside, parts of Woodside 3 and Long Island City with those parts of 4 Roosevelt Island and the Upper East 5 Side, is going to have a detrimental 6 effect -- detrimental effects on the 7 ability of those constituents to 8 advocate for themselves and for the 9 councilmember to do their jobs. 10 So I would ask that when coming up 11 with the next proposed draft, that you 12 limit the amount of cross-borough, you 13 know, cross river districts that are 14 there, and keep Woodside especially 15 together. Thank you. 16 MR. WALCOTT: And thank you for your 17 testimony. 18 Next is James Hong. Is James Hong 19 here? 20 JAMES HONG: Good evening, thank you 21 for your service in this redistricting 22 process. My name is James Hong. I'm 23 here as a concerned citizen, and I'd 24 like to talk about District 20 and 26. 25 I'm a resident of Flushing, and I've 49 1 2 lived in Woodside for close to a decade, 3 ending in 2020. About District 20, the 4 draft map, unfortunately, divides 5 Flushing, that's the -- yeah, divides 6 Flushing through Murray Hill, which is 7 the center of Flushing's vibrant 8 Korean-American community. This is 9 where Korean New Yorkers live, work, 10 eat, shop, sing karaoke. 11 If you've ever driven or taken a bus 12 down Northern Boulevard, there's not a 13 block between Flushing and Bayside where 14 you won't see a Korean restaurant, 15 retail business or church. Northern 16 Boulevard is a thoroughfare, and it 17 shouldn't be used as a boundary, 18 especially in Murray Hill, but that is 19 exactly what is happening now in the 20 draft maps and also in the current map. 21 So I'd like to ask that you please 22 move the northern boundary for District 23 20 further north, so that the district 24 doesn't divide Flushing, and includes 25 all of what's considered Flushing, 50 1 2 including Murray Hill. So please keep 3 Flushing whole, use 20th Avenue or 4 Willets Point Boulevard meeting Francis 5 Lewis Boulevard, as northern edge of 6 District 20. 7 Now, the place to shed population in 8 District 20, is the eastern, sort of 9 foot, of the district that juts into 10 Auburndale and Bayside. The way it is 11 right now, it doesn't make a lot of 12 sense. If you look at the boundaries of 13 the community boards, the police 14 precincts and the school districts of 15 Northeast Queens, none of them join 16 Flushing with Auburndale across Utopia 17 Parkway. 18 Those who have grown up their whole 19 lives in Northeast Queens, can 20 intuitively identify that Utopia Parkway 21 is where Flushing ends. District 20 22 should also end at Utopia. 23 Just for the record, I believe we 24 should keep the Van Wyck and LIE as the 25 western and southern boundaries of 51 1 2 District 20. And I also wanted to just 3 comment on District 26, Western Queens, 4 Woodside, really belongs with Sunnyside 5 and Long Island City within District 26. 6 The draft maps splits Woodside up badly 7 and it's joined with Maspeth, which has 8 dramatically different politics, 9 transportation demographics. This 10 coupled with other big changes in LIC, 11 radically shifts District 26's racial 12 composition. 13 Around 10,000 Asian-Americans will 14 lose representation by the first 15 Korean-American in the City Council, and 16 the draft map threatens the ability of 17 the remaining Asian-Americans in that 18 district to elect a candidate of their 19 choice. Basically, this is a very 20 anti-Asian change to District 26 and I 21 urge you to reject it. 22 (Applause.) 23 In closing, I won't recap on 24 everything that I said, but I do want to 25 touch on the prioritization of Staten 52 1 2 Island. While I respect Staten 3 Islanders' hopes in keeping their 3rd 4 district from having any part of 5 Brooklyn, it shouldn't be done to the 6 detriment of the other 94 percent of New 7 York City's population, and I urge you 8 to reconsider that change. Thank you. 9 (Applause.) 10 CHAIR WALCOTT: Thank you for your 11 testimony. 12 Next will be -- is it Tenzin Zheng 13 (phonetic.) 14 TENZIN ZHENG: Good evening, 15 Commissioners. My name is Tenzin Zheng, 16 I live in Woodside, District 26. I'm a 17 Tibetan, and I'm testifying in interest 18 of the Tibetan community. 63 years ago, 19 our ancestors were forced out of our 20 home country, Tibet, when our people 21 were massacred, our religion and 22 cultural institution were just wiped 23 into ashes. 24 Since then, our people continue to 25 experience genocide of our cultural 53 1 2 language and identity. Fortunately, 3 with the passage of the Immigrant Act of 4 1990, we were able to immigrate and we 5 resettled in Astoria, Long Island City, 6 Woodside and Sunnyside. The Tibetan 7 community in New York City are made of 8 Tibetans from Tibet, asylum seekers, 9 refugees from India, Nepal and Bhutan. 10 We're also Tibetan-American born 11 Tibetans here. For over 30 years, the 12 Tibetan community has made a unified -- 13 has been a unified part of Council 14 District 26, with experiencing multiple 15 challenges like language and cultural 16 barriers, navigating the ways of this 17 country. 18 With limited resources and doing the 19 oddest jobs in this country, we thrive 20 to remain in a cluster within District 21 26, and we were able to preserve our 22 language and identity that continues to 23 face genocide. 24 Today, we are well over 15,000 25 Tibetans in District 26, mostly in 54 1 2 Sunnyside and Woodside. District 26 is 3 now our new home, our newfound home, and 4 we have built a community center at 5712 5 32nd Avenue in Woodside, and we also 6 have a street in front of that community 7 center named Tibetan Way. And we also 8 gather here at the Tibetan Community 9 Center. That is the largest non-profit 10 organization in -- Tibetan non-profit 11 organization in North American, and we 12 gather here for cultural celebrations, 13 spiritual gatherings, and for the first 14 time ever in these thirty years, after 15 facing multiple challenges, we were able 16 to have the first Tibetan-speaking women 17 working in council, City Council. 18 For the first time ever, we were 19 able to provide and receive resources in 20 Tibetan language for this community. We 21 never found resources in any Tibetan 22 language, in any government agencies, 23 any other council districts ever, so 24 far. 25 For the first time, we have two 55 1 2 Tibetan-speaking Americans as community 3 members, and that is the progress that 4 we have recently made after ourselves 5 represented fairly and effectively in 6 this district. It is very, very 7 disheartening to see this new map 8 proposal, which takes Woodside out of -- 9 separate part of -- Sunnyside and 10 divided into multiple council districts. 11 I just want to urge the 12 commissioners here, please do not 13 disempower us on this progress that we 14 have just began to make. In addition, I 15 want to say that we want to stay with 16 the over 3000 Tibetan community members 17 who are in Sunnyside and Woodside, the 18 Nepalese, the Bhutanese and our 19 Himalayans. We share over twelve 20 thousand spiritual connections, and we 21 want to stay together with other Asians 22 like Filipinos, like our Korean members 23 together. 24 So if divided into four districts 25 like the new map proposed, it would 56 1 2 disrupt the continuity of services that 3 we just started to receive, the flow of 4 resources for the Tibetan Community 5 Center that we just began to receive, 6 and further anticipate developers taking 7 advantage of Woodside. And if it gets 8 divided into multiple council districts, 9 that will add on to vulnerability of our 10 immigrant communities, and it will 11 further displace us. 12 I strongly recommend, and I urge 13 that Woodside stays together with Long 14 Island City, Sunnyside and Western 15 Astoria, like it has been for the last 16 thirty years, and please do not displace 17 us again. Thank you. 18 CHAIR WALCOTT: Thank you for your 19 testimony. 20 Next, we will have Michael Nessbaum, 21 and then, Essence Scott, and then we'll 22 go from there to virtual testimony. 23 Then, we'll come back to in-person 24 testimony. Michael Nessbaum and Essence 25 Scott, please. 57 1 2 MICHAEL NESSBAUM: Thank you, 3 Chairman Walcott. It's good to see you 4 and Mr. Hanratty, you are from Queens 5 here. I'm representing the Jewish 6 Community Relations Council. I'm also 7 the president of the Queens Jewish 8 Community Council, and I've been around 9 this game for well over 50 years, and 10 it's refreshing, finally, that New York 11 City is looking at redistricting based 12 on ethnicity and communities, not 13 whether or not there is a D and an R, 14 and an I or a C, where people draw 15 lines. 16 Queens is unique, as many of you 17 know. We're the only borough that we 18 recognize our neighbors and our 19 neighborhoods when we write a letter. 20 No one here writes just Queens, New 21 York. We relate to the neighborhoods 22 and you're hearing it today. 23 (Applause.) 24 You don't hear Brooklyn saying I'm 25 in Cobble Hill or the East Side, I'm in 58 1 2 Murray Hill. They write New York and 3 Brooklyn, the Bronx, etcetera, and 4 Staten Island. Queens is unique, and I 5 don't envy your task in trying to come 6 up with the district lines here, but 7 it's refreshing that the ethnicity 8 issues, the neighborhood issues, are the 9 priority. 10 On behalf of the Jewish community, 11 we are concerned. We are a minority, we 12 are not categorized as the feds have in 13 terms of race. There is no division in 14 dividing on civil rights on religion, 15 but in District 24, there is a paramount 16 issue about dividing a community on 17 religion. So we're asking, and on 18 behalf of the Jewish Community Council 19 and others, we have submitted and will 20 be continuing to submit a map that will 21 be inclusive of Districts in 24, that I 22 think deserve to be put in. 23 We've looked at the numbers. The 24 numbers are reflected within a margin of 25 less than 4 percent of the current 59 1 2 district, which is a little bit under 3 167,000. We are not a majority of 4 Jewish communities, but we're spread out 5 within the 24th District, concentrated 6 in Kew Garden Hills, Utopia, Hillcrest 7 and Fresh Meadows. We're also cognizant 8 of our neighboring council people in 9 terms of the south and in the east. We 10 have African-American in the south, and 11 we have Asian-American in the east, and 12 we have the same in the north. 13 We are looking to include the Cedar 14 Grove area, which happens to be 15 Asian-American. We're looking to 16 include the Hillcrest area, but most 17 prominently, we're looking to make sure 18 that the division in the east, when it 19 comes to the Utopia/Fresh Meadows area, 20 is not divided, because we have 21 synagogues and communities that have now 22 divided, where congregants are going to 23 be in two separate council districts. 24 And we all know -- as everyone here 25 knows, ethnicity is important. Your 60 1 2 community is important. 3 Queens speaks over three hundred 4 different languages. You can't draw 5 lines to accommodate every single ethnic 6 group and religious group in this City 7 of New York. You have to take into a 8 certain degree, the politics, but more 9 important, you got to maintain 10 neighborhoods. As Councilman Holden 11 said, he believes you got to follow the 12 structures of the buildings in the 13 neighborhood. I feel you got to follow 14 the structures of the communities, where 15 they live, where they work, where they 16 get their education, and where they 17 pray. And I hope, and I understand when 18 you look at our maps from the 24th, 19 you'll see that. But as a Jewish leader 20 in that particular district, they've 21 elected in the past and, again, an 22 Italian-American. 23 So it's not ethnicity that 24 determines who your representative is, 25 it is the quality of that individual to 61 1 2 represent you, and most of the council 3 people in Queens, are lucky enough to 4 have communities that understand 5 quality. And, to respect this quality, 6 priority is paramount, and I hope that 7 you take into account when dividing 8 particularly the 24th district. Thank 9 you. 10 CHAIR WALCOTT: Thank you for your 11 testimony. 12 (Applause.) 13 Essence Scott. Is Essence Scott -- 14 if not, then we will go virtual. 15 Is it Zelema Blair, virtually Zelema 16 Blair? 17 If not, the next virtual will be 18 Russell Squire (phonetic). Russell 19 Squire. Zelema, I see her name. 20 Zelema Blair? 21 DR. ZULEMA BLAIR: Yes. 22 CHAIR WALCOTT: Okay, we can hear 23 you now, you're up. 24 DR. ZULEMA BLAIR: Oh, I am. I 25 don't -- I'm here. 62 1 2 CHAIR WALCOTT: Yes, do you have 3 testimony? 4 DR. ZULEMA BLAIR: I do. 5 CHAIR WALCOTT: Okay. It's your 6 turn to testimony. 7 DR. ZULEMA BLAIR: I don't know if 8 you can see me. 9 CHAIR WALCOTT: We cannot, but we 10 can hear you clearly. 11 DR. ZULEMA BLAIR: Oh, yes. You 12 could see me now. 13 CHAIR WALCOTT: Now, we can. 14 DR. ZULEMA BLAIR: Hi, good evening 15 everyone, and thank you for having me. 16 And so my name is Dr. Zulema Blair. I 17 am chair of the Department of Public 18 Administration at Medgar Evers College, 19 and the redistricting research director 20 at the Center for Law and Social 21 Justice. 22 The Center for Law and Social 23 Justice is part of the Unity Map 24 coalition, and the Unity Map coalition 25 represents Asian-American Legal Defense 63 1 2 Fund for Law and Social Justice and 3 Latino Justice, and so we want to make 4 sure that -- that it's a clear 5 understanding that 51 districts were 6 drawn, and that we did, to the best of 7 our ability, to represent the Voting 8 Rights Act. And so in doing so, that we 9 represented racial and language 10 minorities to the best extent possible. 11 And why that's important, is because 12 while we can't make everyone happy with 13 the boundaries, we do the best that we 14 can to make sure that each community of 15 interest is able to elect their 16 candidates of choice. 17 So for example, in the Bronx, where 18 for years, Wakefield have been crap, we 19 made sure and, we're glad that the 20 Commission was able to do so, that the 21 Northern Bronx is kept whole. However, 22 Central Bronx that represents 23 communities of interest of people of 24 African descent, are not as whole, and 25 we want to make sure that it's done in a 64 1 2 way that it represents the growth as we 3 move forward to 2030. So please keep 4 that in mind. 5 In Brooklyn, District 41, so we need 6 changes there, because in District 41 7 and 37, we need to make sure Ocean Hill 8 is kept whole. There's a lot of history 9 in Ocean Hill, and it's the history that 10 keeps the communities of interest 11 together. And if you don't know the 12 history of Ocean Hill, you should know. 13 So Ocean Hill is very important to 14 people of African descent -- connects 15 with Brownsville. And we want to make 16 sure that that's kept whole, so that, 17 again, we preserve those districts. 18 With some of the loss of the 19 population in the Southeast Brooklyn 20 communities, it is important -- and in 21 central Brooklyn, it is important that 22 you keep communities as whole, and 23 neighborhoods as whole as possible. So 24 take 35 and 36 -- Districts 35 and 36, 25 for example, I don't know if it's 65 1 2 beneficial to keep everything the same. 3 Yes, everyone says keep everything the 4 same and we want everything the same and 5 everything is hunky-dory; yes, we get 6 it. But then, down the line, you lose a 7 district. How long can District 35 be 8 sustainable if some of Crown Heights is 9 not reunited with Prospect Heights? 10 Prospect Heights, although it seems 11 totally gentrified, has, in the words of 12 a community leader, has legacy for 13 families for people of African descent, 14 and we want to make sure that District 15 35 is kept on in a way that the 16 plurality is able to continue to elect 17 the candidate of its choice. 18 So you need to connect an economic 19 development institution that is able to 20 blend those tale of two districts 21 together from the northern end of 22 Farragut, to the southern end in Crown 23 Heights, in Prospect Heights. And the 24 way to do that, is to take a little bit 25 of Crown Heights from District 36, to 66 1 2 make sure that both can be kept whole, 3 okay. 36 will always be whole, but we 4 need to make sure that 35 and 36 are 5 preserved through 2030, because if 6 not -- 7 CHAIR WALCOTT: Councilmember, if 8 you could wrap up, please. 9 DR. ZULEMA BLAIR: Yes. 10 CHAIR WALCOTT: Okay, thank you. 11 MS. BLAIR: Yeah, I'm going to wrap 12 up soon. 13 CHAIR WALCOTT: Okay, thank you. 14 DR. ZULEMA BLAIR: And then, 15 District 46 -- District 46, we need to 16 make sure that the Flatlands line is 17 respected to keep Canarsie whole, do not 18 crack Canarsie. We did a lot of work, 19 the last time, to make sure District 46 20 was put together and they were able to 21 elect the candidate of their choice. 22 And District 49 -- 45, needs an 23 institution in this district, so that 24 they can continue to elect a candidate 25 and do the work that it needs to do for 67 1 2 the residents. Thank you. 3 CHAIR WALCOTT: And thank you very 4 much for your testimony. 5 (Applause.) 6 Next, we have Russell Squire 7 virtually, Russel Squire. 8 Is Russel Squire there? 9 Is Russel there? 10 If not, we'll need a translator 11 for Bangla. Next, is Jasmine Ahmed, 12 that's virtual. 13 All right, I'll go on. 14 Next is Kevin -- Kevin Livingston. 15 Kevin Livingston, virtually. 16 If not, virtually Barry Schneider. 17 Barry Schneider. 18 BARRY SCHNEIDER: That's me, sir. 19 CHAIR WALCOTT: That is you then. 20 Yes, your turn to testify. 21 BARRY SCHNEIDER: That's me, sir. 22 Here I am. My name Barry Schneider and 23 I'm president of the -- 24 CHAIR WALCOTT: Hold on. We're 25 getting feedback. Can you hold on one 68 1 2 second, sir? I'm not sure -- do you 3 have anything on or is someone on that's 4 not on mute? 5 BARRY SCHNEIDER: I just turned it 6 off. It was me, sorry. 7 CHAIR WALCOTT: Okay, fine. You're 8 up again. 9 BARRY SCHNEIDER: Let's start again. 10 Commissioners, my name is Barry 11 Schneider and I'm the president of the 12 East 60th Neighborhood Association. 13 You're going to hear now several 14 different perspectives from someone on 15 the other side of the river. 16 I just -- I speak today to ask, of 17 the district lines proposed, the Queens 18 Council District 26, the Manhattan 19 Council District 5, which includes 20 portions of the Sutton Place, the Upper 21 East Side, and all of Roosevelt Island, 22 not be adopted for the following 23 reasons: 24 First, the draft proposal violates 25 four of the criteria outlined in the 69 1 2 City Charter Section 52, 1C, D and E, 3 and I did memorize that. And Section 4 52.2, the violation of these criteria 5 results in districts where one 6 neighborhood and communities of interest 7 are not kept intact, the proposed 8 district is not compact, the proposed 9 district results in an extreme crossover 10 district, and the proposed district is 11 very oddly shaped. 12 Further, the proposed redistricting 13 of the eastern most portion of the 14 section of Manhattan Island become part 15 of Queens, ignores the very many 16 communities of interest that would be 17 affected, a river runs through it. 18 There are several well-established 19 neighborhood associations whose members 20 shouldn't be torn asunder, a number of 21 neighborhood schools and several beloved 22 parks will be broken apart, a river runs 23 through it. Bedpost Alley, whose 24 personnel live in CD 5, will in the 25 future, be represented by a 70 1 2 councilmember on the other side of the 3 East River in Queens, and Councilman 4 Manik but apportionment, would be very 5 well shortchanged. 6 Those sections on the Upper East 7 Side and Roosevelt Island, would no 8 longer be an integral part of the rest 9 of the Upper East Side. I strongly urge 10 the City Districting Commission to 11 reconsider this ill-conceived plan and 12 not divide, but keep all, an indivisible 13 and cohesive neighborhood. Thank you 14 very much. 15 CHAIR WALCOTT: And thank you for 16 your testimony. 17 Next is Judith Schneider. 18 BARRY SCHNEIDER: She'll be right 19 with you. 20 CHAIR WALCOTT: All you have to do 21 is slide the camera along, that's all. 22 BARRY SCHNEIDER: Well, she has her 23 own computer. 24 JUDITH SCHNEIDER: Good evening, 25 Commissioners. My name is Judy 71 1 2 Schneider and I am co-chair of the 3 Park's Committee of Community Board 8M. 4 But I am not speaking as a 5 representative of Community Board 8 6 Manhattan, I am speaking as an 7 individual. 8 My first comment is the draft 9 proposal for Manhattan and Roosevelt 10 Island violates four of the criteria 11 outlined in the City Charter Section 12 52(1) 1C, D and E, and 52(2). The 13 violation of these criteria, are 14 distinct and cannot be said enough. 15 Neighborhoods and communities of 16 interest, are not kept intact, such as 17 Roosevelt Island and Manhattan and will 18 be torn apart by a river. The proposed 19 district is not compact. The proposed 20 district results in extreme crossover 21 district and the proposed districts are 22 very oddly shaped. To quote the 23 Executive Director of the Commission, 24 Mr. John Flateau, when he talked about 25 Staten Island, "Keeping Staten Island 72 1 2 together in order not to mess up 3 Brooklyn." How about keeping Manhattan 4 together in order not to mess up Queens? 5 (Applause). 6 My second comment is about our 7 parks. Community District 8M ranks 47th 8 out of 51 council districts for the 9 least amount of park space in New York 10 City. By carrying out this plan, we 11 would lose the Esplanade and Andrew 12 Haswell Green Park, phase three, which 13 has not yet been started to be built. 14 It will probably take a minimum of $25 15 million to build. The Esplanade needs 16 and incalculable amount of money for 17 repairs. Will a councilmember in 18 Community District 26 Queens spend that 19 kind of money in Manhattan? Remember, 20 Roosevelt Island and Manhattan only 21 represent 27 percent of the voters in 22 Council District 26 Queens, or will most 23 of the members' funds be spent in 24 Queens? That question also applies to 25 our schools, our libraries, all our city 73 1 2 services that need additional money, as 3 well as participatory budgeting. 4 Commissioners, Community Board 8 5 Manhattan has made a plan and submitted 6 it to the Commission to keep our 7 district whole and taking into account 8 the population in each district. Please 9 take a good look at this plan and 10 implement it. Thank you for listening 11 to my testimony. 12 (Applause). 13 I'm sure when you hear from Russell 14 Squire, he will talk to you about the 15 plan, as he is our chair. Thank you. 16 CHAIR WALCOTT: Thank you for your 17 testimony, much appreciated. 18 Next up is Kevin Livingston. 19 Kevin Livingston? 20 We'll go to the next one. Jennifer 21 Barratta, on Zoom. Jennifer Barratta? 22 That is not here. That is one of our 23 Commissioners. Hi, Commissioner. 24 Next we call -- 25 KEVIN LIVINGSTON: Good afternoon, 74 1 2 Kevin Livingston here. 3 CHAIR WALCOTT: Yes, sir. You're 4 up, sir. 5 Kevin Livingston, your time is up 6 for testimony. 7 KEVIN, LIVINGSTON: Good afternoon, 8 how are you doing? Thank you so much 9 for taking me. My name is Kevin 10 Livingston, I'm a lifelong resident of 11 Southeast Queens. Please forgive me, 12 I'm running around. 13 First, I would like to say, thank 14 you for convening this here meeting, 15 which is very important to our 16 community. I am born and raised in 17 Southeast Queens, 44 years. In 18 particular, the areas of Laurelton and 19 Springfield Gardens. 20 I want to first thank you for 21 looking at the new redistricting map and 22 keeping JFK in the 31st District. 23 I would ask that you would bring 24 back Springfield Gardens, return that to 25 the 31st. Through the representation of 75 1 2 the leadership that we had there, it 3 just shows from our current 4 councilmember and prior, how they loved 5 and hugged on the community. We want to 6 keep that intact. 7 Additionally, with the proposed 8 maps, in terms of splitting Rochdale 9 Village, I would like to put a vote to 10 keep Rochdale Village together. It 11 truly is the jewel of Jamaica, and I 12 feel like it will be splitting up 13 resources. But again, I really hope 14 that we keep the 31st district intact 15 the way it is right now, in particular, 16 again, keeping JFK in the 31st and also 17 bringing back Springfield Gardens to 18 that district. It is represented well. 19 Our current council and elected 20 council know the community well, and I 21 just feel like it would be a disjustice 22 to remove that from the 31st district. 23 We have a lot of resources here. We 24 have to keep those resources in our 25 communities. 76 1 2 (Applause) 3 CHAIR WALCOTT: Thank you very much. 4 Jennifer Baratta, virtually. 5 Jennifer Baratta? We'll come back. 6 Lori Goodman? Okay. 7 Is it Alexandria Zuraski? And next 8 will be Francie Scanlon, virtually. 9 I'll try one more time. I know I 10 heard Jennifer Baratta is here, 11 virtually here. 12 We're going to go back to in-person, 13 and next in-person would be Annie 14 Forduce. Is Annie Forduce here? This 15 is in-person. And then after Annie, we 16 will have Nofar Raheim (phonetic), and 17 then following Nofar, we have Jafar 18 Forduce (phonetic). 19 So Annie Forduce, Nofar Raheim and 20 Jafar Forduce. 21 So if the other two individuals 22 would like to come down as well, that 23 way you could follow, and someone will 24 move you up -- 25 ANNIE FORDUCE: Thank you. Hi, I'm 77 1 2 Annie Forduce. I'm testifying for 3 District 26. I am one of the founder 4 and artistic director of Bangladesh 5 Institute of Performing Arts, BIPA. 6 BIPA is a community organization that 7 offers weekend arts and cultural 8 programs in Bengali language, for 9 Bangladeshi children. 10 We have been running our programs 11 for the last 30 years in Woodside, Long 12 Island City, Sunnyside, and other 13 neighboring areas. 14 This is our little Bangladesh where 15 we grew up together. We stayed together 16 with the other Asian community, to build 17 political and community power. We 18 celebrate our social and cultural 19 identities in many different ways. We 20 made friends with many other 21 organizations that are situated in this 22 area. 23 If this district is divided into 24 four different parts as proposed, we are 25 going to lose all these cultural and 78 1 2 social power. We are certain that we'll 3 lose many community services, especially 4 the need of the language assistance that 5 we are receiving now. 6 Our council office provides for the 7 immigrants. The council office -- our 8 council office provides immigrants many 9 opportunities and services that we don't 10 want to lose for the new proposed 11 district. Our political power and 12 cultural identity depends on the unity, 13 and we already -- that we already built 14 in last twenty years. We need to keep 15 it as it is. 16 I strongly recommend making sure 17 Woodside stays together with Long Island 18 City, Sunnyside, and Western Astoria, as 19 it has been in the last thirty years 20 that I have seen. Thank you. 21 CHAIR WALCOTT: Thank you for your 22 testimony. Is it Nofar Rahiem? 23 If not, it's Jafar Forduce. And 24 Lara Gregory. It would be Lara Gregory, 25 Sharon Pope-Marshall, and then Frankie 79 1 2 Korea. 3 CHAIR WALCOTT: So, Lara Gregory? 4 Okay. 5 SHARON POPE-MARSHALL: I'm Sharon 6 Pope-Marshall. Thank you for your 7 patience. My name is Sharon 8 Pope-Marshall, and I'm the executive 9 director of CIVITAS. For over forty 10 years, we've advocated for sound 11 context, sensitive urban planning, 12 zoning, waterfront and land use 13 policies, to improve neighborhood 14 quality of life in El Barrio East 15 Harlem, and on the Upper East Side, 16 which are in Manhattan Council District 17 5. 18 Thank you, Commissioners. We really 19 appreciate your service. And thank you 20 for this opportunity to testify against 21 carving out approximately fifty blocks, 22 portions of Sutton Place, the Upper East 23 Side, and all of Roosevelt Island, from 24 Council District 5. Those 25 Manhattan-based communities would be 80 1 2 incorporated into a Queens Council 3 District. Each of our Council District 4 5 neighborhoods are economically, 5 politically, and socially connected. 6 We would be unable to stand united 7 to address issues of mutual concern, and 8 -- such as participatory budgeting, 9 congestion pricing and other public 10 policy issues. I should note as well, 11 that the City Council has power over the 12 City's $100 billion budget and votes on 13 municipal service delivery, land use, 14 affordable housing, economic 15 development, investment and other 16 community initiatives. 17 Our unified voice, if the carve out 18 is indeed ratified, would be 19 substantially diminished to be 20 subordinated by and subsumed with 21 neighboring Queens community concerns, 22 that may not impact us. And of course, 23 Roosevelt Island, in particular, has 24 been geopolitically linked with the 25 Upper East Side since its inception as a 81 1 2 residential community. The Roosevelt 3 Island Tramway is based on the Upper 4 East Side. 5 Moreover, as was explained earlier, 6 the proposed council district is not 7 compact and would result in an 8 unnecessary borough crossover that is 9 logistically oddly shaped. And most 10 importantly, neighborhoods of common 11 interests and concerns, would not be 12 kept intact. All are violations of 13 criteria as set forth in the City 14 Charter for determining City Council 15 boundaries. CIVITAS opposes this 16 disruption of the integrity of City 17 Council District 5, that is wholly 18 centered on the Upper East Side and 19 Roosevelt Island. 20 Thank you for listening. Thank you, 21 again, for your service, and thank you 22 for your consideration. 23 (Applause) 24 CHAIR WALCOTT: And thank you for 25 your testimony. Thank you. 82 1 2 Franky Correa, and after Franky 3 Correa, by I. Daneek Miller. And then, 4 following I. Daneek Miller, we will have 5 Koem Zafar (phonetic). 6 FRANKY CORREA: Good evening. Thank 7 you to the Commission for the 8 opportunity to speak to you on behalf of 9 our community. My name is Franky 10 Correa. I grew up in Red Hook, 11 Brooklyn, which is currently part of 12 District 38. I moved out to Sunset Park 13 in the early '80s, when most of the 14 factories, warehouses and shipping yards 15 closed down. I still currently own and 16 live in Sunset Park with my wife and two 17 daughters. 18 When I moved to Sunset Park, it was 19 pretty much the same thing. It was a 20 working-class community, who worked at 21 the factories and warehouses, and our 22 waterfronts, that has recently been 23 replaced by urban retro malls, when our 24 government couldn't protect our 25 manufacturing from going overseas. 83 1 2 There have always been a strong 3 connection in both Red Hook and Sunset 4 Park, who held the line through the '70s 5 and '80s and '90s, when drugs, gangs, 6 economic neglect, ravaged our 7 communities. And we were able to 8 rebuild these two communities under one 9 representation. 10 Now that these two neighborhoods 11 have been growing and Manhattan is too 12 expensive to live in, there has been a 13 large migration of city dwellers. 14 Developers have been focused on taking 15 over our communities and pushing people 16 out. Their focus has been to takeover 17 our waterfront. But since our 18 communities have a strong opposition and 19 been fortunate enough to have City 20 Council representation to follow the 21 wishes of their constituents, the next 22 important move for the powerful real 23 estate industry, is to gerrymander and 24 maneuver to weaken our voices out of 25 power, and remove those representatives 84 1 2 who are willing to fight for the 3 audacity of equality. 4 This map redrawing has 5 characterization plans to divide and 6 conquer, and take the voices from those 7 with little influence. It is not going 8 to represent our working class District 9 38. 10 First, Sunset Park gets separated 11 from my home, from the united front of 12 people of color from Red Hook. 13 Secondly, Sunset Park is divided in 14 half, again, by a proposed District 43, 15 designed to create a majority Asian 16 district. As a National Grid field 17 operation inspector, who has been on the 18 job for 34 years, I know these 19 neighborhoods intimately and witnessed 20 the migration, gentrification of both 21 Brooklyn and Queens. 22 District 38 currently covers parts 23 of Bensonhurst -- which makes no 24 connection-sense. If the Commission 25 wants to give the Asian community a 85 1 2 stronger and full representation, which 3 -- which, I support, I would suggest the 4 Commission create a district east of 9th 5 Avenue to Bensonhurst, Dyker Heights and 6 Bath Beach area, where Asian population 7 has migrated and grown tremendously. 8 You should not break up two 9 communities that have binded wealth 10 together to create another and not give 11 them proper representation. 12 With the proposed change, most of 13 the new voters in District 38 are going 14 to be from the Bay Ridge area, with a 15 higher AMI and don't share the same 16 social economic challenges that don't -- 17 and don't have connection to what 18 happens to the working front. Under 19 this proposal, Red Hook would now face 20 the same challenge, as the majority of 21 District 39 voters come from more 22 affluent areas of Park Slope, where 23 their representative have to choose the 24 influential part of the district with 25 higher voting, people with power with 86 1 2 low AMI. 3 The Gowanus is an example of divide 4 and conquer. Gowanus is part of 5 District 39 but it's no match for a 6 powerful real estate industry, with lots 7 of money, influence and patience on the 8 buy-and-hold-long game. Notice that 9 after the federal super fund, they were 10 able to rezone Gowanus and the city 11 miraculously was able to find 12 shutup-money, to resolve Gowanus' NYCHA 13 issues, just to get the rezoning. 14 Thank you to the Commission for 15 taking the time to consider my 16 testimony. As a life-long resident of 17 this district, I understand we must 18 respond to the changes. However, this 19 proposal will be a disservice to our 20 community by tearing it apart and 21 combining it with other communities that 22 have a very different racial, social, 23 economic and political differences. 24 Thank you. 25 (Applause) 87 1 2 CHAIR WALCOTT: And thank you for 3 your testimony. Next is I. Daneek 4 Miller. 5 I. DANEEK MILLER: Good evening, 6 good evening. Members of the -- 7 members of the Commission and to 8 everyone else that came out tonight. 9 And I got to say, that's a hard act to 10 follow, right? 11 So good evening, I'm former 12 Councilmember I. Daneek Miller, of the 13 27th Council District, currently, 14 district leader of the 33rd Assembly 15 District in Southeast Queens. 16 My testimony tonight is about the 17 27th Council District primarily, but 18 also about Southeast Queens and outlying 19 impact on the 28th, 31st and 24th 20 Council Districts. I begin with the 21 obvious, the lack of density in the 27th 22 District mainly because there's a 23 community of single-family 24 homeownership, and certainly being 25 impacted by the 5 percent threshold that 88 1 2 we're looking at, and folks moving out. 3 Certainly, this has been an impact 4 on communities' population, but not its 5 political and economic empowerment and 6 its cultural influences, all of which is 7 well-known and well-documented locally 8 and nationally. Southeast Queens is 9 home to many political and cultural 10 icons, and has its own historical 11 district, i.e. Addisleigh Park. 12 The phenomenon of political power is 13 not by accident, it is, in fact, by all 14 metrics that measure voter 15 participation, civic, and faith-based 16 engagement, union participation and home 17 ownership, is where we thrive. 18 While not mutually exclusively 19 together, they have helped to make and 20 create the largest African-American, 21 Afro-Caribbean homeowner community in 22 the nation, as well as the most densely 23 populated union community, and the most 24 densely populated union state in the 25 nation. 89 1 2 The economic and the -- the social 3 and economic impact of Southeast Queens 4 and its surrounding communities, in 5 particular the downtown Jamaica area, 6 which is currently undergoing a major 7 Renaissance of housing, transportation, 8 economic development and et cetera, 9 unfortunately is being negatively 10 impacted by its currently lack of 11 continuity because of its current 12 boundaries mainly the 27th and 24th 13 Council District lines being split and 14 bordered at the north and south end of 15 Jamaica Avenue. 16 Because of these boundaries, Jamaica 17 lacks continuity, not only in just -- in 18 social and cultural and economic 19 development but more importantly, 20 because of its delivery and services. 21 For example, Community Board 12 has the 22 highest number of shelters placement in 23 the City of New York. The most densely 24 populated portion of that, lies within a 25 few blocks north of Jamaica Avenue in 90 1 2 Community Board 12. 3 While there are thousands of newly 4 affordable housing units that have been 5 built south of Jamaica Avenue and 6 Community Board 27 conversely, we see 7 overwhelmingly market-rate, new 8 development housing, north side of 9 Jamaica Avenue, which is not consistent 10 with the economic values of the 11 residents that currently live there, 12 which also, for a plethora of reasons, 13 lends itself to gentrification. 14 Continuity and values are important, 15 just as we have seen the unification of 16 downtown Jamaica -- and I know this is 17 something else, but that was something 18 that was spearheaded in Community Boards 19 27 with support from Community Board 28 20 and very little from others. 21 During my time in the council, while 22 we've never acknowledged boundaries, 23 boundaries matter. When it creates 24 unfair burdens on council districts, 25 representation should reflect the needs 91 1 2 of the masses and exhibit the continuity 3 necessary to maintain upward mobility 4 for these historic communities of color. 5 These communities deserve 6 representation that share their values 7 and experiences and bring cultural 8 competency within their voice with them 9 to City Hall. Furthermore, an attempt 10 to create new opportunities at the 11 expense of the Southeast Queens historic 12 communities, is unjust and further 13 diminishes the mission of the Voting 14 Rights Act. 15 In conclusion, Rochdale Village, one 16 of the largest cooperative communities 17 in the nation deserves for its 18 continuity and service and 19 representation. Instead, we see an 20 intent to subdivide this enclave of 21 Black resiliency into multiple council 22 districts. This is an indictment of 23 incompetency and insensitivity and its 24 intentionally diminishes one of the most 25 strongest and powerful voting blocks, 92 1 2 not just in the state, but in the nation 3 within Southeast Queens. 4 I would suggest further, that if the 5 objections of this Commission is to 6 expand the footprints of the 24th, that 7 you do it east, west and not north, 8 south. 9 CHAIR WALCOTT: I'd respectfully ask 10 for you to wrap up. 11 I. DANEEK MILLER: Hmm? 12 CHAIR WALCOTT: If you can start to 13 wrap up, sir. 14 I. DANEEK MILLER: Because you are a 15 friend and a neighbor and someone I'd 16 probably have to see tomorrow as we walk 17 and run, I will conclude, so -- so 18 submitted. 19 CHAIR WALCOTT: That's why I said 20 respectfully. 21 (Applause.) 22 I. DANEEK MILLER: Thank you, sir. 23 CHAIR WALCOTT: Thank you very much 24 for your testimony. 25 (Applause.) 93 1 2 Next we have a Tom Nappa (phonetic). 3 Okay. After that, we'll have 4 Marilyn Miller, and then after Marilyn 5 Miller, we will go back to the virtual, 6 and then, back to in-person. 7 Is Marilyn Miller here? 8 Marilyn Miller. 9 (Cross talk.) 10 Okay, just wanted to know, that's 11 all. 12 Let me go back to virtual. 13 And virtual, I have next up is Erica 14 Berson. 15 Erica Berson? Erica Berson? If not 16 then, Jenna Lang. 17 UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: Erica Berson? 18 CHAIR WALCOTT: Erica Berson, yes. 19 Erica Berson? 20 ERICA BERSON: Yes, I'm here, thank 21 you. 22 CHAIR WALCOTT: You are here, okay. 23 There you go. 24 ERICA BERSON: Just really quickly, 25 Russell Squire, who is the CBA Chair and 94 1 2 he was called, but nobody promoted him. 3 So can you go to him first and come back 4 to me, please. 5 CHAIR WALCOTT: I'll be glad to 6 since we did call, but no problem. 7 Russel Squire, please. 8 ERICA BERSON: He's in the breakout 9 room. 10 CHAIR WALCOTT: Russel Squire? 11 ERICA BERSON: They need to promote 12 him. 13 CHAIR WALCOTT: I'm not sure what 14 you mean by "promoting him". 15 ERICA BERSON: So he can speak, what 16 they're doing to everybody for them to 17 speak, so I'm not sure who's operating 18 the Zoom. But there's no way to chat 19 with anybody that's hosting. 20 CHAIR WALCOTT: Let us look into 21 that. Why don't you take the time now 22 to testify. And then we'll see what's 23 happening. 24 ERICA BERSON: Thank you, and thank 25 you for having us. I live in -- I live 95 1 2 on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in 3 Council District 5. I'm really here, 4 hopefully, testifying for the 5 collective, because based on the current 6 maps, half of a block away from me, 7 which is known as Bedpan Alley, where 8 all of the hospitals are, would become 9 CD 26. And based on our City Charter, 10 and based on the rules that the 11 Commission has on their own site, this 12 actually goes against both of them. But 13 I'm not going to rehash what other 14 people from both communities in Queens 15 and the Upper East Side have said. 16 One of the things that hasn't been 17 addressed right now, is honing in on all 18 of the hospitals and the academic 19 institutions, like HSS, Memorial Sloan 20 Kettering, New York Pres Law of Cornell, 21 Rockefeller and Cornell Tech. Manhattan 22 elected officials have years of 23 experience and expertise in addressing 24 the compatibility with these 25 institutions with surrounding 96 1 2 residential areas and we're concerned, 3 not only about how a Queens 4 councilmember will be able to handle 5 this, but it will also show that Queens 6 has infinitely more medical centers in 7 it than they do and having spoken -- 8 having attended their committee meeting 9 last week, we know that isn't the case. 10 We also know that there aren't easy 11 ways for people to get to the hospitals 12 or to the doctors' offices. In addition 13 to that, many of the doctors' offices 14 that are affiliated with the 15 institutions would actually be broken 16 up. Their offices would actually end up 17 in a different district than the 18 hospital is in, creating, you know, 19 logistical issues in oversight for many 20 different council members, from many 21 different community boards. 22 And the other thing is the Upper 23 East Side has a significant population 24 of elderly people; so would the idea be 25 that council members from Queens would 97 1 2 have two offices, one on the Upper East 3 Side? Because we know that older people 4 infinitely are more comfortable going 5 into their council member's office than 6 certainly being on e-mail or on Twitter 7 or other ways. 8 So while, you know, my -- my 9 neighbors have addressed the issues that 10 we've faced with taking Roosevelt Island 11 out of the district, which has always 12 been here, as well as the parks, the 13 hospitals are a huge part of the Upper 14 East Side's character and continue to 15 be. And again, half a block away from 16 my building would be a new district. 17 And again, based on the City Charter, it 18 goes against the City Charter to split 19 up these neighborhoods and communities. 20 And I -- I -- it's interesting that 21 a gentleman earlier from Queens said 22 that neighborhoods in Queens go by their 23 own neighborhoods, but places in 24 Brooklyn and Manhattan don't. And you 25 know, as a New Yorker who was born on 98 1 2 the Upper East Side, and has lived in 3 different places in Manhattan, as well 4 as overseas, I would say that we are -- 5 we are just as community-oriented, 6 especially when you look at the 7 neighborhoods around hospitals, and 8 especially when you look at the 9 neighborhoods around the universities. 10 And speaking of the universities, 11 the current map literally breaks the 12 bridge over Lexington Avenue at Hunter 13 College into two districts, right in the 14 middle of the street on Lexington. 15 So for those reasons, I -- I would 16 strongly urge the Commission to return 17 to the drawing board and not adopt the 18 proposed districts referenced above for 19 CD 5 and CD 26. You know, we're all 20 here to help you come to an equitable 21 conclusion for our neighborhoods in our 22 communities but the current version, it 23 just really isn't there. 24 CHAIR WALCOTT: Thank you very much 25 for your testimony. 99 1 2 ERICA BERSON: Thank you. 3 CHAIR WALCOTT: Thank you. 4 (Applause.) 5 Jennifer Baratta -- so the next 6 three would be Jennifer Baratta, 7 Alexandria Zuraski (phonetic), and then 8 Francis Salvin (phonetic) and then, 9 we'll go back in-person. 10 Okay. No? 11 Alexandria Zuraski (phonetic). 12 ALEXANDRIA ZURASKI: Hi, good 13 evening. Thank you so much for giving 14 me the opportunity to testify. Can you 15 hear me? 16 CHAIR WALCOTT: We can, but just for 17 an official record, you're -- your name. 18 Which one? 19 Alexandria. 20 CHAIR WALCOTT: Yeah, Alexandria. 21 Okay, thank you. 22 ALEXANDRIA ZURASKI: You're welcome. 23 I'm testifying this evening in support 24 of the Districting Commission's 25 preliminary draft of the council 100 1 2 districts. I live in District 19 and 3 I've lived here my whole life, and I 4 support the first draft because I 5 believe it's important to keep the 6 district the way it is. The first draft 7 of district's lines are beneficial for 8 the community because it preserves the 9 historical significance of the district 10 itself. 11 The communities in the district get 12 along well as they are and most of us 13 feel that it's important not to divide 14 up the district. Last, but definitely 15 not least, the communities of the 16 district represent the diversity of the 17 city, from recent immigrants, to 18 third-generation Americans. We're a 19 community within the district that 20 supports each other, and we share the 21 same hardworking family values that make 22 this district so special. 23 Thank you so much. 24 CHAIR WALCOTT: And thank you for 25 your testimony. 101 1 2 Next virtually is Francis Scallen 3 (phonetic). 4 And whoever's on the screen -- 5 JENNIFER BRUNNER: Hi, my name is 6 Jennifer Brunner. 7 CHAIR WALCOTT: Oh, okay, welcome. 8 JENNIFER BRUNNER: Hi, nice to meet 9 y'all. I live in Bellrose, Queens. 10 We're a part of District 23. I would 11 like to say that although Bellrose is 12 somewhat represented, it's -- it's not 13 always the case. We have been -- 14 whenever the power goes out on my block, 15 it takes Con Ed forever to find us. 16 Why? Because we're on a dead end 17 street, we -- we have lost power due to 18 Hurricane Sandy. It took until Election 19 Day of that year to get the power back 20 on and all it required was a switch. 21 I'm not saying that the districts 22 are wrong, but what I'm saying is that 23 when it comes to Bellrose being 24 represented, we are getting the short 25 end of the stick. And quite frankly, 102 1 2 I'm sick of it. 3 I am 43 years old. I have lived 4 here my entire life, and I would like to 5 see us represented better. And that's 6 not just simply because we're near the 7 Nassau County border, but because we 8 deserve to be represented better. 9 We deserve to have our people told, 10 "Hey, this is what we're going to do and 11 we're actually going to make it better 12 for you guys to live." 13 Because when -- the Long Island Rail 14 Road decided to raise the New Hyde Park 15 Rail Road, the traffic backed up to the 16 Cross Island, going past the Cross 17 Island on Jamaica Avenue and Jericho 18 Turnpike and I was late getting to work. 19 Now, I know that's not what you're 20 dealing with, but what I'm telling you 21 is, we need people to come here who 22 actually care that this is going on, 23 that the street races are going on, that 24 the fire pump is on Memorial Day weekend 25 through July. We need someone to care. 103 1 2 So please, do something that shows that 3 you give a damn about Eastern Queens. 4 Thank you. 5 (Applause) 6 CHAIR WALCOTT: And thank you for 7 your testimony. 8 We'll try one more time and then, 9 we'll go back in-person. 10 Is it Francine Stanley? Thank you. 11 Then, we have Assemblyman Khaleel 12 Anderson and then following him, will be 13 -- I'm sorry. 14 Before we get to the assembly 15 person -- yes, hi. 16 (Laughter.) 17 Ma'am, in the blue sweater. 18 UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: Yes, good 19 evening, great to be with you. 20 CHAIR WALCOTT: Your name? 21 UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: It's hard to 22 imagine that on this day, August 16, 23 1896, the last great Gold Rush in the 24 Americas occurred. In many ways, I 25 think it's very befitting as to why 104 1 2 we're here. Classic, tech school, old 3 school, new school, right-now school, 4 American politics, to the victor belong 5 the spoils. And sometimes when the 6 victor is greedy or loses judgment or 7 loses wisdom, assuming all three were in 8 placed to begin with, they have a lust 9 for power that is transmuted and 10 communicated in that bad old way called, 11 gerrymandering. 12 And that's why we're here. I think 13 it's important to recognize the fact 14 that gerrymandering has been in the vein 15 and the blood of the American political 16 system since day one. 17 (Applause.) 18 And many would say it served America 19 quite well. Of course there are many 20 who would credibly argue otherwise. In 21 my opinion, listening here tonight to 22 all the passion that has been brought to 23 the table, and I so honor everyone's 24 point of view, I can't help but 25 appreciate how everyone wants to stay in 105 1 2 their crib. They want to stay in their 3 hood. They don't want to cross the 4 line. So if this Commission goes down 5 in history as failing, they failed big. 6 Fail on the right side of history, 7 appeal to politicians who understand 8 that gerrymandering is like quicksand, 9 it's gone. It's not your ace in the 10 hole, it's not the only way you're going 11 to get votes. There are real 12 stakeholders who know what you're doing, 13 who care about what you're doing, who 14 wish to be engaged in what you're doing. 15 Indeed, if the last council taught 16 us anything, it's that the old playbook, 17 even the Council's old playbook, the 18 rules have changed. 19 When the member from the Upper East 20 Side, Ben Kallos (phonetic), was against 21 the change on the south side of 67th 22 Street, a block from where I grew up, 23 his voice did not carry the day. 24 Heretofore, council members went along 25 to get along, they showed collegial 106 1 2 difference to the member, and the 3 members' wish, when an important 4 decision was being made. 5 I think it's time to unmask the 6 truth, that while it's terrific, and I 7 love the technology that has been 8 engaged in deciding the service of 9 drawing lines, lines don't make a 10 district, people make a district. 11 (Applause.) 12 And every district deserves the 13 right to have a representative who does 14 not seem to cater to only one group over 15 another, but to who has the capacity, 16 the recognition, the ability to 17 improvise, to find a way through -- 18 CHAIR WALCOTT: If you could start 19 to wrap up, please. 20 -- to that great city in the sky, a 21 compromise with character and do it in a 22 way that is just. 23 Today, Mr. Chairman, I know how much 24 you love jazz. It also happens to be 25 the birthday of three fabulous jazz 107 1 2 pianists, none other than Mal Waldron, 3 Carl Perkins, and of course, Bill Evans. 4 I am beseeching you all to find a way 5 out of this morass, to improvise to the 6 better side of history. 7 CHAIR WALCOTT: You really need to 8 wrap up, please because we -- 9 UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: Yes, where 10 every person in this city will 11 understood -- understand, that their 12 votes matters and their voice matters, 13 and it will be counted. Thank you. 14 (Applause.) 15 CHAIR WALCOTT: In fairness to the 16 speakers, even though you may totally 17 agree with what they're saying, when 18 we're having it transcribed and the 19 applause is taking place, it's difficult 20 to hear what the speaker is saying. So 21 I just say that as we move forward. 22 Thank you. 23 ASSEMBLYMEMBER GLENN ANDERSON: Can 24 you hear me? I don't know if I could 25 match her passion although some of the 108 1 2 comments she made was quite interesting, 3 but good evening to the entire 4 Commission. Gracious to be here this 5 evening. My name is Glenn Anderson and 6 I'm proud to represent the beautiful and 7 diverse 31st Assembly District in 8 Southeast Queens, which encompasses so 9 many amazing and unique neighborhoods. 10 But I want to talk about the two council 11 districts that are in the majority of my 12 assembly district today, and what are 13 some guiding principals that the 14 Commission should use as we're going 15 through the redistricting process. 16 So we want to make sure that, number 17 one, a district that is as historic as 18 the 31st Council District, looks at the 19 history, the creation of that district, 20 who was created roughly around the late 21 '80's early '90's, to ensure that 22 representation of a growing 23 African-American and Caribbean-American 24 community could be heard in the City 25 Council, which was not heard prior in 109 1 2 the former position in the City Council. 3 It was called something different, Board 4 of Estimate, I belive. 5 And so in the original drawing of 6 the City Council District, the JFK 7 Airport and all the elements were kept 8 in one district. So the cargo areas as 9 well as the actual areas in which the 10 airplanes fly, the runways, et cetera, 11 the operations space, has historically 12 been in one council district, and 13 already exists in one assembly district, 14 which is my assembly district, one 15 senate district, which is the 10th 16 Senatorial District, and one 17 congressional district, which is the 5th 18 Congressional District. So everywhere 19 else, it's in one district, except the 20 City Council. So we'd like that to be a 21 guiding principal in terms of the 22 redistricting process. 23 We also want to make sure that the 24 Commission considers keeping the 25 Rockaway Peninsula, and areas of the 110 1 2 Rockaway Peninsula, that have a growing 3 Caribbean-American and Black-American 4 population together. So I'm going to 5 talk about that, right. 6 So in the proposed maps, there's 7 some moves -- there's some moves of, I 8 believe, elections or census tracks, 9 that move parts of the 31st into the 10 32nd. So we want to make sure those 11 communities are kept together. 12 To the reasons why, if you look at 13 the public housing developments that are 14 on the edge of the 31st and 32nd council 15 districts, that development is called 16 Hammel Houses, and that development is a 17 consolidation of Carlton Manor, which is 18 further into the district; so that's one 19 development. Even though the 20 developments are not physically in the 21 same space, it's one development, so 22 that's a consolidation. And I just want 23 us to respect that consolidation of both 24 Hammel Houses and Carlton Manor. That's 25 really important. 111 1 2 Also, the other council district 3 that overlaps me the most, is the 28th 4 council district and I notice that 5 Rochdale Village, which is the largest 6 cooperative village outside of Co-op 7 City, so we have our own little Co-op 8 City here in Queens, and we're gracious 9 for it, but the current maps divide that 10 community, which shouldn't be. 11 And as I close out, because I hear 12 the bell, but you know when you give a 13 politician a mic, we don't know when to 14 stop, so I'm glad you guys have the 15 timers. 16 We want to make sure that the 17 growing South Asian-American community 18 is represented by uniting parts of the 19 32nd District, uniting neighborhoods 20 that align into the 32nd District. 21 Growing South Asian-American communities 22 into that district, would ensure that 23 their representation is been met on the 24 council level. 25 So those are my three guiding 112 1 2 principles and I hope the Commission -- 3 I see folks taking diligent notes, so 4 that's good. I hope that the Commission 5 considers those things because it's 6 about making sure that there's a balance 7 in representation, and that communities 8 which have historically been fighting 9 for a voice in City Hall and et cetera, 10 can continue to have that 11 representation. 12 So thank you again to the Commission 13 for your hard work. I do not envy you, 14 and I appreciate everything that you all 15 are doing here tonight. 16 CHAIR WALCOTT: Thank you 17 Assemblymember. 18 The next three in-person would be 19 Marilyn Miller, Nick Calotta and 20 Carolina Gill. 21 So Marilyn Miller, Nick Calotta and 22 then, Carolina Gill. 23 Oh, all right, so I don't see 24 Marilyn Miller. 25 Nick Calotta? 113 1 2 CHAIR WALCOTT: Okay, hi. 3 NICK CALOTTA: Thank you, Chair 4 Walcott and members of the Districting 5 Commission. My name is Nick Calotta, 6 and I'm a resident of Jackson Heights 7 and for many years, District 26 was my 8 home. My testimony is based on over 15 9 years of experience working at the City 10 Council and the Mayor's office, and as 11 an organizer in Queens. 12 The main issue I'm here to speak 13 tonight about is Woodside being divided 14 into four council districts. In my 15 experience, when it comes to the 16 delivery of government services, it is 17 always working-class communities of 18 color, that live in neighborhoods 19 divided into multiple districts, that 20 are ignored the most by our city. I've 21 seen elected officials and government 22 leaders decide that certain communities 23 weren't worthy of resources or central 24 to their basis of power, or lacked the 25 numbers needed to be important. 114 1 2 The priorities of these communities 3 are less likely to be taken seriously by 4 our city. Constituent service needs are 5 treated with less urgency and community 6 organizations do not receive the funding 7 they deserve. As with the Philipino and 8 Bangladeshi communities and LatinX 9 communities, I want to specifically 10 highlight the Tibetan community, as well 11 as the larger Himalayan community, that 12 will negatively be impacted by the 13 proposed map, if adopted. 14 A majority of this community, many 15 of whom are refugees as a result of 16 occupation of their homeland, reside in 17 both 25th and 26th Districts. By 18 dividing Woodside, the proposed map 19 would siphon many of these community 20 members into the 30th Council District 21 as well. It would disconnect the 22 Tibetan community residing in the 26th 23 Council District from the Tibetan 24 Community Center. 25 I've worked with this community for 115 1 2 many years, and while serving at the New 3 York City Office of Immigrant Affairs, 4 we worked with -- closely with leaders 5 from various Himalayan communities to 6 estimate their combined population. The 7 population, our official estimate was 8 about 50,000 -- over 50,000 people; the 9 majority residing in Western Queens 10 neighborhood. 11 Should the proposed map be adopted, 12 over a dozen Tibetan and Himalayan 13 community centers, religious 14 institutions in Woodside, would 15 needlessly become siloed in District 30, 16 further marginalizing this community of 17 interest. 18 Like with other communities, 19 dividing the Tibetan and larger 20 Himalayan community into three council 21 districts, will cause harm to their 22 political trajectory and power. I urge 23 the Commission to keep Woodside whole. 24 I support the map proposed by 25 Councilmember Julie Won, where the 116 1 2 boundaries are 31st Avenue to the north, 3 so that the Tibetan Community Center can 4 remain in the 26th Council District. 5 I also believe, after speaking with 6 many of my friends in that community, 7 that Queensbridge and the Ravenswood 8 Houses should remain in the district. I 9 ask that you keep this a Queens 10 district. And I am opposed the 11 incorporation of Manhattan's East Side 12 and Roosevelt Island, as this will 13 dilute the political power of working 14 class residents of color in District 26. 15 Lastly, I want to take a second to 16 lend my strong support for the Unity 17 Plan Maps that will keep South Asian and 18 Indo-Caribbean communities in one 19 council district, between Richmond Hill 20 and Ozone Park. 21 Thank you for your time and service 22 to our City. 23 (Applause) 24 MR. WALCOTT: And thank you. 25 (Applause.) 117 1 2 I can't say you win a prize, but I 3 think that's the first time I heard an 4 end right on the timer going off. So 5 congratulations on that. 6 Next, welcome. 7 MS. CATALINA: Hi, good evening to 8 everyone. Thank you for being here to 9 listen to our concerns regarding the 10 proposed maps. 11 My name is Catalina, and I am a 12 Colombian immigrant. I am here to make 13 sure that the voices of those who cannot 14 be here are heard. 15 I am here to urge the Redistricting 16 Commission to go back to the drawing 17 table and keep District 26 together. 18 This is a diverse community, and we're 19 made up of mostly -- we're made up of 20 the very communities of interest 21 protected by the Voting Rights Act. The 22 proposed maps for District 26 decreases 23 the Latino population from 29 percent to 24 22 percent. We cannot also forget the 25 residents of the Queensbridge Houses 118 1 2 Ravenswood and Woodside Houses, the 3 largest public houses -- houses in the 4 country, that have been part of this 5 district since the 1940's. These three 6 NYCHAs being together, provides 7 consistency and continuation in 8 receiving public resources, such as 9 capital improvements. Cutting the map 10 of the districts they have traditionally 11 been part of, will disrupt the education 12 accessibility and funding of projects. 13 This preliminary map will break up 14 our immigrant communities and 15 communities of color into four different 16 council districts severely limiting our 17 political power. These proposed maps 18 fail to comply with the City Charter's 19 requirements of fair and effective 20 representation. I ask you here, today, 21 that you go back to the drawing table 22 and keep District 26 in Queens only. 23 Thank you. 24 (Applause.) 25 CHAIR WALCOTT: Thank you very much 119 1 2 for your testimony. Next, we have -- we 3 have three more in-person, and then we 4 will go back to the virtual. 5 Sarah Mohammed, William Scarborough, 6 and Christina Sovereign. 7 SARAH MOHAMMED: Good evening. 8 CHAIR WALCOTT: Why don't you move 9 the mic just down a little more? 10 SARAH MOHAMMED: Thank you. 11 Good evening, thank you to the 12 Commission for holding this hearing. My 13 name is Sarah Mohammed and I'm an active 14 member of South Queens Women's March, a 15 local grassroots gender justice 16 organization. 17 At South Queens Women's March, I am 18 also a member of our Civic Engagement 19 Committee. I have been a resident of 20 South Ozone Park for the past twenty-two 21 years. 22 My family and I have been living in 23 the Bronx, and the primary reason we 24 moved to this area in Queens, is because 25 we found ourselves coming here every 120 1 2 weekend. My husband played cricket in 3 the neighborhood, the cultural clothing 4 that we purchase were along Liberty 5 Avenue, all my food supplies are 6 purchased here, from the vegetable to 7 the Halal meat. 8 When we were looking for a home to 9 purchase, we knew this neighborhood 10 reflected our traditions and our values. 11 We have deep ties to this community of 12 interest, specifically the Richmond Hill 13 and South Ozone Park areas that are 14 defined in the Asian-American Legal 15 Defense Fund Community of Interest Map, 16 which I'm submitting in my written 17 testimony. 18 Since I've had the opportunity to 19 vote, even back home in Trinidad, I 20 always exercised that right. It was a 21 value passed on to me by my dad, who 22 also made voting a priority. When I got 23 to this country, I continued to exercise 24 that right and have always encouraged my 25 friends, family, and colleagues to do 121 1 2 the same. When it's time to vote, I 3 call upon them and make sure they are 4 registered or plan on going to the 5 polls. 6 Through my work with South Queens 7 Women's March, I have also done street 8 canvassing and supported my fellow 9 community members to register to vote 10 and to learn about upcoming elections. 11 However, sometimes I think to myself, 12 what is the purpose of doing this when 13 we have never been able to elect a 14 candidate of our choice? I currently 15 live in District 32, our community has 16 never been able to elect someone in this 17 district, who represents our specific 18 interests. 19 For example, none of the candidates 20 who have been elected to this district, 21 champions immigration rights as part of 22 their policy platform. The way our 23 districts has been drawn at the City 24 Council level, never made sense to me 25 and if you stand on the side of justice, 122 1 2 you will change them for the better. 3 The map released by the Commission, 4 further divides our community, splitting 5 us even more across Districts 28, 29 and 6 32, instead of keeping us together. 7 We are opposed to this map as part 8 of the APA Voice Redistricting Task 9 Force. South Queens Women's March 10 supports the Unity Map. The Unity Map 11 creates a plurality APA district in 12 Richmond Hill and South Ozone Park in 13 District 32. 14 As you go back to the drawing board, 15 we ask that you please don't divide us. 16 Please keep Richmond Hill and South 17 Ozone Park whole, thank you. 18 (Applause.) 19 CHAIR WALCOTT: Thank you for your 20 testimony. 21 Assemblymember William Scarborough. 22 ASSEMBLYMEMBER WILLIAM SCARBOROUGH: 23 Thank you, good evening. My name is 24 William Scarborough, former New York 25 State Assemblyman and currently 123 1 2 president of the Addisleigh Park Civic 3 Organization. 4 Commission members, thank you for 5 this opportunity to express our views in 6 regard to the draft City Council 7 District Maps. I'm presenting this 8 testimony on behalf of a number of civic 9 organizations, whose names I will list 10 at the end of the testimony. 11 We appreciate the hard work and 12 effort that the Commission has put into 13 drafting these maps. However, we have 14 serious concerns about some of the 15 proposed changes that are in the draft 16 maps and we wish to bring these issues 17 to your attention: 18 First, we are very concerned that 19 the draft map moves most of downtown 20 Jamaica out of the 27th Council District 21 and into the 24th Council District. 22 Downtown Jamaica has been an economic 23 engine of this area and the development 24 and revitalization of Jamaica has 25 provided jobs and business opportunities 124 1 2 for the surrounding Black community that 3 has historically been left out of these 4 opportunities. 5 This has been driven, in part, by 6 Black council members in the 27th 7 Council District directing funding into 8 the development of Jamaica, and also 9 insisting that historically bypass Black 10 workers and entrepreneurs be given fair 11 opportunities for participation in this 12 growth. 13 Taking a large part of Downtown 14 Jamaica out of the 27th Council 15 District, would, in effect, close off 16 these opportunities for that Black 17 community at a time when investing in 18 Jamaica is at its highest level. 19 Additionally, the shoppers that make 20 up the bulk of Jamaica's consumers, 21 overwhelmingly come from the communities 22 of Jamaica, St. Albans, Hollis, South 23 Ozone Park, and other Black and minority 24 communities in the 27th and 28th Council 25 Districts. 125 1 2 Residents of the 24 CD, who largely 3 reside in Jamaica Estates, Kew Gardens, 4 Fresh Meadows, and parts of Flushing, do 5 not, as a rule, patronize Jamaica, and 6 will have little incentive to support 7 the push with the development of 8 Jamaica's downtown. We urge you to 9 reject this proposed change and restore 10 the current northern boundaries of the 11 27th Council District. 12 Secondly, we're very concerned that 13 the proposed map splits Rochdale Village 14 and puts it into two separate council 15 districts. Rochdale Village is the 16 second largest cooperative in the 17 country, a development of over 25 18 thousand residents, that is 100 percent 19 owner-occupied. 20 The history of Rochdale Village is a 21 microcosm of the Civil Rights Movement. 22 When it was built in 1961 on the ground 23 of the old Jamaica Racetrack, Blacks 24 were not allowed to work on that 25 project. It took demonstrations by 126 1 2 civil rights leaders, who went to jail 3 to break this barrier of segregation. 4 When it opened in 1963, ten percent 5 of the residents were Black. During the 6 tumult of the 1960s and 1970s, Whites 7 left Rochdale in droves and the 8 development faced serious decline. 9 It has since rebounded, becoming 100 10 percent owner-occupied and the voting 11 power of 25,000 residents, mandates that 12 the representative of the 26th, 28th 13 Council District pay close attention to 14 their needs. To split this development 15 into two districts, would run counter to 16 general principles of keeping 17 communities with common interests -- 18 common needs and interests intact, and 19 would dilute the power of one of the 20 largest predominantly Black communities 21 in New York City, and indeed the 22 country. 23 We urge the Commission to reconsider 24 this proposed change. 25 Finally, we are in support of the 127 1 2 redistricting maps that has been 3 proposed by the council members of the 4 27th, 28th and 31st Districts. We feel 5 that these maps protect the economic 6 interests on the residents of Southeast 7 Queens, and keep communities with common 8 interests and needs together. 9 Thank you for your consideration. 10 (Applause) 11 CHAIR WALCOTT: Thank you for your 12 testimony. 13 (Applause.) 14 WILLIAM SCARBOROUGH: Signed by 15 myself, William Scarborough, President 16 of the Addisleigh Park Civic 17 Organization; Walter Dogan, President of 18 the Brinkerhoff Action Association; 19 Austin Bryant, President of the St. 20 Albans Civic Improvement Association; 21 Loretta Humphrey, President of the 22 Greater Triangular Civic Association; 23 Aracelia Cook, President of the 149th 24 Street South Ozone Park Civic 25 Association; and Lester Muse, President 128 1 2 of the Octagon Neighborhood Association. 3 Thank you. 4 CHAIR WALCOTT: Thank you, sir. 5 As you're coming down, this is for 6 the virtual world, Jean Hall, Isaac 7 Blasenstein and Henry Muller. You'll be 8 next up in the Zoom queue. 9 CHRISTINA SOVEREIGN: Hello. 10 CHAIR WALCOTT: Hi. 11 CHRISTINA SOVEREIGN: Good evening, 12 my name Christina Sovereign, and I'm 13 honored to be here as the President of 14 the Liberty Park Homeowners Association. 15 Liberty Park is a historic 16 neighborhood of an approximately 500 17 homes and 700 families located in 18 Glendale, Queens. The association was 19 founded in 1926, almost a hundred years 20 ago. We meet once a month and host 21 several community events. Our residents 22 work hard to keep Liberty Park going. I 23 am here to testify why Liberty Park 24 should be kept within District 30. 25 The current draft places us in 129 1 2 District 32 and will remove Liberty Park 3 from the rest of Glendale. Liberty Park 4 residents are very active members of the 5 Glendale community and strongly identify 6 as Glendale residents, some having lived 7 there for 70-plus years. 8 We would like to maintain the same 9 council person as the rest of Glendale 10 so we can continue to work effectively 11 with our councilman, our community board 12 located down the block, which is 13 Community Board 5, the 104th Precinct, 14 local schools, and fellow civic leaders, 15 all which are located in District 30. 16 We have strong longstanding 17 relationships with all of these 18 entities, which in turn helps us get 19 things done to improve and maintain our 20 neighborhood. 21 Back to the current draft, which has 22 us in District 32, it's certainly a 23 strange shape and stretches way down 24 through Howard Beach to Rockaway Beach, 25 which is nearly ten miles away from us, 130 1 2 which in New York City distance might as 3 well be New Jersey. Liberty -- and we 4 are also severed from the rest of 32, 5 because we have very large cemeteries 6 and parks between us. So Liberty Park 7 would be a small bump at the top of the 8 district and an afterthought. 9 I would also like to add that our 10 current councilman, Councilman Holden, 11 who spoke earlier, has shown us how 12 important a neighborhood's relationship 13 is with the council person. He or a 14 representative from his office attends 15 every single one of our meetings. We 16 are primarily zoned for one or 17 two-family homes, which he mentioned. 18 And the District 30 office really 19 supports us getting things accomplished 20 that are meaningful for our community. 21 Liberty Park residents and 22 Councilman Holden and the DOT worked 23 together to install two-way -- two 24 four-way stop signs at extremely 25 dangerous intersections in our 131 1 2 neighborhood. Without Bob and his team, 3 we couldn't have accomplished this. The 4 stop sign changed our lives. It may 5 sound small, but if anyone's ever tried 6 to get a stop sign or worked with the 7 DOT, they know that this is a tremendous 8 accomplishment. 9 So I would greatly appreciate you 10 considering the importance of our 11 neighborhood, Liberty Park, remaining in 12 District 30, as a way to preserve the 13 history of Civic engagement that we have 14 worked so hard for to maintain, which in 15 New York City, is no small feat. 16 Thank you. 17 (Applause.) 18 CHAIRMAN WALCOTT: Thank you for 19 your testimony. As we queue up, Jean 20 Hall, Isaac Blassenstein and Henry 21 Muller, you have been joined a while 22 ago, but I have not introduced her 23 formally, Maria Mateo, who is a 24 commissioner herself. I wanted to make 25 sure I did the formal introduction to 132 1 2 you as well. 3 Jean Hall. 4 JEAN HALL: Good evening, to the 5 Chair -- 6 CHAIRMAN WALCOTT: Good evening. 7 -- Mr. Dennis Walcott and members of 8 the New York City Districting 9 Commission. My name is Jean Hall, I 10 live in Rochdale Village and I serve on 11 the Board of Directors for Rochdale, 12 which is in District 28. 13 I'm opposed to the proposed lines 14 for District 28, specifically focusing 15 on the impact to the community of 16 Rochdale Village. The lines as 17 currently proposed would divide this 18 community into several council 19 districts, 27, 28 and 31. The proposed 20 lines are not viable because as the 21 second largest Mitchell-Lama development 22 in New York State that houses 5,860 23 units of affordable housing, serving 24 over 25,000 residents of New York, the 25 effect would be devastating to us. 133 1 2 This housing community was created 3 to be a city within a city. Our 4 community currently spans approximately 5 128 acres and provides our residents 6 with open green spaces within the urban 7 Jamaica community. Therefore, keeping 8 this community within one district and 9 avoiding crossover districts, is a key. 10 Of course, Rochdale Village serves a 11 vibrant community of seniors and 12 veterans who depend on the vital 13 services with senior centers. 14 Segregating the community may jeopardize 15 critical funding for the social service 16 needs. Because Rochdale Village is 17 fully a (inaudible) playground satellite 18 day care centers and is anchored by 19 three schools; P.S 354, P.S. 80, and 20 Junior High School 72 and we have our 21 own blend of Queens Public Library. 22 Blurring lines to shift this dynamic 23 landscape would be counterproductive to 24 keeping neighborhoods and communities 25 intact. 134 1 2 Because Rochdale Village generates 3 its own power with our power plant, that 4 is our most critical infracture source. 5 The power plant is 21 mega cogeneration 6 facility, that provides all of our 7 heating, cooling, domestic hot water and 8 electric capabilities. 9 Because Rochdale Village offers 10 amenities and facilities, which include 11 parks, basketball, and handball courts, 12 tennis courts, medical offices, a United 13 States Postal facility, food shopping 14 centers that provide opportunities for 15 small business and minority 16 owned-businesses, keeping our district 17 compact will align with the objectives 18 of this Commission is fundamental. 19 Because the residents of Rochdale are 20 civic minded, motivated and majority 21 democratic voters, the Commission must 22 draw lines that avoid splitting the same 23 political party. This only serves to 24 dilute our voting power and may severely 25 diminish the effectiveness via our 135 1 2 representation. 3 Splitting this community in three 4 districts, will certainly not provide 5 cohesive and effective representation 6 and I know that was not the intent of 7 this Commission. 8 The new line proposed by the 9 Commission splits one of our buildings 10 in half. That would result in confusion 11 for our residents. Based on the current 12 proposal, the Commission did not avoid 13 creating an oddly shaped district. The 14 community continues to grow to serve 15 working class, retirees, youth, seniors 16 and everyone in between. 17 We have historically been part of 18 District 28 and we want our great 19 community of 20 buildings to remain in 20 District 28 together and not divided. 21 I urge the Commission to reevaluate 22 the proposed lines and keep Rochdale 23 Village whole. District 27, 28 and 31 24 council members are working on the 25 Queens -- are working with the Queens 136 1 2 Civic Congress on a map that supports 3 and does not fracture Southeast Queens. 4 Thank you to the Commission for the 5 opportunity to speak. 6 (Applause) 7 CHAIR WALCOTT: Thank you for your 8 testimony. 9 Isaac -- is it Blasenstein? 10 ISAAC BLASENSTEIN: Blasenstein, 11 thank you. 12 CHAIR WALCOTT: I'm sorry. 13 ISAAC BLASENSTEIN: No problem. 14 Good evening, everyone and thank you 15 Commissioners for your time tonight. I 16 live in Sunnyside, south of Queens 17 Boulevard, in the 26th District. The 18 proposed District 26 would not result in 19 quality representation for myself or my 20 neighbors. 21 This proposal would place working 22 class neighborhoods, like mine, with a 23 median income around $60,000.00 with zip 24 codes in Manhattan where people make 25 twice that much. 137 1 2 This plan would take a coalition 3 district with nearly equal White, AAPI, 4 and Latino populations and replace it 5 with a district where wealthier, whiter, 6 residents would greatly outnumber 7 others. It will further reduce the 8 Black population by nearly a third. 9 It uses a strangely-shaped border to 10 cut out and remove Ravenswood and 11 Queensbridge from the district and add 12 the wealthier, Upper East Side and 13 Roosevelt Island. The proposal divides 14 Woodside into multiple council 15 districts, disenfranchising the 16 immigrant communities there. 17 I would suggest that the 18 Commission's proposed map would benefit 19 real estate interest, creating a 20 wealthy, White district containing areas 21 with high land values and proposed 22 luxury redevelopment, while 23 disenfranchising working class 24 communities and their affordable housing 25 needs. The Commission has a 138 1 2 responsibility to keep neighborhoods and 3 communities of interest intact and I 4 would suggest this map does not do that. 5 In addition to creating a new 6 wealthier district, this map places 7 together Manhattan and Queens, four 8 community boards in a district that 9 spans the East River. The proposal 10 would place an onerous burden on the 11 District 26 councilmember to effectively 12 attend meetings for four community 13 boards, four community board committee 14 meetings each month, and also attend two 15 sets of borough-specific meetings for 16 all council activities. 17 The need for two well-staffed 18 district offices will pose further 19 logistical strain on District 26 and the 20 councilmember's ability to provide 21 effective constituent services and 22 representation. 23 I urge the Commissioners to 24 reconsider the map. I think Sunnyside 25 and Woodside are, you know, best kept 139 1 2 together and I think myself and my 3 neighbors would be best served as part 4 of a geographically compact Queens 5 District. 6 Thank you so much for your time. I 7 very much appreciate it. 8 (Applause) 9 CHAIR WALCOTT: Thank you for your 10 testimony. 11 Is it Henry Muller and then Maria 12 Tantillo (phonetic). 13 Henry Muller. 14 Maria Tantillo. 15 Our commissioner again popping up. 16 If not, let me go back to in-person and 17 what I'll do for the first grouping, 18 I'll go through the next group of 19 in-person testimony. 20 Is it Rosamond Gianutsos? I'm sorry 21 to not say your name correctly. 22 Following Rosamond Gianutsos, Eugene 23 No (phonetic), and then Derrick Evers 24 (phonetic). 25 DR. ROSAMOND GIANUTSOS: Good 140 1 2 evening. It's Rosamond Gianutsos. 3 CHAIR WALCOTT: Good evening. 4 DR. ROSAMOND GIANUTSOS: Dr. 5 Rosamond Gianutsos. I am a member of 6 Queens Community Board 2, but I'm 7 speaking today here in my own personal 8 capacity as a long-time resident of 9 Sunnyside, and I've lived in this 10 community, and I've raised my children 11 here, and I'm now raising grandchildren. 12 And there are some elderly citizens on 13 the other side of the river, just 14 referring to the Upper East Side 15 comment. 16 In any event, I'm speaking in 17 opposition to the proposed redistricting 18 boundaries for District 26, in that they 19 add Manhattan and Roosevelt Island and 20 takeaway the diverse blue-colored 21 sections of Woodside. Number one, the 22 rules state the district boundaries must 23 be contiguous. However, as has been 24 mentioned, cannot travel to Roosevelt 25 Island without leaving District 26. If 141 1 2 Roosevelt Island is to be joined with 3 Queens, then it belongs in Astoria. I 4 haven't heard anybody calling for that, 5 of course. 6 The Manhattan portion of the 7 proposed district contains many 8 hospitals, which most would regard as 9 the jewel in the City's Health Care 10 crown. However, these are not where 11 Queens locals go for emergent care. The 12 present District 26 has not one hospital 13 or birthing center and yet the proposed 14 District 26 will appear to have many of 15 those Upper East Side hospitals, 16 reducing our chances of getting our own 17 local hospital. 18 The same argument could be made for 19 Parkland and I imagine other issues as 20 well. The districts are very -- have 21 different sorts of resources. Anyway, 22 the proposed redistricting most 23 concerningly splits the community of 24 Woodside like a cluster bomb, 25 disenfranchising ethnic enclaves. 142 1 2 I am proud of the ethnic and 3 economic diversity in the current 4 District 26. My overarching concern is 5 that our beautiful, diverse quilt is 6 going to become a cashmere blanket, 7 substantially richer and whiter. 8 Our communities are blessed with 9 over half of our residents born in other 10 countries. We have just elected a 11 councilmember who came to the United 12 States when she was nine years old. We 13 are proud to have welcomed many people 14 to shelters. We have not been a NIMBY 15 area. I'm proud of that fact and 16 particularly in the Blissville section, 17 I hope that Blissville remains part of 18 our district. So my proposal, three 19 parts: Roosevelt Island belongs either 20 in Astoria for the purpose of contiguity 21 or in Manhattan, their preference; bring 22 Woodside back completely into District 23 26; and finally, Manhattan belongs in 24 Manhattan. 25 Thank you very much. 143 1 2 (Applause) 3 CHAIR WALCOTT: Thank you very much. 4 Eugene No? Derrick Evers? 5 Hi. 6 DERRICK EVERS: Hello, and thank you 7 for listening to the communities' 8 testimony today. My name is Derrick 9 Evers, I'm a resident of Ridgewood, 10 Queens, a Queens Community Board 5 11 Member currently living in City Council 12 District 30. And I'm here to implore 13 you to right the wrong of the past 14 twenty years and make Ridgewood whole 15 again. 16 Ridgewood is one of the oldest 17 neighborhoods in all of Queens. It also 18 falls entirely within one community 19 district, entirely within one education 20 council, and it has very clearly defined 21 borders, including the border of 22 Brooklyn to the west, Metropolitan Ave 23 to the north, and the commercial train 24 line and cemeteries to the east and 25 south. 144 1 2 Residents of Ridgewood even vote in 3 lockstep with their neighbors, with over 4 75 percent voting for the same city 5 council candidates. It is by every 6 definition, a singular community of 7 interest. The problem is, because 8 Ridgewood was split in half between 9 Districts 30 and 34, that vote has 10 largely been rendered useless and our 11 neighborhood is actually represented by 12 the candidate who received 25 percent of 13 the vote. 14 As you can probably imagine, this 15 lack of representation has led to severe 16 inequities in how resources are 17 distributed to in our current council 18 district. Making matters worse, 19 Ridgewood represents the largest 20 Hispanic population in Council District 21 30, with the highest concentration, as 22 you might have also guessed, right where 23 the district splits. 24 That gerrymandered district line 25 also runs along two middle schools, one 145 1 2 high school, our only public library, 3 Mr. Walcott, and three parks. 4 This summer, those parks received 5 zero public funding, zero program summer 6 funding, and in this last budget, every 7 single school in Ridgewood is facing 8 massive cuts. But the ones along that 9 district line, I.S 93, I.S. 77 and 10 Grover Cleveland High School are getting 11 cut by an average of over $800,000.00 12 each this year. And in the last record 13 of SAT testing results, shows that those 14 two middle schools averaged less than 15 one percent acceptance rate. And it's 16 not just the City Council, prior to this 17 year, Ridgewood had two state senators, 18 two assembly members, two congressional 19 reps and the current two council 20 members. Fortunately, the congressional 21 and state redistricting largely 22 addressed the first three; conversely, 23 your most recent maps would further 24 divide us and actually split Ridgewood 25 up into three districts. 146 1 2 But you still have time to right 3 this major wrong. Given the current 4 make-up of the maps, the easiest way to 5 do that is just to extent City Council 6 District 34 to include all of Ridgewood, 7 from Grover Cleveland Park up to Fresh 8 Pond Road and along the commercial train 9 line to Cypress Hill Cemetery. 10 District 34 needs to take on 11 population. So it would only make sense 12 to unite the rest of the Hispanic 13 community it currently splits in half, 14 before taking out an entirely new 15 community in South Williamsburg; and 16 definitely is the alternative to further 17 dicing up Ridgewood. 18 In one move, you can unite a 19 minority community, lift up our schools, 20 our parks, and our network of community 21 resources. And as Councilmembers Holden 22 and Ariola both testified, it would also 23 strengthen City Council Districts 30 and 24 32, as it would follow main geographical 25 boundaries and allow them to shed the 147 1 2 portion of the district that is at odds 3 demographically and electorally with the 4 rest of their districts. 5 In closing, I'm begging you, please 6 do not neuter our vote any further. 7 Whether you look at it by demographics, 8 community districts, school districts, 9 easily defined borders, Ridgewood is the 10 embodiment of a community that should be 11 in one council district, and you have 12 the power to make that happen. Thank 13 you very much. 14 (Applause) 15 CHAIR WALCOTT: And thank you for 16 your testimony. 17 Next will be Reverend Colleen 18 Thorpe, then Sheila Lewandowsky 19 (phonetic), Mark Laster (phonetic), and 20 then Nicholas Berkowitz (phonetic.) 21 Reverend Thorpe? I don't see her. 22 Sheila? Let me just see if Sheila is 23 here, Sheila Lewandowsky. Sheila, she's 24 ahead, and then Mark. 25 SHEILA LEWANDOWSKY: Nice to see 148 1 2 you. So greetings, good evening and 3 thank you, Chairman Walcott and the 4 Commission for the opportunity to 5 testify. My name is Sheila Lewandowsky, 6 I'm first-generation United States and 7 testifying as a resident, homeowner of 8 Long Island City and an active voter. 9 I hope that's not my phone, I 10 thought I turned it off. 11 I'm also a member of Community Board 12 2, where I serve on the Redistricting 13 Task Force as -- I was chair of the 14 Bylaws Revisions Task Force, was Vice 15 Chair, Co-Chair of Transportation 16 Committee and founder and Director of 17 Chocolate Factory Theater, which is a 18 local arts center, volunteer and 19 supporter of many other city, state and 20 federal coalitions and groups. 21 I oppose the districts as drawn, 22 this first draft -- if you can call it 23 that -- for District 26 and encourage 24 you guys to also solicit more community 25 feedback and schedule additional 149 1 2 hearings in the fall. 3 This is an incredible turnout, a lot 4 of people haven't shown up though, and 5 it is August when many people are away. 6 I personally know a number of 7 immigrant families, where they have gone 8 home, and I think their voices need to 9 be heard, especially in this area or in 10 Queens, where they are so much a part of 11 our identity. 12 I share the mayor's focus on 13 increased equity and antiracism in 14 government and I believe this Commission 15 is a reflection of that. And I want you 16 guys to really reflect on the criteria 17 for fair and effective representation 18 when considering District 26, and 19 communities of interest. That's been 20 mentioned before. You will hear from 21 Community Board 2 chair later. I stand 22 by all the items you will hear in that, 23 that's asking you not to divide us. And 24 some of the reasons go to concern about 25 how the demographics will be changed 150 1 2 under these proposed lines. District 26 3 is currently wonderfully diverse, but 4 would become majority White, with an 5 increase in area median income of almost 6 50 percent, if it is to include parts of 7 the Upper East Side and Roosevelt 8 Island. 9 I have been a resident of Long 10 Island City since 1997, although I was 11 born in Queens. And I still wait for 12 access to amenities like a community 13 center, a hospital, equitable public 14 green space because this district still 15 sits in the bottom three of all of them. 16 Adequate school seats and truly 17 affordable housing based on an area 18 median income less the top 20 percent of 19 earners. 20 This initial draft for District 26 21 will just make needed amenities, further 22 from reach from those amenities that 23 exist in Manhattan, and exist in 24 Roosevelt Island, will serve as a 25 smokescreen, boxes checked, without our 151 1 2 local representative government actually 3 having to provide these needed services 4 here in this district. I ask that you 5 truly consider the children, seniors, 6 immigrants, disabled, and all families 7 of the existing district and don't 8 suppress their voices, let them be heard 9 in the fall. Don't dismiss our needs, 10 and don't divide us. 11 So I thank you very much for the 12 opportunity to testify. 13 (Applause) 14 CHAIR WALCOTT: Thank you for your 15 testimony. 16 Mark Laster. 17 MARK LASTER: Good evening, my name 18 is Mark Laster and I'm one of founders 19 of the Central Queens Redistricting 20 Coalition. I'm also one of the founders 21 for the Forest Hills Green Team, and 22 currently serve as the co-chair. I'm an 23 Executive Committee Member of Queens 24 Community Board 6 and co-chair of the 25 Aging/Social Services/Disability 152 1 2 Committee, I'm also a licensed clinical 3 social worker with over 40 years of 4 practice. 5 Though the map for District 29 does 6 not have significant changes, it does 7 take in more of Richmond Hill. Under 8 this proposal, Richmond Hill would be 9 divided between council districts 10 continuing to dilute the voices of this 11 community. Secondly, the proposed maps, 12 which we've talked about a lot tonight, 13 would separate Sunnyside from Woodside, 14 which, again, would not be, I think, 15 beneficial. 16 Third, it moves parts of Elmhurst 17 into one district, although residents 18 have been asked to move into another. 19 Finally, the proposed maps, split 20 Mitchell-Linden neighborhood into two 21 different districts. At the Central 22 Queens Redistricting Coalition, which is 23 a non-partisan, neighborhood-based 24 effort to provide a voice and diverse 25 center in Queens, and we're in the 153 1 2 process of developing a map for Queens 3 that will address these four concerns I 4 listed above. 5 As soon as we finalize our proposal, 6 we'll be more than happy to share it 7 with the Commission. As we've worked on 8 these proposed maps, we were curious to 9 better understand why the Commission 10 decided to keep Staten Island whole. 11 This has limited the ability to be more 12 flexible to draw maps that captures 13 communities of interest. Also, as a 14 member of Community Board 6, one of the 15 main areas we were trained on, was 16 conflict of interest policy -- curious 17 to know what the conflict of interest 18 policy is for this Commission. 19 Finally, after being active with the 20 State Redistricting Commission, we face 21 numerous challenges. When I've attended 22 trainings about this redistricting 23 process, I was informed that the process 24 is much clearer. I'm somewhat 25 disappointed that all the mapping 154 1 2 decisions have been made in secret 3 without any reported justifications. 4 I look forward to hearing as to why 5 some of the decisions highlighted in 6 this testimony were made. I thank the 7 Commission very much for this hearing. 8 I look forward to a productive 9 relationship through this process. 10 CHAIR WALCOTT: Thank you for your 11 testimony. 12 Next in-person is Nicholas 13 Berkowitz. 14 NICHOLAS BERKOWITZ: Good evening, 15 my fellow New Yorkers. Good evening, 16 Commissioners, Mr. Chairman, elected 17 officials. Thank you for coming out to 18 speak up and Commissioners thank you for 19 listening. 20 My name is Nick Berkowitz and I'm a 21 democratic district leader and state 22 committee member for AD37, which 23 overlaps significantly with both the 24 proposed District 26 map and the 25 existing one, where we are this evening. 155 1 2 I'm also a member in the committee 3 chair of Queens Community Board 2. I'm 4 here to speak against the proposed maps, 5 particularly I'm here to speak about 6 District 26, and especially the need to 7 keep Woodside and Sunnyside together. I 8 hope that my parents will allow me back 9 into my East Side Manhattan childhood 10 home after I say this, but I'm confident 11 that Yorkville will survive being lumped 12 in with Queens. That part of the East 13 Side of Manhattan is less wealthy than 14 its reputation would suggest, but it's 15 an amenity-rich community that knows how 16 to get what it needs. I've lived here 17 in Sunnyside for more than a decade, but 18 I was there for the East Side High 19 School fight in the '90s, and we now 20 have Eleanor Roosevelt High School. I 21 went to East Side Middle when it was a 22 single hallway on the 5th floor of P.S 23 158, now, it's one of the nicest 24 freestanding middle schools in the City. 25 What concerns me, is that these 156 1 2 Manhattan resources will become the 3 thumb on the scale against advocacy on 4 the Queens side of a two-borough 5 district. With Yorkville slapped on to 6 our council district, which is one of 7 the driest medical deserts in our city, 8 we'll suddenly be skewed to show a glut 9 of healthcare access, without a single 10 new bed or maternal health care facility 11 being built. 12 Our green star of Queens district 13 becomes statistically burdened, when we 14 bring in the East Side Green Way without 15 planting a single blade of grass or 16 building a single set of monkey bars. 17 But perhaps my greatest concern is 18 for my Woodside neighbors. The middle 19 and low income and largely immigrant 20 community of interest is being cleaved 21 in four by these maps, and separated 22 from Sunnyside, which is deeply, deeply 23 economically integrated. This is a 24 neighborhood in need of the strongest 25 and most robust municipal 157 1 2 representation, not for afterthought 3 members in City Hall. 4 We need a council district designed 5 to electorally reward culturally and 6 linguistically competent district 7 services because lives are at stake. 8 All I need to say is COVID and Ida. 9 All said, I implore you, please change 10 these maps so they don't pit Manhattan's 11 successes against Queens' needs. 12 Please keep Woodside together so it 13 can fight for itself and thrive. Thank 14 you. 15 CHAIR WALCOTT: Thank you for your 16 testimony. 17 Next is Maria Vasquez and then we'll 18 go into virtual, and that will be the 19 5:30 to 7:30 group, and then we'll start 20 the second group. 21 And as people are getting ready in 22 the virtual world, we'll have, Albert 23 Baldeo, Joane Yu (phonetic), and Bill 24 Perkins up next, in the Zoom testimony. 25 MARTHA FLORES-VASQUEZ: Good evening 158 1 2 everyone, I want to introduce myself. 3 My name is Martha Flores-Vasquez. I'm a 4 district leader in the 40th Assembly 5 District since 2002. I am also the 6 director and president of Community 7 Preventional Alternatives For Families 8 in Crisis. I sit on the board, the 9 advisory board of DA Melinda Katz, for 10 the Latinos. 11 I'm here because I always have a 12 concern, not necessarily about 13 geographics, but public service, and the 14 populations that I serve. And I'm 15 willing to cross a bridge, I'm willing 16 to cross over to any borough and help 17 whoever is in need of help. 18 I'm looking at some numbers, the 19 most common racial and ethnic group 20 living below the poverty line in Queens 21 County, New York, is Hispanic, followed 22 by White and Asian -- I hope that's not 23 surprising. 24 Language, let's start with Spanish, 25 the highest spoken language, followed by 159 1 2 Chinese, which includes Mandarin, 3 Cantonese, and Bengali. I think that we 4 have to be mindful of those populations 5 that are underserved. Even though I've 6 been a district leader in an Asian 7 district and I keep getting reelected 8 even when there's an opponent of any 9 other ethnicity because of the services 10 that I provide, I think that we are 11 underserved in Flushing, the Latinos. I 12 think there is a lot of division and I 13 think that -- I haven't heard many 14 voices here representing the Hispanics, 15 and I was invited by the Latinos 16 Presente to be here. 17 But I'm not just here for Latinos 18 Presented -- Presente, I'm here to ask 19 this diverse Commission to please serve 20 the underserved. That should be a 21 primary focus. And I'm overloaded with 22 work, you know, I actually cross over to 23 Brooklyn, now, with the Department of 24 Aging. 25 I actually was spoken to about 160 1 2 serving Latinos in Brooklyn because of 3 my reputation, and I included the 4 Asians. And the Asians will now be 5 represented alongside the Hispanics and 6 everyone else, because I am about 7 diversity. I am about provision of 8 services to all the people. 9 We have a Black borough president, 10 we have a Black speaker of the City 11 Council, we have a Black attorney 12 general, we have a Black mayor, who I 13 absolutely adore, Mayor Adams. To me, 14 he's the best mayor ever and we're so 15 fortunate. 16 So I hope that my voice is heard 17 because I am the people's voice and when 18 it comes to voting, there is voter 19 apathy. But I think it has to do with a 20 bunch of different components, 21 extremists, not necessarily the people 22 in the neighborhoods. So people have 23 given up on politics but let's not give 24 up on providing service to the public. 25 Thank you. 161 1 2 CHAIR WALCOTT: Thank you for your 3 testimony. Next, we're going virtual. 4 Albert Baldeo and Joane Yu and then Bill 5 Perkins. 6 ALBERT BALDEO: Hello, 7 Commissioners, good evening. This is, 8 like you said, a rodeo. In thirty 9 years, this is my third testimonial in 10 three decades currently with this 11 Commission. 12 I think you've done a very favorable 13 job with the maps, but I believe it 14 needs some tweaking. You cannot put 15 Rochdale Village with Ozone Park, South 16 Ozone Park with Richmond Hill. They 17 have no commonality whatsoever. As a 18 matter of a fact, you're going against 19 the laws of census and redistricting and 20 courts have been upholding this -- as 21 you saw the last redistricting process. 22 As a matter of a fact, the 23 republicans and democrats who -- well, 24 they didn't agree on anything, but they 25 agreed to one thing and that one thing 162 1 2 was that in Richmond Hill, Ozone Park 3 and South Ozone Park must be kept 4 together and that must give you a lot of 5 food for thought because if the 6 democrats and republicans, who agree on 7 nothing else, can agree that these three 8 communities are so integrated that you 9 must keep them together, that it 10 behooves you to listen to that, sort of, 11 analysis that they did and to, sort of 12 invoke -- and you've done it to a very 13 large extent. 14 The only thing is that you've 15 dragged the lines -- I think you should 16 start with 32. 32 is more favorably 17 disposed to include us together; that is 18 to the Van Wyck Expressway, the city 19 line just at Woodhaven and from Forest 20 Parkway and to the Conduit. And I've 21 submitted a map to that effect. 22 In fact, I believe that the Unity 23 Map also reflects something similar. 24 There you have a mass and a base of 25 folks who have the same historical 163 1 2 heritage, the same ancestry, the same 3 customs, they worship at the same 4 schools and churches and they play 5 together and work together. There's 6 also essential workers who deserve some 7 consideration and they have been the 8 backbone of this local economy in New 9 York City. So it behooves you to at 10 least give them justice. 11 That justice is very simple, that 12 you keep them together. They live in 13 one and two-family homes and therefore 14 their mortgages and so forth, property 15 taxes are issues that must be tackled 16 together. That is why putting them 17 together would be good. 18 My good friend, I. Daneek Miller, 19 former City Councilman, he also talked 20 about keeping Rochdale Village together. 21 I agree with that, but not at the 22 expense of other communities and also 23 not dividing Richmond Hill, Ozone Park 24 and South Ozone Park with Howard beach 25 because they are disparate communities, 164 1 2 they're separate. They have nothing in 3 common and it only creates tension and 4 it's the wrong thing to do. But you 5 have enough mass, you have enough 6 critical mass of folks to put them 7 together in one city council district; 8 in Richmond Hill, South Ozone Park and 9 Ozone Park. 10 And that is what I would advise you 11 strongly to do and we would ask you to 12 do that because it satisfies all the 13 legal criteria for redistricting, it is 14 a purposeful approach to this issue and 15 it's also one that we must embrace as a 16 matter of both law, reality, morality 17 and conscience, so I would ask you to do 18 that. 19 Now, why do I say this -- 20 CHAIR WALCOTT: I'm sorry to 21 interrupt, but it sounds like you're 22 going to go into another major theme and 23 we have other people who are -- 24 ALBERT BALDEO: Oh, no. I was just 25 twice-elected in District 38, which is 165 1 2 Woodhaven and Richmond Hill and also in 3 24. So my point to you is that it 4 already shows the commonality of 5 electing one person, of being together 6 and of doing that, we respectfully ask 7 that you keep Richmond Hill, Ozone Park 8 with South Ozone Park together, the 9 Forest Hill, the Forest Parkway, 10 Woodhaven, our city line to the Conduit 11 and to the Van Wyck Expressway and not 12 divide Rochdale Village or not use us as 13 filler for any other district. That's 14 all I ask -- or that's all we ask 15 because I'm an elected district leader 16 and I speak for this community. So 17 thank you very much, Commissioners, and 18 we hope you do the right thing. 19 CHAIR WALCOTT: Thank you for your 20 testimony, Joanne Yu. 21 Joanne Yu. 22 Next would be Bill Perkins. 23 Bill Perkins: Thank you, 24 Commissioner. As a way of background, 25 my name is Bill Perkins. I live in 166 1 2 District 31 in Rosedale. We've been 3 working very closely with our elected 4 official, Councilmember Selvena 5 Brooks-Powers, as well as the local 6 civics. We've also reached out to our 7 other districts, District 27 and 8 District 28, worked with the local 9 civics there and the elected officials. 10 So you're likely to hear some similar 11 testimony because we work together to 12 make sure that, you know, we have common 13 themes that we represented in the 14 testimony. 15 So what I will do is read my 16 testimony that I submitted to the 17 redistricting site, so you'll have this 18 to review after the meeting. 19 "Dear New York City Redistricting 20 Commission, thank you for the 21 opportunity to provide me to comment on 22 the maps proposed by the Commission on 23 July 15. 24 We've attached a map that was 25 created by our councilmember, Selvena 167 1 2 Brooks-Powers, which we feel reflects 3 what we want our community to be as far 4 as redistricting is concerned. It also 5 matches the maps submitted by the Queens 6 Civic Congress, who are advocating for 7 our identical positions, while they're 8 thoughtfully bouncing the districts 9 adjacent to ours throughout the borough 10 of Queens and the entire city. 11 As a long-time resident of District 12 31, the only change I want is to include 13 all of JFK Airport in our district. My 14 rationale is threefold: 15 First, JFK was previously a part of 16 District 31, so this change would simply 17 correct an error from the last 18 redistricting cycle. 19 Second, the communities of Rosedale, 20 Brookville, Laurelton, Springfield 21 Gardens and Arverne by the Sea, are 22 currently part of the district, are 23 directly in the airport's flight path. 24 Lastly, JFK is currently represented 25 by one congressional member, one state 168 1 2 senate member, one assembly member, so 3 there is simply no need for two council 4 members to retain the airports in their 5 district. 6 Consolidating JFK under one umbrella 7 not only makes the most sense, but it 8 will also make it easier to address 9 current and future concerns. 10 The rest of District 31 should 11 remain intact because of the shared 12 characteristics; race, political party, 13 the geography and type of homeownership 14 in each community. And I evidence this 15 as follows; Rosedale, Laurelton, 16 Brookville and Springfield Gardens are 17 contiguous. Our communities are 18 primarily Black and our residents are 19 registered democrats, who are single and 20 two-family homeowners. Our communities 21 are fighting the same battles, which 22 include improving education, ensuring 23 access to healthcare, protecting the 24 environment, tackling airport noise, 25 dealing with flooding, creating jobs and 169 1 2 keeping our neighborhood safe. 3 For decades, the district's civic 4 associations, an example, the Eastern 5 Queens Alliance, Rosedale Civic 6 Association, Federated Blacks of 7 Laurelton, Concerned Citizens of 8 Laurelton, Springfield Rosedale 9 Community Action Association, Spring 10 Garden Civic Association, and 11 Springfield Garden Taxpayers and 12 Citizens Association, have worked 13 closely together with all levels of 14 government to address the issues and 15 drive the changes needed. 16 We have also launched special task 17 force. For example, 116th Precinct 18 Community Task Force, the Southeastern 19 Queens Zoning Preservation Task Force 20 and the Queens Community Task Force 21 Against Illegal Truck Parking, to fight 22 for the new precinct and to focus on the 23 most important quality of life issues in 24 our community. 25 The Rockaways and Arverne by the Sea 170 1 2 communities should also remain intact 3 and within District 31 because their 4 demographics are like those in the 5 district's mainlands communities. For 6 example, the Rockaways' portion of the 7 district is made up of primarily Black 8 democrats who own single or two-family 9 homes and any changes here would split 10 the democratic vote, disrupt political 11 dynamics and really adversely affect the 12 interests and desires of our residents. 13 Therefore, to preserve and 14 continually advance the common interests 15 and concerns of the residents in 16 District 31, I petition the Commission 17 to keep our district intact with the 18 only exception being, including JFK 19 Airport that will restore the continuity 20 which previously existed. Thank you for 21 receiving my comments. 22 CHAIR WALCOTT: And thank you for 23 your testimony, sir. 24 Next up will be, again, on Zoom, 25 Timothy Mursa, Louise Booth and then, 171 1 2 Sheri -- 3 TIMOTHY MURSA: I'm here. 4 Who's next? Me? 5 CHAIR WALCOTT: Timothy Mursa. 6 TIMOTHY MURSA: Got you. Thank you 7 very much and welcome. These guys are 8 good. 9 I just want to say guys -- ladies 10 and gentlemen, actually, I just want 11 this read this statement so it will be 12 in the record and then, I'll speak to 13 where these lines go and especially when 14 it cuts off one of our buildings. I 15 don't know if anybody ever really looked 16 at the aerial picture for this district. 17 But Rochdale Village is solely a 18 village, we're a box. We are boxed -- 19 when you look within Rochdale, you will 20 see the buildings are all inside. 21 There's no through streets, the only 22 streets are to the front of the 23 building, which is a circle, where you 24 can visually see that the circle leads 25 to the four buildings and you come right 172 1 2 back out the same way you came in; 3 that's the only roadway we have. 4 And from Rochdale to actually be cut 5 in half or basically would be cut in 6 half, with my section included because 7 we have three sections to a building, A, 8 B and C -- I'm in the C Section and that 9 C Section falls on the next district. 10 I'll just read the statement and if I 11 have any time left and opportunity to 12 discuss why I feel we shouldn't -- kind 13 of like, how you say, happy because I 14 hear these other districts and notice 15 they don't have everything that we have. 16 That's why I say in this -- that's why I 17 say this is a city within a city. 18 The redistricting proposal for 19 Council District 28 will split Rochdale 20 Village by placing one half of a 21 building and a community center between 22 two council districts. This will 23 fracture our Rochdale Village Community, 24 will not protect programming for our 25 vulnerable seniors, will not provide to 173 1 2 continuity resources for this complex 3 and disrupt the operational contingents 4 (sic) of this community -- continuity of 5 this community -- I'm sorry. I'm a 6 little nervous. 7 This complex has twenty buildings 8 arranged in five circular groups with 9 four buildings per group. Each building 10 has three sections, A, B and C; so 11 that's four buildings in three sections 12 in each building. 13 Along Bedell Street, there are three 14 groups, 2, 3 and 4. On Guy R. Brewer 15 side, we have Group 1 and 5. The 16 proposed redistricting of District 28 17 would place groups 2, 3, with the 18 exception of one section in Building 7 19 and 5, in District 28 and the other half 20 of the building, of Building 7 along 21 with Groups 3, 4 and half of Rochdale 22 Community Center, would be in the next 23 district. Rochdale Village was designed 24 to be and functions as a city within a 25 city, providing continuity of services 174 1 2 and programs. Rochdale Village has its 3 own power plant that generates all the 4 electrical power, heating, air 5 conditioning and domestic hot water. 6 The power plant provides these services 7 independently with no connection to any 8 outside utility company. 9 Rochdale Village Department of 10 Public Safety protects the residents, 11 visitors and the property of the 12 complex. Rochdale Village has two 13 shopping malls, a community center and 14 its own branch in the Queens Library 15 System. Any funding provided by one 16 councilmember to his or her's half of 17 this complex, would certainly disrupt 18 the quality of life and will not provide 19 the continuity or resources for their 20 services. 21 For example, in 2021, Councilmember 22 Adrian Adams was able to provide 23 Rochdale Village with funding for the 24 facade work for all twenty buildings. 25 Had this council district been split 175 1 2 into two at the time, only half of the 3 complex buildings would have been fixed. 4 The NORC Program in Rochdale Village, 5 the senior half -- I'm sorry -- senior 6 center, will sit in the next district 7 while the seniors these programs will 8 service will be split into two 9 districts, thus leaving the programming 10 for the vulnerable population 11 unprotected. 12 CHAIR WALCOTT: Can I ask you to 13 start to wrap up, sir? 14 TIMOTHY MURSA: I am. 15 CHAIR WALCOTT: Okay, thank you. 16 TIMOTHY MURSA: This proposed plan 17 will create a nightmare scenario for the 18 managing agent and the management of 19 Rochdale Village. In fact, this 20 proposal will make the management of 21 funds provided by the two council 22 members from their district with this 23 complex extremely difficult, and 24 confusing to the residents and 25 disruptive the operational continuity of 176 1 2 this community. 3 And I just want to add, this is a 4 village and like the young man said 5 before me -- two people before me -- 6 that these lines -- there's are no roads 7 leading through this property. It's 8 just into the circle and out, and that 9 would definitely cause a disruption 10 within and violate actually one of your 11 -- and I'll send it in also with my 12 paperwork -- one of your sections here 13 in this district mapping of a community. 14 And thank you very much. I appreciate 15 you and it was interesting. 16 CHAIR WALCOTT: And thank you for 17 your testimony. Thank you, very much. 18 Louise Booth. 19 Louise Booth? 20 And then Cherie (unintelligible). 21 CHERIE O'GRADIO: Yes, Cherie 22 O'Grado. 23 Hi. My name is Cherie O'Grado. I 24 have lived in City Council District 28 25 since I came to this country 28 years 177 1 2 ago. I currently live here with my 3 husband and my two children. While I 4 am -- I also serve as the Chair of 5 Community Board 9, but I'm here to speak 6 as a resident of City Council District 7 28. 8 The Redistricting Commission's draft 9 district map, keeps a huge part of 10 (technical interference) together and 11 significant places in the community, 12 like South Richmond Hill, Richmond Hill, 13 Richmond Hill High School, the cultural 14 center, the Baba Makhan Sikh Center, the 15 Boys and Girls Club of America, Richmond 16 Hill Block Association, except for the 17 area of Phil Rizzuto Smoky Park that 18 also belongs to this as part of its 19 thriving community. This also needs to 20 be incorporated into the redistricting 21 map. All these organizations run from 22 Van Wyck, Jamaica Avenue and Woodhaven 23 Boulevard. These organizations are 24 significantly South Richmond Hill and 25 its vital growth and economic 178 1 2 development and should be kept together 3 as part of City Council District 28 as 4 it has historically been. 5 We at South Richmond Hill, would 6 also like to keep our community together 7 under one City Council District as much 8 as possible. This redistricting map 9 should not be in any way drawn 10 political, but as what is right and what 11 is best for this community. It should 12 always be the community's needs and what 13 is best, that should be considered when 14 redistricting conversations like this 15 occurs. 16 If you were to visit here, then you 17 would see and understand why this 18 district should be kept together. We 19 all want to keep our communities 20 together, but at the end of the day, we 21 have been requesting for Richmond Hill 22 to be kept together with all these 23 places that are connected like a family, 24 and we should do what is in the best 25 interest of this community. 179 1 2 These decisions will affect us for 3 the next ten years and we can't afford 4 to be split up and wait ten more years 5 to correct an error. Please do right by 6 our community and listen and hear our 7 voices and keep these places in District 8 28. 9 Thank you. 10 CHAIR WALCOTT: And thank you very 11 much. 12 All right. So that's the end of the 13 first grouping. Now, we'll move into 14 the second grouping but before we do, 15 all of you have been outstanding, very 16 patient and I'm going to call for a 17 thirty second stand-up-and-stretch and 18 then we will continue on. 19 So why don't we all, including me, 20 stand up for a second if you want and 21 stretch. 22 All right. I feel like I'm about to 23 conduct a giant yoga class, but we're 24 not. So, if we can have our seats, then 25 we're going to go back in-person and 180 1 2 we're going to go through the first ten 3 on the next list. So the next ten will 4 be called three or four at a time. 5 So if I can have your attention 6 again, and thank you. 7 Folks, if we can take a seat, 30 8 seconds is up. I appreciate really the 9 attentiveness because I know its been a 10 number of people both testifying 11 in-person and virtually, and we want to 12 get to all of those individuals who are 13 still waiting to testify. 14 So next up, next up will be -- if we 15 can -- thank you very much -- will be 16 Anell Shahi (phonetic), Anell Shahi. 17 I tried calling this name before, 18 I'm going to try it again, Eugene No 19 (phonetic), and then Mazyzo and then 20 Jalil Amed. 21 So Annel -- Jai, is Annel there? 22 UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: Yeah. 23 CHAIR WALCOTT: Now, come on down. 24 Eugene is here, but Eugene would follow 25 and then Mazyzo next. Thank you. 181 1 2 ANNEL SHAHI: Thank you. Good 3 evening. My name is Annel Shahi and I'm 4 an immigration organization at Adhikaar. 5 Adhikaar means right in Nepali. It's a 6 woman-lead community and worker center 7 that provides direct services to the 8 Nepali speaking community and organizes 9 low-income workers and impacted 10 community members to the promote social 11 justice and human rights. 12 Our center is located in Woodside 13 Queens, currently, District 26, where, 14 along with Sunnyside, the vast majority 15 of our community members live. At 16 Adhikaar, we define the Nepali speaking 17 community as descendants of Nepal, 18 Bhutan, India, Burma and Tibet that 19 speak Nepali. We are often referred to 20 as our community's 911 and 311 lines and 21 we serve more than ten thousand Nepali 22 speaking people annually. 23 Our community is one of the newer 24 immigrant communities and according to 25 Asian-American Federation's profile of 182 1 2 New York City's Nepali American's 3 report, we are the fastest growing Asian 4 ethnic group in the city. Most of our 5 members work in the informal sectors as 6 nail salon workers, domestic workers, 7 taxi drivers and restaurant workers. 8 Through programs like workforce 9 development trainings, English 10 empowerment classes and other immigrant 11 and health related services, we create 12 access to information, build community 13 leadership and grow collective to win 14 right for our communities and dignity 15 and equality for all. 16 For two long, the struggles and 17 demands of communities like ours have 18 been rendered invisible. With the 19 recently proposed split of District 26, 20 we are now faced with an all too 21 familiar situation, one where our 22 communities are at risk being split up 23 and made weaker. 24 Many of our working class immigrant 25 members, like Goma and Sabina, who are 183 1 2 with me here today, live either in 3 Woodside or Sunnyside, neighborhoods 4 that are currently in District 26, but 5 are at risk of being broken up. 6 Thousands of members that we work with 7 like them, depend on daily necessities, 8 services like community space, 9 groceries, social services like those 10 that Adhikaar offers, healthcare access 11 and social and religious community 12 places that are scattered throughout two 13 neighborhoods along Woodside Avenue and 14 Roosevelt Avenue. For these reasons, it 15 is imperative that Woodside and 16 Sunnyside are kept whole in District 26, 17 especially as the Nepali speaking 18 community that we serve live in both 19 neighborhoods and share cultural 20 centers, places of worship, restaurants, 21 schools and many other institutions of 22 collective community. Needless to say, 23 if a part of Woodside is incorporated 24 into District 30 as has been proposed, 25 our people would have very little in 184 1 2 common, in terms of language, culture 3 and our lifestyles in general with the 4 rest of the population of the new 5 district and would be rendered a tiny 6 minority. Our aspirations and needs are 7 very different from the population of 8 District 30. Our communities have more 9 in common with the communities in 10 Woodside and Sunnyside than those in 11 Maspeth and Middle Village. Our 12 communities are already kept whole in 13 New York State Senate, State Assembly 14 Community Board and largely also through 15 the New York District Congressional 16 District. The fact that we've been able 17 to speak with one voice also enabled our 18 community to elect an Asian-American on 19 the City Council last year for the 20 district and also elected another 21 Asian-American as the democratic 22 candidate in the general election for 23 assembly. This kind of representation 24 is a must if our communities are to 25 continue thriving and be heard by our 185 1 2 elected officials. 3 We ask you to please keep our 4 communities whole, keep Woodside and 5 Sunnyside together in District 26. We 6 advocate for the Commission to adopt the 7 Unity Map submitted by the Unity Map 8 Coalition for the unity and proper 9 representation of our community. 10 I thank you for allowing me share 11 this testimony with you all to uplift 12 the voices and demands of Nepali 13 speaking community for just, fair and 14 inclusive electoral redistricting 15 process. 16 Thank you so much. 17 CHAIR WALCOTT: And thank you for 18 your testimony. 19 Mazyzo, no. 20 And then I said Jalil Amed. 21 No, okay. So we have a group of 22 individuals, they have a bus and I know 23 they have to leave. Maria Signora 24 (phonetic) -- it's a bus -- Leo Garcia, 25 Claudio Nunez, and Gerald Nunez and 186 1 2 Sandra Dominguez. 3 If you could come down and maybe 4 somewhat consolidate testimony and that 5 way we could make sure that you're able 6 to get the bus on time. 7 UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: (Speaking in 8 Spanish.) 9 CHAIR WALCOTT: Hold on one second, 10 please. We have a translator. 11 MS. SPEAKER: Yeah. 12 MR. SPEAKER: I am the one who's 13 going to read the text in Spanish and 14 then I will -- 15 CHAIR WALCOTT: You will, okay. 16 Just double checking. 17 MR. SPEAKER: But she will do it 18 completely. 19 CHAIR WALCOTT: Okay. 20 MS. SPEAKER: Why am I here? 21 Today's the day that will be part of 22 history, today's the day where the voice 23 of many will be heard, where we will be 24 many of us. But we will count a few 25 because speaking for them we -- they 187 1 2 couldn't do it. They didn't want to. 3 Today, I came to give my testimony to 4 this audience to end our frustrations, 5 our impotence, of which I'm forced to 6 do. I'm fighting for social justice 7 because I think that the redistribution 8 of the districts, besides being 9 discriminatory, it would affect 10 drastically the lives of those -- of us 11 who live in District 26 and that don't 12 even have a space for debate. 13 Did you think about the opinion of 14 the community when you decided to make 15 these change? Of course not. We have 16 been ignored, I feel punished in my 17 rights, my right to decide the way I 18 want to live, what future am I going to 19 leave to those behind me. These 20 community has been in our 26th -- 21 District 26 is very diverse where the 22 immigrant communities make up the 23 majority, where each day we struggle for 24 housing that is just unaccessible. We 25 have created roots on where our cultural 188 1 2 diversity is part of our every day life. 3 Woodside is my home. I have lived 4 here for 20 years. Public 5 transportation, voter registration, 6 barely livable income. My neighbors are 7 Little Manila and I can name a hundred 8 reasons why I don't want to change my 9 district and I don't want it to be 10 changed. 11 According to the census of 2020, 66 12 percent is of Latin descent. We are 13 working people and we're not alone. We 14 are together with other communities, but 15 they are diverse, Asian communities and 16 people of color, the same communities 17 that are interested in being protected 18 because the right to vote is the key. 19 As an immigrant, I have the need to 20 be here to reject these changes, to be 21 the voice of those who were never 22 informed of how those decisions were 23 made and how they would change our 24 lives. This change in our district is 25 therefore rejected, wrong because these 189 1 2 changes are separating our communities 3 in four separate districts. These 4 changes will not benefit us. It will -- 5 they will affect us and in the name of 6 the thousands who are not able to be 7 here today because they were not granted 8 the opportunity, I demand that you 9 respect our decision because we don't 10 want the changes that we want to do -- 11 to be a part of District 26. Thank you. 12 CHAIR WALCOTT: Thank you very much. 13 CLAUDIA NUNEZ: Hello, my name is 14 Claudia Nunez. District 26 is my home. 15 We are a community that is diverse and a 16 majority people of color and immigrants. 17 According to the census of 2020, 66 18 percent of those who did the survey in 19 District 26, identified themselves as 20 Latin Americans, Hispanics, AAPI and 21 African Americans. The same communities 22 of interest that have been protected by 23 the law of the right to vote. 24 The preliminary map of District 26 25 of the redistribution of Redistricting 190 1 2 Commission will divide Woodside in four 3 municipal districts. This division is 4 the representation that will have an 5 impact, a negative impact in the 6 capacity of the immigrant community to 7 carry out policies for the public 8 interest. 9 District 26 is also the home of the 10 Colombian community, the Ecuadorian 11 community, the Peruvian community, the 12 Mexican community and many other 13 immigrants from Latin America that make 14 up 29 percent of our district. From 15 Long Island City to Astoria, from 16 Sunnyside to Woodside, there is not a 17 corner of our district that do not have 18 Catholic Churches, Spanish-speaking 19 Catholic Churches, Mexican taco stands, 20 Columbian bakeries, Peruvian chicken 21 places, artistic organizations of 22 Spanish speakers, such as Thalia Spanish 23 Theater and Folklorico of Mexico, which 24 is located Manhattan and also 25 organizations that are free, such as 191 1 2 NICE that serve our new immigrant 3 neighbors. 4 I am here to request the District 5 Redistricting Commission that they don't 6 divide us, and to end the division of 7 the four districts in separate 8 municipalities. If you divide them into 9 separate municipalities, you will make 10 up new maps, you will interrupt the 11 progress that we have achieved and you 12 will divide the flow of resources to the 13 members of the immigrant community. 14 Our advance in economic matters, in 15 social and political issues, depend on 16 our unity and our ability to achieve 17 equity and representation from every 18 member of the council. 19 We're a minority group in terms of 20 race and languages. We are protected by 21 the law of electoral rights and those 22 rights are being violated. I recommend 23 that the Commission be very sure that 24 Woodside remain together with Long 25 Island City, Sunnyside and Western 192 1 2 Astoria, as they have been in the last 3 thirty years and make up the lines or 4 the grids of District 26. 5 To summarize this proposal -- to 6 summarize this proposal, the maps that 7 have been shown so far point out that 8 the white population amount to 29 9 percent, while 44 percent were Hispanics 10 and it is reducing towards 29 percent; 11 22 percent Asian population which is 12 being also reduced from 31 to 25. All 13 of this means that all of these maps are 14 not fulfilling the requirement of just 15 an effective representation for our 16 communities. Thank you. 17 CHAIR WALCOTT: Thank you. 18 GERARD NUNEZ: Hi. My name is 19 Gerard Nunez. I live in Woodside at the 20 Cosmopolitan Houses, which is part of 21 the District 26. I originally lived in 22 Long Island City and attended junior 23 high school in Astoria. I'm also a 24 member of the Cosmopolitan Tenants 25 Association. Our community over the 193 1 2 years has become vibrant and prosperous 3 with people from many ethnicities and 4 nationalities. They have transformed 5 the district into a great place to live. 6 The preliminary map for District 26 7 proposed by the Redistricting 8 Commission, would divide our communities 9 from Woodside, Sunnyside, Long Island 10 City and Western Astoria into four 11 separate municipal districts. The 12 census from 2020 shows the 66 percent of 13 the population in our district is 14 composed of people of color, Latin, 15 Asian-American and Black people. This 16 redistricting proposal would increase 17 the white population from 29 to 44 18 percent, reduce the Latin population 19 from 29 to 22 percent and the Asian 20 population from 31 to 25 percent. 21 I believe this division would have a 22 negative impact in our community's 23 capability to conduct policies helpful 24 to our district's public interest and 25 divide the flow of resources to our 194 1 2 community. Our economic, social and 3 political success is dependant on our 4 unity so that we may have equity and 5 effective representation from our 6 councilmember. 7 I want to recommend the Commission 8 that our district lines remain the same, 9 as it has been for the last thirty 10 years. Do not let political maneuver 11 interfere with our community's progress 12 and well-being. 13 I totally reject this redistricting 14 proposal. Thank you. 15 CHAIR WALCOTT: Thank you for your 16 testimony. 17 SANDRA DOMINGUEZ: My name is Sandra 18 Dominguez. I'm here in -- pretty much 19 both allow hear my vote -- I'm here to 20 give my testimony to the audience to 21 bring up my frustrations and impotence 22 to the government. 23 I'm a person of with a older age. I 24 didn't need to be fighting for justice 25 social. I'm here because I think that 195 1 2 the redistricting of the districts are 3 not logic, discriminatory -- and even 4 giving us a space to do a debate. 5 Do you think they're a threat 6 causing our community is real? We were 7 in (unintelligible). I feel violent 8 (sic) in my right, my right to choose 9 where I want to live, the future I want 10 to leave to my children. This community 11 in our District 26 is very diverse, 12 where the community immigrants is most 13 of the part where each day we fight for 14 house, more rights, where our diversity 15 is part of our daily life. 16 According to the census 2020, 66 17 percent are mostly Latinos, also Asian 18 and people of color. The same 19 communities are protected by the law of 20 right of vote. I'm an immigrant. I 21 have the need to be here, to reject this 22 change and put a loud my voice for all 23 of them that they couldn't be informed 24 and take a decision for change -- for 25 this decision that is going to change a 196 1 2 lot of lives. These changes in our 3 district is reject because this change 4 is separating our communities in four 5 districts. 6 To summarize, the map is going to 7 make the population white to increase in 8 29 percent to 40 percent; Hispanic is 9 going decrease to -- from the 29 percent 10 to 22 percent and the population is -- 11 Asian population is going to decrease 12 from the 31 percent to 29 percent, which 13 means the maps are not doing the -- a 14 representation and equity for our 15 communities. This change is not benefit 16 us. It's affecting us. 17 In the name of those people who 18 couldn't be here, we want to change and 19 we want to be part of District 26. 20 (Applause). 21 CHAIR WALCOTT: Thank you very much. 22 BASILIO GARCIA: 23 (Speaking in Spanish). 24 CHAIR WALCOTT: Can you start to 25 wrap up, sir? 197 1 2 No, no sir. 3 BASILIO GARCIA: I'm going to say 4 this in English. 5 CHAIR WALCOTT: So with all due 6 respect -- 7 (Cross talk.) 8 Hold on, one second. 9 BASILIO GARCIA: It's a pleasure to 10 be here tonight. 11 CHAIR WALCOTT: Hold on. Hold on, 12 one second, please. 13 If you can just do a summary of it, 14 because we have a number of people 15 waiting on virtual right now and also 16 people who are here waiting to testify. 17 If you could give us a summary of your 18 testimony, that would be great. 19 BASILIO GARCIA: Yeah, but I want 20 the Latin people, my people, know what 21 I'm saying in Spanish. 22 CHAIR WALCOTT: No, I understand. I 23 respect that. 24 BASILIO GARCIA: And I want the 25 people that speak English understand the 198 1 2 message, too, at the same time. 3 It's right or wrong? 4 CHAIR WALCOTT: We're not here to 5 get -- 6 (Cross talk.) 7 Sir. Sir, if you could go ahead and 8 not -- we're asking you to just go 9 ahead. 10 BASILIO GARCIA: You let me know 11 when. 12 CHAIR WALCOTT: I just said it, you 13 can go ahead. 14 BASILIO GARCIA: Can I? 15 (Chorus of ayes.) 16 All right. Good evening, everybody. 17 My name is Basilio Garcia. I represent 18 Woodside and I'm glad to be here 19 tonight. 20 The reason that I'm here today is to 21 give my testimony before the audience, 22 not only because I -- I feel plenty in 23 my heart. I got frustrated. I have 24 encouraged myself without importance, 25 like person of elder age. I can be here 199 1 2 today filing for injustice social. I'm 3 here because I want and think that the 4 redistricting of district is illogical, 5 discriminatory and no one be here be 6 paid for we discuss it. 7 Do you think that a threat that 8 comes to our community is that will be a 9 reality? This community of our District 10 26 is very diversified, where 11 communities of immigrants are the 12 majority, where every day we fight for 13 living and justice for affordable 14 living, where it's diversified and 15 cultural that is part of our day-to-day. 16 Therefore, the census of 2020, 66 17 percent of the people of our district 18 identify as Latina Americana, American, 19 Asian and Black, the same community that 20 interests that are protect for the law 21 to the right of vote (sic). I like, a 22 Puerto Rican immigrant, I have the 23 necessity of be here for reject these 24 changes, for right by vote of all those 25 who need -- we are elect. 200 1 2 CHAIR WALCOTT: Sir, if you could 3 wrap up, your time is up. 4 These change in our district is 5 rejected. Very hard for everyone 6 because these changes all separate our 7 community in four districts -- separate. 8 For some, this proposal of the map half 9 the population white will go up the 29 10 percent at 44 percent. The Spanish will 11 diminish to 29 percent to 22 and the 12 other population and the -- 13 CHAIR WALCOTT: Sir, sir -- 14 (Cross talk.) 15 BASILIO GARCIA: -- 31 to -- 16 CHAIR WALCOTT: Sir, I'm saying this 17 with all due respect to you, if you 18 could wrap up, please, because you have 19 been on for over ten minutes. 20 BASILIO GARCIA: All right. Thank 21 you. Okay. 22 CHAIR WALCOTT: And we have -- 23 Thank you very much, I appreciate 24 that. 25 Next, we're going virtual. So 201 1 2 virtually if -- S. Elish is next on 3 virtual, followed by Frederick Bondy, 4 and the Faye D. Hill. 5 So first, S. Elish. It says Elish 6 there. 7 S. Elish. 8 Frederick Bondy. 9 Faye D. Hill. 10 FREDERICK BONDY: Good evening. 11 CHAIR WALCOTT: I'm sorry, who is 12 this speaking? I'm sorry. 13 FREDERICK BONDY: Can you hear me? 14 CHAIR WALCOTT: Yes. Who is this, 15 please? 16 FREDERICK BONDY: This is Frederick 17 Bondy. 18 CHAIR WALCOTT: Okay, thank you. 19 FREDERICK BONDY: Good evening, 20 ladies and gentlemen. My name is Fred 21 Bondy and I have lived in my Manhattan 22 building next to the Queens borough 23 Bridge for 55 years. 24 My wife and I raised our three 25 children here, all of whom still live in 202 1 2 Manhattan. 3 I'm here briefly to present my four 4 reasons for opposing this preliminary 5 redistricting of lands. Reason number 6 one, it will lead to a loss in funding 7 for our Manhattan East River parks. 8 I've been a frequent user of these parks 9 for all these 55 years. With a Queens 10 voting majority of 73 percent, they will 11 advocate for funds to be primarily 12 directed towards the Astoria and LIC 13 park systems, as well as other Queens 14 parks systems as well as other Queens 15 Parks systems. And our Manhattan parks 16 will suffer because there's only so much 17 money to go around. 18 Number two -- reason number two, 19 this -- this division or -- or 20 redistribution will cause mayhem and 21 confusion in the administration of our 22 East Side Hospital, such as Weill 23 Cornell and Sloan Kettering. 24 Reason number three, it will cause 25 the same for our educational systems and 203 1 2 public schools, along with the loss of 3 discretional funding that the Queens 4 politicians will gain. 5 Reason number four, the same will 6 also be true for our libraries and our 7 recreational facilities. 8 We strongly urge the Districting 9 Commission not to go forth with the 10 preliminary redistricting plan because 11 it's an unfair and unnatural marriage 12 for these districts. 13 I hope you will not proceed further 14 with it. 15 Thank you so much, ladies and 16 gentlemen. 17 CHAIR WALCOTT: Thank you for your 18 testimony. 19 Next, we'll go back in-person to 20 Osman Chaudry and Ray on behalf of 21 (unintelligible). 22 OSMAN CHAUDRY: Good evening, 23 everybody. My name is Osman Chaudry. I 24 live in Sunnyside last twenty years with 25 my sister, senior citizen and 204 1 2 brother-in-law today. 3 Today I'm here opposed the 4 Commission draft map because the -- 5 divided Woodside in four part. 6 (Unintelligible) is a cyclone attack and 7 divided it. This is not acceptable. 8 That's why I'm here. Also, I'm not 9 supporting this map. I'm supporting the 10 Unity Map. Woodside and Sunnyside 11 together -- keep together and also the 12 Woodside and Sunnyside the relationship 13 like a family member. 14 Woodside, Sunnyside stands 15 (unintelligible) all matching each other 16 in both that friendship. Today we 17 divided, we can lose our friendship and 18 also the Woodside and Sunnyside, a lot 19 of Bangladeshi community bought the 20 house that they build almost ten months. 21 And if it divided and when I 22 (unintelligible) the mosque, the 23 Sunnyside the place up (sic) -- I buy 24 like a first class payment and now you 25 divide it to second class go back to 205 1 2 other part. This is discrimination. I 3 paid that much money first class 4 Sunnyside, Woodside when I buy the house 5 and rent. That's why immigrant eight we 6 lose -- our dream that we immigrant come 7 we bought house now you're going back up 8 another district. This is, I think, 9 they lose their mind. That's why I keep 10 the Sunnyside, Woodside the same right 11 now as they have it. Right now I ask 12 the Commission to see all the audience 13 here don't divide it up. 14 (Unintelligible) Thank you. 15 CHAIR WALCOTT: Thank you for your 16 testimony. 17 Lakmani Ray. 18 LAKMANI RAY: Hello, everybody. 19 Good evening. 20 My name is Lakmani Ray. I live in 21 Queens for more than five years and I'm 22 against the Commission's map. I support 23 the Unity Map because it keeps Woodside 24 and Sunnyside together and whole. Our 25 community elected officials for City 206 1 2 Council and assembly, our district 3 currently is majority Asian. If you 4 split it up, it will create too majority 5 white districts. Our communities in 6 Woodside and Sunnyside rely on public 7 transportation like 7 Train, M Train and 8 MTA buses. Maspeth and Middle Village 9 community mostly rely on driving, 10 meaning we have very few things in 11 common. 12 We need a city councilmember who 13 understands the needs of the immigrant 14 community and the working class. The 15 only way that can happen is if you keep 16 Sunnyside and Woodside together. I'm 17 here with many community members and 18 organizations like Mine Drum (phonetic), 19 meaning (unintelligible) and moving up, 20 to ask the Commission to adopt the Unity 21 Map. Thank you. 22 CHAIR WALCOTT: Thank you for your 23 testimony. 24 Next, we have up Tamang Lama 25 (phonetic) representing Madgar 207 1 2 (phonetic) Association. 3 I'm sorry for mispronouncing your 4 name. 5 MR. SPEAKER: Good evening, 6 everyone. 7 CHAIR WALCOTT: Good evening. 8 TAMANG LAMA: Thank you for having 9 me over here. On behalf of all my 10 Nepalese community, we are together 11 right now. This is Tamang Lama. I am 12 Community Board member too and I am a 13 member of the Damong (phonetic) Society 14 of America and Nepalese community. 15 We are here today, we feeling real 16 silent and cry (sic) because I'm saying 17 something. I'm going to participate in 18 some boxing ring and I'm fighting with 19 Mike Tyson. Then, he's blowing me on my 20 head now and I'm going down because 21 this -- this -- opposing District 26 and 22 25, is very diverse like very divide for 23 our community. So on behalf of my 24 community and others (sic) member, I'm 25 telling the truth, our feelings, then 208 1 2 you guys -- you do understand my 3 feelings today. I just -- we have like 4 a statement together, maybe eighteen or 5 twenty Nepalese and Tibetan communities, 6 representing saying something together 7 right now. All the member are standing 8 behind me, so I'm reading them together. 9 The Nepali community settle in 10 Woodside, Sunnyside, Elmhurst, Astoria 11 since 1990s. That's a large population 12 -- good like early 2000, more than 2000 13 people live in Sunnyside, Woodside, 14 Elmhurst, East Elmhurst and Middle 15 Village. 16 We have a very huge community around 17 the block. In the District 26 and 25, 18 Nepalese community gathering and 19 organize all nonprofit organization, 20 Adhikaar, like (unintelligible) society, 21 like so many like ethnic group we are 22 working together. Like (unintelligible) 23 community, so many communities. All the 24 communities, they donate a day, a dollar 25 a day. They're making they own building 209 1 2 in our community. Until today, most of 3 the Nepalese community doesn't have -- 4 get any one single penny from the city 5 and state. We donating the money. We 6 making the own house, we building our 7 community better. 8 Now all communities divided, this is 9 very painful for us. Please save our 10 community together. We want to sit 11 together, not divided. That's why we 12 all are strongly oppose this proposed 13 map of the District 25 and 26, strongly 14 oppose them. We do believe all elected 15 members, Commissioner and all these 16 staff you all hear us (sic) pain today. 17 Thank you so much. 18 CHAIR WALCOTT: Thank you for your 19 testimony. 20 Next, we'll go back to our virtual 21 testimony. 22 And Faye D. Hill, Ambika Persaud and 23 Amanda Debrah. 24 Faye D. Hill. 25 If not, Ambika Persaud. 210 1 2 Amanda -- 3 AMBIKA PERSAUD: Good evening. 4 CHAIR WALCOTT: I'm sorry. 5 Do I hear voices? 6 AMBIKA PERSAUD: Hi. This is Ambika 7 Persaud. 8 CHAIR WALCOTT: Hi, how are you. 9 You're up. 10 MS. PERSAUD: Okay. Good evening. 11 Thank you to the New York City 12 Districting Commission for convening 13 this hearing today. 14 My name is Ambika Persaud. I'm an 15 active member and a summer organizer at 16 South Queens Women's March, a local 17 gender justice organization. I've also 18 lived in the Queens neighborhoods, in 19 Richmond Hill and South Ozone Park for 20 most of my life. As a professionally 21 trained Indian classical dancer in the 22 public dance forum, I've shared my art 23 with so many cultural programs and 24 festive occasions in this community, all 25 spread across district lines that are 211 1 2 not intuitive and fracture us at our 3 very core. 4 A little bit about South Queens 5 Women's March, founded right before the 6 pandemic hit, South Queens Women's March 7 amplifies the voices of South Queens, 8 diverse woman and gender expansive 9 people. We are a multi-generational, 10 intersectional platform working to 11 foster women's empowerment. We take our 12 sisterhood to the streets to unify women 13 and gender expansive people and connect 14 them to the tools and resources 15 necessary to empower their own lives and 16 thrive, through mutual aid, healing and 17 art and wellness, youth and professional 18 development and civic engagement, all 19 while meeting people where they are, 20 which is what brought us to become a 21 proud member of the APA Voice 22 Redistricting Task Force. 23 Much of our work has been based in 24 Richmond Hill and South Ozone Park, home 25 to vibrant and widespread Asian-American 212 1 2 populations, specifically South Asians, 3 mainly consisting of Punjabi and 4 Indo-Caribbeans. I want to note that 5 the Asian population in Queens has grown 6 larger than any other racial group the 7 last census by 29 percent, an increase, 8 many local CBOs, including ours, put so 9 much energy into capturing. 10 These communities have been 11 gerrymandered for far too long. They've 12 been disenfranchised. When the pandemic 13 hit, many of our grassroots 14 organizations had to pivot and meet the 15 needs of our community, a community that 16 was number one for COVID incidents and 17 struggling for resources. We want to 18 finally be able to elect candidates of 19 our choice in the place we called home. 20 We can't accept our votes being diluted 21 any longer. Our community of interest 22 is bordered by Woodhaven Boulevard to 23 the west, Jamaica Avenue to the north, 24 the Van Wyck Expressway to the east, and 25 Conduit Avenue to the south. 213 1 2 The map the Districting Commission 3 recently released further divides our 4 community, splitting us up even more 5 across District 28, 29 and 32, instead 6 of keeping us together. 7 We are opposed to this map. 8 Currently, we're supporting the Unity 9 Map, as it would create a plurality APA 10 District in City Council District 32. 11 We remain open to any option that 12 will keep us together. Over the last 13 few weeks, we put in the work to have 14 meetings with some of you to advocate to 15 keep Richmond Hill and South Ozone Park 16 whole. We've also met with elected 17 officials, including Speaker Adrian 18 Adams and Selvena Brooks-Powers. 19 We have additional meetings with 20 elected officials lined up in the coming 21 days. We remain hopeful that you will 22 all hear our voices. As you go to the 23 drawing board and consider these maps, 24 we ask that you please do not divide us. 25 Keep Richmond Hill and South Ozone Park 214 1 2 whole. Thank you. 3 CHAIR WALCOTT: Thank you for your 4 testimony. 5 Is that Amanda Debrah and Mahtab 6 Khan and then Dan Miller. 7 Amanda Debrah. 8 Okay, Mahtab Khan. 9 MAHTAB KHAN: Hi, good evening. My 10 name is Mahtab Khan. I'm a South Asian 11 activist from Jamaica, Queens. It's my 12 hometown and I've lived here all of my 13 life. 14 I'm here to speak in opposition of 15 the map draft released by the Commission 16 for City Council District 24. This is 17 the district that I reside in and I 18 disagree with it. Unfortunately, the 19 map draft released by the Commission is 20 very similar to the past District 24 map 21 and I believe it violates the Voting 22 Rights Act of 1965 by not acknowledging 23 the South Asian community's growth or 24 contributions, especially from the new 25 census data that was recently collected. 215 1 2 The South Asian community has a strong 3 presence in District 24 and has been 4 undermined by the redistricting process. 5 This community has been neglected 6 for far too long despite it being a 7 community that had deeply contributed to 8 society both in the economy and the 9 previous election as a strong voting 10 block. That neglect is erasure (sic) 11 and I am surprised that the map released 12 by the Commission does not acknowledge 13 all this. 14 We heard of no taxation without 15 representation, but these marginalized 16 immigrant communities are so burdened by 17 taxes yet, aren't receiving adequate 18 representation with people who do 19 understand the struggle. 20 We do not have actual representation 21 here from City and State legislators 22 here in South East and East Queens or 23 have a representative who comes from the 24 South Asian community. 25 The establishment and those who have 216 1 2 ties to it, will attempt to divide our 3 community and prevent our voting block 4 from, you know, what happened 5 previously. We've seen this. But we 6 could say that the commission members 7 and even judges, you know, they probably 8 aren't political, but realistically 9 everything is influenced by politics. 10 And I know that some commission members 11 might have some ties with the mayor and 12 current or past city council members, 13 but for that reason, I request that the 14 Commission uses integrity and 15 recognition of the reason that they are 16 serving the Commission today, and the 17 responsibility they have on making maps 18 that help address the needs of the 19 marginalized immigrant communities that 20 have been severely underfunded, 21 underrepresented, and underserved, 22 especially because New York City is 23 considered the most diverse place in the 24 world, in terms of culture, with over 25 six hundred languages spoken here. 217 1 2 The lack of immigration resources 3 and the lack of language accessibility 4 that surprisingly, even to this day 5 have, you know, deeply impacts 6 marginalized communities, including that 7 of the South Asian community here in 8 District 24 and a new South Asian-led 9 district with new representation to help 10 address all this. And we have a huge 11 South Asian voting block here in City 12 Council District 24. It extends down to 13 City Council District 23 and I do have a 14 proposed map and I wish I could get to 15 share it on screen, but I'll be trying 16 to upload it online here, that 17 encompasses what changes that I'd like 18 to address. 19 Because elected officials, both from 20 past and present know that the South 21 Asian community has been moving up and 22 hadn't been giving power by not allowing 23 this community to be heard and receiving 24 proper representation it deserves. And 25 often South Asian communities tokenize 218 1 2 and you see elected officials meet with 3 us when it's for photo ops but not 4 necessarily when we need resources that 5 would help address their needs. These 6 same city council members decide to 7 prioritize and send more discretionary 8 funds to our privileged, affluent white 9 communities, rather than marginalized 10 communities that are struggling. 11 We need representation from people 12 who can truly understand the struggle of 13 folks from marginalized immigrant 14 communities, not someone who comes from 15 privilege. That's how we solve -- help 16 solve systemic issues that are against 17 marginalized immigrant communities. 18 And yeah, we do not need anymore 19 (unintelligible) politicians and even if 20 we're stuck with them, we need 21 marginalized immigrant communities to be 22 able to hold them accountable and to be 23 able to have a fair chance to have 24 someone run against them without any 25 more barriers by gatekeepers, who've 219 1 2 prevented marginalized communities from 3 being uplifted. 4 And I hope the Redistricting 5 Commission reflects on all this and from 6 the 2021 Redistricting Commission as 7 well, on what mistakes were made in the 8 past and how can we make this process 9 more transparent and inclusive, a more 10 fair way for us to make a new district 11 for each of our communities here, and 12 something that would actually also 13 adhere to the Voting Rights Act 1965 14 because there's so much at stake and a 15 lot of communities are in need of help 16 and this is the way to properly address 17 that. Thank you. 18 CHAIR WALCOTT: And thank you for 19 your testimony. 20 Dan Miller. Is Dan Miller available 21 virtually? 22 If not, we'll go back in-person. 23 George and -- George, but then also 24 Valerie Johnson. Maybe they're 25 together, the Ravenswood Residents 220 1 2 Association. 3 UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: They left. 4 CHAIR WALCOTT: They left. Okay. 5 Carol Wilkins. 6 UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: Did not 7 attend. 8 CHAIR WALCOTT: Okay. 9 Is it Pharati? 10 Pharati? 11 Myran Swabi. 12 UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: She left. 13 CHAIR WALCOTT: Hold on, one second. 14 Thank you very much for your help. 15 Juan Manzala (phonetic). Okay, 16 thank you. 17 And then following, Juan, I'll see 18 if the person's here, Lisa McClaren. 19 UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: Can I say a 20 few words? 21 CHAIR WALCOTT: No, not right now, 22 sir. We have a long list of people 23 still, with all due respect. 24 Yes, sir. 25 JUAN MANZALA: Good evening. My 221 1 2 name is Juan Manzala and I have been a 3 Ridgewood, Queens resident for more than 4 twenty years. 5 Thank you to the Committee for the 6 opportunity to speak today. As a son of 7 immigrants, I speak today on behalf and 8 many undocumented families and 9 individuals who are scared to lift their 10 voice and come out of the shadows. To 11 the Committee, I hope you made the best 12 decision about these maps because your 13 decisions will impact my community for 14 the next ten years. During the Corona 15 Virus pandemic, I helped establish a 16 food pantry in Ridgewood, where hundreds 17 of Latino families received food. To my 18 knowledge, the food pantry was the first 19 community food pantry in Ridgewood and 20 it helped many families during the 21 Corona Virus pandemic. 22 Ridgewood is a community that houses 23 many immigrants and undocumented 24 families that are mostly Latinos. 25 Ridgewood families come from Ecuador, 222 1 2 Mexico, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, 3 Colombia, Honduras and many Latino 4 countries. Recently, hundreds of 5 families who speak Kichwa have migrated 6 from Ecuador to Ridgewood, Queens. 7 Queens is said to be the most 8 diverse borough in New York City and 9 Ridgewood is a true reflection of 10 diverse language and cultures. 11 The last census numbers are very 12 challenging. President Trump was able 13 to place a great amount of fear in the 14 census process, so families did not want 15 to provide information to the census. I 16 saw this firsthand because I did work 17 for the census and Latino families were 18 very hesitant to provide answers to me. 19 The census was also during a global 20 pandemic, therefore, many families did 21 not want to interact and provide 22 answers. I know we must work with what 23 we have, but the numbers that are being 24 used today are not an accurate 25 reflection of my neighborhood. 223 1 2 Therefore, dividing Ridgewood into three 3 council districts means we are dividing 4 many families, especially families who 5 need the most support. 6 Your decision of the new maps will 7 establish how much resources working 8 families will receive. The latest maps 9 of the 34th District put Ridgewood 10 families in a difficult positions. The 11 34th District already has 7 NYCHA 12 developments in Brooklyn. Therefore, 13 adding three more developments will take 14 away resources from Ridgewood families, 15 which will impact them negatively. 16 Furthermore, Ridgewood is a community 17 where blessed organizations and 18 nonprofits support families. Thus, the 19 only resources that Ridgewood relies on 20 is the representation of the City 21 Council officials. To divide Ridgewood 22 will only cause Ridgewood to be less 23 important for elected officials, and 24 burying them from getting the help that 25 they need to survive in this city of 224 1 2 those three districts it is being 3 divided into. 4 District 34 already represents a 5 supportive and active Latino population 6 and it makes the most sense for my 7 community to be supported by a district 8 that puts their needs first. Ridgewood 9 is composed of mainly rent-stabilized 10 apartments. Developers profit from 11 tenants and displace them, especially 12 Latino families. After the pandemic, we 13 are entering a housing crisis and the 14 new maps will reinforce developers to 15 displace Ridgewood families because 16 families will not be reunited and 17 unorganized. 18 On the other hand, District 34 19 represents four local schools. For so 20 long, our Ridgewood schools have been 21 divided. When a student graduates from 22 a District 34 school, they are zoned to 23 a school in the 30th district. Elected 24 officials should work with schools and 25 parents to support students. Therefore, 225 1 2 expanding the 34th district upward in 3 Ridgewood will allow our Ridgewood 4 schools to be represented by one 5 councilmember. 6 The map should unite and establish a 7 community that is represented by a 8 leader that is able to prioritize their 9 needs. Historically, District 34 has 10 always fulfilled their goal for working 11 for Latino families. My advice to the 12 border is the 34th District represent 13 more Latino families in Ridgewood. If 14 the 34th District represents more of 15 Queens, it will combine a population and 16 keep the community together. If the 17 34th District expands more into Queens, 18 it will allow communities, such as the 19 LGBTQ Plus, doctor recipients, advocates 20 for street safety, undocumented 21 families, tenant advocates, and Latin 22 families to organize and work together 23 for a better Ridgewood. Please consider 24 extending the lines upward to Forest 25 Avenue or Fresh Pond and over to 60th 226 1 2 Lane, looping back down at Myrtle 3 Avenue. 4 As a longtime Ridgewood resident, I 5 truly believe that our current 6 councilmember is the best person to 7 represent more of Ridgewood and the best 8 person to represent communities that 9 were forgotten. And even when the 10 current councilmember changes, this 11 district will always have the knowledge 12 and passion to bring community groups 13 and resources that can benefit Ridgewood 14 families. 15 I want to finish by saying, dividing 16 immigrant communities, the people who 17 kept working during the pandemic, is not 18 the answer. Division is never the 19 answer. Unity is. Thank you. Thank 20 you for your testimony, sir. 21 Next in-person, Eva Tompson. 22 Derrick McCall. 23 Mark Pappas. 24 I'm sorry, Derrick McCall. 25 But if Mark Pappas and Diana 227 1 2 Zeramana are here, then follow -- 3 DERRICK MCCALL: Thank you so much 4 for the opportunity to testify. 5 My name is Derrick McCall and I'm a 6 resident of Astoria for 29 years, in the 7 same apartment four blocks from here. 8 I rarely come out to testify at 9 hearings, but the proposed lines for 10 District 26 are so horrible and so wrong 11 that I'm here tonight to register my 12 rage, my shock and my disappointment and 13 to speak in opposition, strong 14 opposition, to this map. 15 We already have the new State Senate 16 District. The special master has put 17 Astoria with the East Side in a district 18 where we're going to have wealthy East 19 Siders running to be our senator in 20 Astoria. We don't want to compound this 21 a second time by having our City Council 22 District have the same situation. 23 The new line shift me from Tiffany 24 Caban's District 22, where I've lived 25 for close to three decades to District 228 1 2 26. This is a good thing. Southern 3 Astoria, Long Island City, Sunnyside and 4 Woodside, they're very similar, but we 5 need to make certain that we keep 6 Woodside together and Sunnyside 7 together. These two communities are 8 basically the same community. 9 Everything we do, we do together and we 10 shouldn't be separated. So please keep 11 us together and please fix this mistake, 12 thank you. 13 (Applause). 14 CHAIR WALCOTT: And thank you for 15 your testimony. Are you Diana? 16 DIANA ZERAMANA: (Speaking in 17 Spanish). 18 I want to try in English. 19 CHAIR WALCOTT: Sure. 20 DIANA ZERAMANA: My name is Diana 21 Zeramana. I'm living in 34 City Council 22 District. We represent a section of 23 Ridgewood and Queens. Today I have come 24 -- coming to testifying about the 34th 25 District. I have been a Ridgewood 229 1 2 resident for 12 years. The 34th 3 District should be spend (sic) in 4 Ridgewood more because the 34th District 5 represent part of Ridgewood in Queens 6 and Bushwick and Brooklyn. Bushwick and 7 Ridgewood share similar concern. 8 Ridgewood and Bushwick show the union 9 there before the 34th (unintelligible) 10 shall be expand more in Ridgewood. 11 Ridgewood is made of mostly of Hispanic, 12 Latino families and it's making sense to 13 keeping the families together, not by 14 dividing them, thank you. 15 CHAIR WALCOTT: Thank you very much 16 for your testimony. 17 Is it Tania Sorino. 18 Are you Tania? Just double 19 checking, okay. Thank you. 20 And then following Tania, is Claudia 21 Nunez and then Mohammed Sarwar. 22 MS. SPEAKER: (Speaking in Spanish.) 23 MR. SPEAKER: The lady forgot her 24 glasses at home, so she could not read 25 her own speech. So I'm going to read it 230 1 2 in Spanish and then in English. 3 CHAIR WALCOTT: Can you do it in 4 English right now and then, if there is 5 a demand for Spanish then, we'll speak 6 to that. 7 My name is Tania and I live in 8 District Council number 34, which 9 represents a section of Ridgewood, 10 Queens. I've come to give my testimony 11 on District 34. I've been a resident of 12 Ridgewood for 20 years. District 34 13 must expand towards Ridgewood because 14 District 34 represents parts of 15 Ridgewood in Queens and Bushwick in 16 Brooklyn. Therefore, Bushwick and 17 Ridgewood would share similar concerns. 18 Ridgewood and Bushwick must maintain 19 united. Therefore, District 34 must 20 expand towards Ridgewood. Ridgewood is 21 made up particularly of Hispanic, Latin 22 families who have a sense of unity and 23 these families must remain united 24 instead of divided. 25 For a long time, Ridgewood has been 231 1 2 divided in two areas that divide the 3 community or that severed the community. 4 The new maps will divide Ridgewood even 5 further into three seats. I think that 6 to continue and to expand such 7 divisions, will damage the working class 8 families of Ridgewood. 9 If you add more NYCHA buildings in 10 District 34, you will withdraw time and 11 resources to the families of Ridgewood 12 that already need help. 13 CHAIR WALCOTT: Thank you very much. 14 Claudia Nunez? 15 UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: She left. 16 CHAIR WALCOTT: Okay. Thank you. 17 Is it Mohammed Sarwar? 18 UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: He left. 19 CHAIR WALCOTT: Okay, thank you. 20 Caesar Ruiz. 21 Following Caesar would be Jerry 22 Batalana (phonetic). 23 CAESAR RUIZ: Thank you, 24 Commissioner. I'm going to try to be 25 brief. I had a much longer one, but 232 1 2 you're all tired and so I'll make it 3 quick and easy. 4 Greetings, Commissioner. My name is 5 Caesar Ruiz. I'm a legal fellow and 6 attorney at Latino Justice, Latino 7 Justice, a civil rights organization, 8 that served the Latino community 9 throughout the nation for the past 50 10 years. We are members on the Unity 11 Coalition along CLSJ. We work to 12 represent the interests of Latino, Black 13 and Asian community members. To simply 14 put, we urge the Commission to adopt the 15 Unity Map in full. Our map is a product 16 of deep community engagement and 17 discussion as a reflection of their 18 voices. 19 I'm all about easy fixes, especially 20 this late at night, so I'll share a few 21 key points of our suggestions. 22 Adopt the Unity Map because it keeps 23 Woodside, Sunnyside whole and it 24 maintains District 26 exclusively in 25 Queens, as you've heard extensive 233 1 2 testimony tonight. Adopt the Unity Map 3 because it doesn't (unintelligible) the 4 city maps. We cross District 49 into 5 South Brooklyn to ensure flexibility 6 across the city recognizing that the 7 City Charter mandates this, as do the 8 demographic shifts among the districts 9 across the five boroughs. Now 10 apportionment. Why? The first 11 question -- the first issue is that it 12 violates the City Charter, the first 13 criteria, which means that you can't 14 under populate certain districts at the 15 expense of other districts and that's 16 clearly what we see what you have three 17 wholly contained districts in Staten 18 Island. The second is it doesn't match 19 the demographic growth. Staten Island 20 is the smallest borough and it has only 21 500K residents, and it has the lowest 22 growth rate at only 27,000. So that 23 presents huge mal apportionment 24 concerns. 25 Lastly, if anything is clear, 234 1 2 coalition districts must be protected. 3 We're not a city that is just Asian, 4 Latino or Black. We're a diverse city 5 that is served by a diverse body in 6 coalition districts that have performed 7 for communities of color, and must be 8 protected and maintained. The most 9 egregious example of disrupting 10 coalition districts, is City Council 11 District in the preliminary map 38, 12 which removes large set -- which removes 13 Red Hook and a large chunk of Sunset 14 Park, dismantling a performing coalition 15 district. While we endeavor to create 16 new majorities where possible, we don't 17 do so at the expense of disrupting 18 performing coalition districts like 26 19 or 38. We're disrupted by issues of our 20 apportionment and the creation of the 21 new majority that splits the community 22 of interest of Sunset Park. We kind of 23 accept the carrot of City Council 24 District 43 having been beaten by the 25 stick of unjust past redistricting 235 1 2 cycles, which have pitted our 3 communities against one another and 4 cause us all to suffer. 5 Simply put, these changes not only 6 exacerbate existing issues, but disturb 7 deep organizing connections within these 8 communities. Once again, I urge for the 9 full adoption of the Unity Map. And I 10 thank you for your time. 11 CHAIR WALCOTT: Thank you. 12 JERRY GUATAMALA: Good evening, my 13 name is Jerry Guatamala. I'm the 14 director of the Democracy Program at the 15 Asian-American Legal Defense and 16 Education Fund, ALDEF. We are a member 17 of the Asian-American AAPA Voice 18 Redistricting Task Force, as well as a 19 member of the Unity Map Coalition, which 20 submitted the Unity Map to you. 21 Some comments on the Commission's 22 draft map, as mentioned by my colleague, 23 Caesar, it is problematic to start with 24 Staten Island. You should not be 25 starting with Staten Island. Staten 236 1 2 Island should not be dictating the rest 3 of the map, the other 48 districts. 4 (Applause.) 5 The City Charter gives you a 6 prioritized list that you must follow. 7 Number two on that list is making sure 8 there's fair and effective 9 representation for language and racial 10 minority groups protected under the 11 Federal Voting Rights Acts. That means 12 Black, Latino and Asian communities. 13 You have to start there before you look 14 at places like Staten Island and other 15 communities of interest. What's 16 problematic also, as mentioned, 17 performing coalition districts are 18 protected by the Federal Voting Rights 19 Act. You cannot dismantle those 20 performing coalition districts, meaning 21 the Asian and Latino populations when 22 combined that are over 50 percent, that 23 are electing people of color, you cannot 24 dismantle that and replace that with 25 plurality white districts, especially 237 1 2 when the white population in Queens 3 decreased by 30 percent. This does not 4 make sense. You should be looking at 5 the census data and these new lines 6 should be reflecting the census data, 7 not turning them on their heads, not 8 dismantling performing coalition 9 districts; one of them that elected the 10 first Korean-American to City Council 11 and replacing it with a white plurality 12 district in the face of the City Charter 13 and the population demographic from the 14 last census. 15 Also, I would say, with District 32, 16 27, 28, 31, we know those are performing 17 Black districts. The Unity Map turns 28 18 into a majority Black district. So then 19 you would have three majority Black 20 districts -- well then, what about 21 Richmond Hill, South Ozone Park? That 22 is a protected community of interest, 23 it's Asian-American community of 24 interest. It is a group protected under 25 the Federal Voting Rights Act and you 238 1 2 must first ensure that there is fair and 3 effective representation for that 4 community before you look at Howard 5 Beach and Breezy Point and Broad Channel 6 and those other areas that you've drawn 7 and consolidated into District 32. 8 What about Richmond Hill and South 9 Ozone Park? You've lumped them together 10 in 28 with Rochdale Village, where they 11 have no opportunity to elect a candidate 12 of their choice. Again, I would argue 13 that's a violation of the Charter. 14 Before you move on, after the three 15 Black districts in 27, 28, and 31, you 16 must then next look at Richmond Hill, 17 South Ozone Park and make sure they have 18 fair and effective representation. What 19 does that look like? That's the Unity 20 Map District 32. It allows them for the 21 first time to have an opportunity to 22 elect a candidate of their choice. 23 We also make sure that Woodside was 24 kept whole in City Council District 26; 25 you heard a lot about that. 239 1 2 (Applause.) 3 We submitted our -- 4 (Applause.) 5 -- communities of interest to you. 6 16 Asian-American communities of 7 interest. You have the boundaries. You 8 know what we're talking about when we're 9 talking about these neighborhoods. At 10 the top of our list when we were doing 11 the Unity Map, Woodside, we wanted to 12 make sure they were kept whole; Richmond 13 Hill, South Ozone Park, they have an 14 opportunity to elect a candidate of 15 their choice and to keep Bensonhurst 16 whole -- we'll talk about that more at 17 the Brooklyn hearing. But we want to 18 see a map that complies with the Federal 19 Voting Rights Act and the City Charter 20 and is the most equitable for the 21 communities of color that are protected 22 under the Federal Voting Rights Act, 23 that is the Unity Map. I ask you adopt 24 that in full, thank you. 25 CHAIR WALCOTT: Thank you for your 240 1 2 testimony. 3 Next, we're going back to virtual. 4 Is it Salima Ashraf Islam? 5 SALIMA ISLAM: Hello. My name is 6 Salima Ashraf Islam and I am one of the 7 founding member and director of cultural 8 organization called Bangladesh Institute 9 of Performing Arts, short -- known to 10 everybody BIPA. And I have been serving 11 this organization for 30 years and 12 through this organization I'm serving 13 those area mostly Astoria, LIC, 14 Sunnyside, Woodside, those are the area 15 mostly for the Bangladeshi young 16 generation. We teach them culture and 17 everything and we perform a lot of 18 culture shows. Not only in our 19 community, we do that to spread in 20 different libraries and different 21 mainstream shows. And we have been 22 working together as a powerful 23 community. But during this 24 redistricting this area, it's really 25 concern me and I don't think this is a 241 1 2 good idea redistricting this area. 3 Because as a big community, we are very 4 powerful and we can stop a lot of 5 people. And that's why I'm just 6 thinking that redistricting this area is 7 not a good idea to go. Thank you very 8 much. 9 CHAIR WALCOTT: And thank you for 10 your testimony. 11 Next on Zoom is -- 12 MS. SPEAKER: Good evening, salaam 13 alaikum. 14 CHAIR WALCOTT: Alaikum salaam. 15 MS. SPEAKER: Thank you for the 16 opportunity to speak tonight. And I am 17 on Board of Director of Woodside on the 18 Move. I'm also member of National 19 Alliance for Filipino Concern and 20 recently I became part of the Asian 21 Advisory Council of the New York City 22 Mayor. And also I founded 23 (unintelligible) a nonprofit cultural 24 organization that brings legends, epics 25 and meets and southern history of 242 1 2 Southern Philippines to the world, 3 actually relating us to the rest of the 4 immigrant heritage, what ancient 5 ancestral Sanskrit history and the 6 history of the Philippines. 7 And the reason why I would like to 8 testify is because I'm very concerned. 9 I came here in America as an Immigrant 10 Nurse in 1990s to fill in the under 11 stocking HIV/AIDS and I served two front 12 lines during the COVID pandemic 13 presently. And Redistricting Council 14 District 26 is very scary for us, Asian 15 population, our population here in 16 Queens that gives Queens the beauty, the 17 vibration and also the healing effect of 18 the community. 19 For example, during the height of 20 COVID 19, we nurses in the hospital 21 cannot go home to our family because we 22 don't want to carry that virus home. So 23 it's the restaurants of Little Manila, 24 their chef or their cook, goes to the 25 restaurant and cook food, cultural food 243 1 2 for us and bring it to the hospital so 3 that we nurses, can eat and be nourished 4 and we can serve the epicenter of the 5 epicenter. 6 Now Woodside, Queens is currently -- 7 District 26, currently incorporates 8 Sunnyside, Woodside, Long Island City 9 and parts of Astoria and this would 10 undergo significant change if the map 11 were to go into effect. 12 The new District 26 map would see 13 much more of Astoria removed along with 14 Queensbridge and Ravenswood unfolding 15 into District 22. Most of Woodside also 16 would be gone with portions of it 17 falling into District 30 and District 18 25. 19 Currently District 26, the 20 population is 29 percent non-Hispanic, 21 white, 31 percent Asian, 29 percent 22 Hispanic and 6 percent Black. If this 23 were to divide, it will go to 44 percent 24 white non-Hispanic, and 25 percent 25 Asian, and 2 percent Hispanic and 4 244 1 2 percent Black. 3 Anyhow, what is scary is if you go 4 to divide it into four, this fractures 5 our impact to the community. Like we 6 will lose our leader who understand the 7 community. 8 Currently, our District Council 9 person in Woodside is -- has gone in 10 Woodside. A young woman was immersed in 11 the community and is able -- Julie Won 12 but she is very much responding to us, 13 to our needs in the community. And one 14 thing that I'm very concerned is, Little 15 Manila, as I had related to you our 16 story during COVID time that Little 17 Manila is a little hub for the 18 Philippines in Queens and that is where 19 you can see the visibility of the 20 Filipinos. 21 We've seen our culture and you can 22 come any time and say you have visited 23 Philippines in Queens in that little 24 corner of Queens that will become 25 invisible. We are already invisible. 245 1 2 We, Filipinos, serve in the 3 healthcare industry for centuries and 4 we, I think, you can witness yourself if 5 you have been in the hospital or in 6 healthcare that we have served with most 7 compassion. 8 Now -- 9 CHAIR WALCOTT: If you can start to 10 wrap up, please. 11 MS. SPEAKER: We're already 12 invisible and if Little Manila will be 13 impacted in this redistricting, well 14 it's a sign that we are not really being 15 cared for. In 2015, there was an 16 attempt -- 17 CHAIR WALCOTT: Excuse me. Ma'am, 18 ma'am, excuse me. With all due respect, 19 because we still have many speakers to 20 speak and we need to have you wrap up, 21 please. 22 MS. SPEAKER: Wrapping up. 23 I'm finding myself -- in 2015, there 24 was an attempt of gentrifying Woodside 25 and that is our fear right now. If we 246 1 2 are -- if there will be -- if Woodside 3 will be divided into four, we would 4 totally be erased in the map of Queens 5 or New York City. So we are opposed to 6 the new Redistricting -- 7 CHAIR WALCOTT: Thank you very much. 8 MONSIGNOR SULLIVAN: Could we have a 9 timeline? 10 CHAIR WALCOTT: And in response to 11 the Monsignor's question, we had an 12 over, as you can tell, subscription of 13 people who wanted to testify. And while 14 it is officially listed as 9:00 for 15 closing, we were able to work with the 16 local councilmember to stay in the venue 17 as long as we need it. 18 So we understand that people are on 19 a fixed schedules and we respect that 20 but we're also trying to be respectful 21 of the individuals who have definitely 22 come forward to testify both in-person 23 and virtually. So that's the balancing 24 act we're trying to achieve. 25 MONSIGNOR SULLIVAN: So in other 247 1 2 words, we don't have an end time. 3 CHAIR WALCOTT: An end time, no. 4 MONSIGNOR SULLIVAN: Okay. 5 CHAIR WALCOTT: Again, we understand 6 that people are on schedule so we are 7 respectful, but I will be here. 8 Next is Rosalyn Spegner, Chris 9 Collins and Bihari Law. 10 Okay. Maritza Cordenez, is it 11 Michelam Misker (phonetic). 12 Halley Kim. 13 I know I saw this name pop up 14 earlier, Jay Williams. 15 Halley Kim is in-person. I have him 16 listed as Zoom. 17 JAY WILLIAMS: Jay Williams is on 18 Zoom. 19 CHAIR WALCOTT: Hold on, one second, 20 Mr. Williams. 21 HALLEY KIM: Hi. Sorry. 22 CHAIR WALCOTT: No, no. Don't 23 apologize. That's okay. 24 HALLEY KIM: Hi, everyone. My name 25 is Halley Kim. I'm here with the 248 1 2 MinKwon Center for Community Action, but 3 I'm also here as a 23-year resident of 4 Sunnyside, Queens and a very proud one 5 at that. 6 So I'm here to ask that in the 7 redistricting process, we keep Sunnyside 8 and Woodside together in City Council 9 26. 10 I want to reemphasize the 11 unwieldiness of a 2-borough district and 12 the lack of necessity to do so looking 13 at the census data because we can keep 14 District 26 a Queens District. For as 15 long as I've known, Sunnyside and 16 Woodside have been in the same City 17 Council District. I live in Sunnyside, 18 my grandparents live in Woodside, we've 19 always had the same councilmember and 20 it's kind of been a point of pride for 21 me and a way for them to get information 22 on who to vote for. 23 We've also been able to kind of keep 24 the multicultural, multiethnic and more 25 importantly, the socioeconomically 249 1 2 diverse district that we're all proud to 3 be a part of. I think it is a point of 4 pride for a lot of us here. To tear 5 these two communities apart electorally 6 and instead add parts of Manhattan is to 7 solely look at the skylines of Long 8 Island City, assume that this is what 9 the entire community looks like and 10 erase what makes this district so 11 special. Thank you. 12 CHAIR WALCOTT: And thank you. 13 Jay Williams. 14 JAY WILLIAMS: Jay Williams. I am 15 the General Manager of Rochdale Village 16 located in South Jamaica, Queens. 17 Before that, I was the Assisting General 18 Manager of Rochdale Village for nine and 19 a half years, and lived here -- while 20 I've only lived here for eight years. I 21 started my family at Rochdale. 22 I just want to begin by saying that 23 I do not think that the part of District 24 28 containing the one community of 25 Rochdale Village should be split into 250 1 2 two separate districts. Upon examining 3 the City Charter Section 52 Part C of 4 the district plan and Part F, redistrict 5 lines should be kept intact 6 neighborhoods and the communities with 7 established ties of common interests and 8 association, whether historical, racial, 9 economic, ethnic, religious or other. 10 So Rochdale Village has been an 11 established community for sixty years as 12 the first, the largest Mitchell-Lama at 13 the time containing over 25,000 14 residents. They're governed by a board 15 of 15 members that are duly elected by 16 the residents that reside here. 17 While our compass spans 170 acres, 18 we are one community that share common 19 interests, share leases, maintenance 20 staff, rules and regulations. The 21 proposed district lines cuts through our 22 community and even goes as far as to cut 23 through one of our buildings, which 24 seems like a gross violation of this 25 particular section, Section F. I'd like 251 1 2 to reference that as well; that 3 districts should not be drawn for the 4 purpose of separating geographic 5 concentrations of voters enrolled in the 6 same political party into two or more 7 districts in order to diminish the 8 effective representation of such voters. 9 So just to piggyback upon what I 10 mentioned before, with regard to 11 Rochdale Village and its timeframe of 12 over sixty years, again, the district 13 line cuts through our building across 14 our grounds, through our community 15 center, which doesn't seem to make a lot 16 of sense, even from a layman's 17 perspective. 18 That's just to say if someone has a 19 problem in a building that's been cut in 20 half and it's a systemic problem, one 21 neighbor has to go to one district for 22 help and the other neighbor has to go to 23 the other for help, which doesn't seem 24 to make any sense to us. 25 And with regard to the lines in 252 1 2 general, when I examined the drawing, I 3 see that most of the lines follows 4 streets as natural barriers between one 5 district to another. Again, this one 6 cuts across, right across our grounds, 7 right across our buildings, which 8 doesn't seem right. 9 So with that being said, I'd like to 10 again repeat, I do not think that part 11 of District 28 containing one community 12 of Rochdale should be split in two 13 pieces. Thank you very much. 14 CHAIR WALCOTT: And thank you, sir. 15 Herbert Rivera. 16 Maria Jean-Pierre. 17 Okay. We're back in-person and the 18 hour is really late, but we are always 19 going to be respectful of the people who 20 want to testify and who signed up 21 beforehand. So if you can really keep 22 your remarks within the timeline, I 23 think that would be extremely helpful to 24 all of us. Thank you very much. 25 Thomas Murowski. 253 1 2 THOMAS MUROWSKI: Thank you. My 3 name is Thomas Murowski. I live in 4 Liberty Park, which is a section of 5 Glendale. I'm here to voice my 6 objection to the City's redistricting, 7 which removes a small section of 8 Glendale from District 30 and places it 9 into District 32. 10 I've lived in Liberty Park for 32 11 years and was the past president of the 12 Liberty Park Homeowners Association for 13 about fifteen years. My objection to 14 the proposed redistricting is based on 15 numerous, sound reasons and includes the 16 following: 17 First reason is, our community will 18 be detached from the rest of District 32 19 for about three quarters to a mile, well 20 actually be adjoined to the remainder of 21 the district by cemeteries and a park. 22 I don't consider that joining. 23 Cemeteries divide a neighborhood. 24 Secondly, Liberty Park is part of 25 Community Board 5, which also covers 254 1 2 Middle Village, the rest of Glendale, 3 parts of Ridgewood and Maspeth. We 4 participate in events sponsored by or 5 occurring in these areas. In fact, the 6 Community Board 5 office is right down 7 the block from where we live. In fact, 8 we go there to voice our complaints 9 in-person. 10 Our bonds with other communities 11 that I just mentioned, is through 12 organizations such as little leagues, 13 churches. Well, the proposed district's 14 districting breakup, will break these 15 bonds. As presently drawn, District 30 16 is a compact district; it's a couple 17 miles across, and a couple miles, north 18 and South. If you place us into 19 District 32, we will be the -- the 20 boundaries are about ten to twelve miles 21 apart. This is ridiculous. 22 Our police precinct is the 104th 23 Police Precinct. We utilize our 24 District Councilman to get 25 representation at our local meetings. 255 1 2 When they don't appear, we let our 3 councilmember hear about it. So without 4 our local councilman who knows this 5 area, a new councilmember will have to 6 be introduced to the new captain or 7 whatever and coordinate with the police. 8 In fact, our current representative, 9 Bob Holden, knows the area and he is 10 very familiar -- in fact, I can tell you 11 honestly, since I've been active in the 12 homeowners' association for years, every 13 one of our past council members have 14 been familiar with our area and have 15 been very, very familiar with our 16 issues. 17 In fact, a few months ago, you may 18 have seen in on the news. At the 19 intersection of Cypress Avenue and 20 Cooper Avenue, a pedestrian was hit by a 21 car not once, but twice. And we called 22 up Bob Holden, he arranged to have a 23 press conference, he got the DOT 24 commissioner, I think his name is 25 Rodriguez, and that -- they got changes 256 1 2 implemented at that intersection with 3 the lighting, signage. It looks like, 4 you know, it has improved. This is the 5 kind of representation that we expect 6 from our council -- 7 CHAIR WALCOTT: Please start to wrap 8 it up. 9 THOMAS MUROWSKI: I'm trying to keep 10 this -- that's about the end of my 11 speech. Like I said, we don't want to 12 be detached from the rest of the 13 district that we are in right now. 14 Thank you. 15 CHAIR WALCOTT: And thank you, sir. 16 Kwaneek Kaur (phonetic). 17 Maritza Sasah (phonetic). 18 Jane Margaratin (phonetic). 19 Elizabeth O'Young. 20 Following Elizabeth O'Young is 21 Mohammed Ahmed, Foranza Linda and then 22 Elsa Kotar (phonetic). 23 ELIZABETH O'YOUNG: Good evening, 24 Commissioners. My name is Elizabeth 25 O'Young. I'm a coordinator at APA 257 1 2 Redistricting Task Force, the largest of 3 Asian-American redistricting coalition 4 of 21 leading civic engagement groups 5 throughout the city. 6 Following the release of the 7 Commission's draft map, an article in 8 Politico, dated July 27, 2022, alleged 9 New York City Council's minority leader, 10 whose district is in Staten Island, 11 influence the Commission's draft map. 12 The draft map prioritizes Staten Island 13 which represents 5.6 percent of the 14 city's population over 94.4 percent of 15 the city's residents. If this article 16 is true, backdoor deals make a mockery 17 of democracy. We, the public, are not 18 in a position to comment on the veracity 19 of this article. But it remains 20 perplexing how three districts in Staten 21 Island, the borough that experienced the 22 least population growth over the last 23 decade of all five boroughs, could 24 restrict the size of the rest of the 48 25 districts in New York City. 258 1 2 The needs of Staten Island must be 3 balanced with where the population has 4 grown more; and that's in Brooklyn, 5 Queens, Manhattan, and the Bronx, 6 respectively. Otherwise, millions of 7 New York City residents, including those 8 supposed to be protected by the Voting 9 Rights Act, are being stripped of an 10 opportunity for fair representation. 11 We applaud Commissioner Judge Go for 12 publicly recognizing this glaring 13 injustice and by abstaining from voting 14 on this draft map. We hope the 15 Commission's final maps will rectify 16 this gross imbalance and restore the 17 public's confidence in this 18 redistricting process. 19 The same Politico article also 20 mentioned a different map the Comission 21 drew that did not have all three 22 districts contained within Staten 23 Island, but this draft map was not 24 released to the public. To ensure 25 transparency, we ask the Commission to 259 1 2 please release the map immediately, this 3 map, this draft map, that was not given 4 to the public, for review and comment 5 prior to the Commission submitting a 6 revised map to the City Council. 7 Without access to this undisclosed 8 alternative draft map by the Commission, 9 our task force members last night voted 10 to support the Unity Map for City 11 Council. The Unity Map so far is the 12 map that best keeps the sixteen 13 Asian-American communities of interest 14 in New York City whole. 15 For Queens Unity Map keeps Woodside, 16 including Little Manila, whole in 17 District 26, keeps the APA community of 18 interest in Elmhurst whole in District 19 25, considers the growth and APA 20 population in Northern Flushing in 21 District 20 and creates a plurality APA 22 district in Richmond Hill, South Ozone 23 Park in District 32. 24 At the upcoming hearings, our task 25 force members will testify how the Unity 260 1 2 Map keeps the APA communities of 3 interest whole in Brooklyn and in 4 Manhattan. Thank you very much. 5 CHAIR WALCOTT: Thank you for your 6 testimony. 7 Mohammed Ahmed. 8 MOHAMMED AHMED: Hi. Good 9 afternoon, Commissioners. I first want 10 to start by echoing the Liz's sentiments 11 around Staten Island. It is important 12 for us to have equity in this 13 redistricting process and we are not 14 having that with Staten Island. 15 My name is Mohammed Ahmed. I am a 16 proud, Indo-Caribbean queer Muslim and 17 Southeast Queens resident, a homeowner, 18 organizer and community member of 19 Richmond Hill. I'm also the founder and 20 executive director of the Caribbean 21 Equality Project, a community-based 22 organization that advocates for and 23 represents Black and brown Caribbean 24 LGBTQ immigrants in New York City. 25 For the past decade, I have 261 1 2 witnessed the growth and development of 3 my community, little Guyana in Richmond 4 Hill and Little Punjab in South Ozone 5 Park, are home to New York City's 6 thriving South Asian and Indo-Caribbean 7 communities in Queens. 8 Currently, these communities of 9 interest are unjustifiably divided into 10 three City Council Districts, 28, 29, 11 and 32. These district lines have 12 diluted our political power, vote and 13 voice for decades. The progress in 14 these neighborhoods began in the 60s and 15 70s with migration of people from 16 Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, India, 17 Pakistan and Bangladesh; to just name a 18 few countries. 19 Today, you can buy your bread from 20 Sybil's at Liberty Avenue and 132nd 21 Street, go to Jum'ah prayers on Fridays 22 at Masjid Al-Abidin, shop for cultural 23 groceries, clothing and religious items 24 along Liberty Avenue and 101st Avenue, 25 play Holi at Smokey Park, the Sikh 262 1 2 community can safely worship at a 3 Gurdwara located on 113th Street playing 4 and 101st Avenue, and the Hindu 5 community can attend prayers you 6 (unintelligible) Mandir located at 101st 7 Street and 97th Avenue. 8 These historical locations are all 9 within fifteen minutes drive of each 10 other and within the natural boundaries 11 of Richmond Hill and South Ozone Park, 12 which are Woodhaven Boulevard to the 13 west, Jamaica Avenue to the north, the 14 Van Wyck Expressway to the east and the 15 South Conduit to the South. 16 What you won't find in these South 17 Asian and Indo-Caribbean neighborhoods, 18 is single City Council District office. 19 These neighborhoods are also home to 20 Richmond Hill and John Adams High 21 School, hundreds of thriving small 22 businesses and thousands of residential 23 houses that deserves an equitable 24 political representation. 25 The Commission's proposed map for 263 1 2 Richmond Hill and South Ozone Park 3 further divide my community into five 4 City Council Districts. If you look at 5 your map, you will see that Richmond 6 Hill and South Ozone Park are divided 7 amongst City Council District 27, 28, 8 29, 31 and 32. This is not what many of 9 us have testified in-person and 10 virtually asked for. We boldly ask for 11 our community of interest to be kept 12 whole in a single, compact district. 13 Redistricting is a racial justice of 14 human rights and a quality of life 15 issue. 16 Each new City Council District you 17 create, should reflect the population 18 growth of these neighborhoods. There 19 should be equity in your process. What 20 you have collectively proposed for 21 Richmond Hill and South Ozone Park, is 22 the definition of political 23 disenfranchisement and racial 24 gerrymandering. 25 Our diverse and intersectional 264 1 2 communities can no longer be ignored, 3 underfunded and underresourced, not by 4 this Commission or any other sitting 5 elected official. 6 Today I am calling on the New York 7 City Redistricting Commission to hear 8 our voices and bring justice to Richmond 9 Hill. We deserve equity in the New York 10 City Redistricting process; we deserve 11 to be kept whole and protected under the 12 Voting Rights Act. We deserve fair and 13 equitable maps, we deserve to be united 14 and not divided. 15 You have the political power to end 16 decades of gerrymandering and political 17 violence in Southeast Queens. Give us a 18 fighting chance to emerge from the COVID 19 19 pandemic, a more politically 20 resilient community. Thank you. 21 CHAIR WALCOTT: Thank you. 22 Feronza Linzer. 23 After Feronza Linzer, Lisa Ahtar. 24 (Phonetic). 25 LISA AHTAR: I'm Lisa. I'm actually 265 1 2 going to go first. Feronza and I are 3 part of the same organization. 4 CHAIR WALCOTT: Okay. 5 LISA AHTAR: My name is Lisa Ahtar. 6 I'm a longtime resident and voter in 7 Richmond Hill Council District 28. I 8 work at Chhaya CDC, a member 9 organization of APA Voice Redistricting 10 Task Force. Chhaya is a 22 year-old 11 community organization located in 12 Jackson Heights and Richmond Hill 13 serving the Indo-Caribbean and South 14 Asian communities across Queens; 15 including Elmhurst, Woodside, Jackson 16 Heights, Richmond Hill and South Ozone 17 Park. Bangladeshis, Guyanese, Nepalis 18 and Tibetans, Punjabis and other 19 Indians, Trinidadians and more, make up 20 this richly diverse yet, cohesive 21 diaspora. Chhaya works to build housing 22 stability, economic well-being and the 23 power of South Asian and Indo-Caribbean 24 communities by providing housing 25 counseling for tenants and homeowners, 266 1 2 financial counseling, free tax prep and 3 immigration services. 4 Over the last two decades, this 5 community has been and continues to be 6 severely underserved while facing some 7 of the hardest housing and economic 8 issues in New York City. Chhaya 9 believes the following district lines 10 will allow for our communities to be 11 whole. For Richmond Hill and South 12 Ozone Park, the natural lines are 13 Woodhaven Boulevard to the west, Jamaica 14 Avenue to the north, Van Wyck Expressway 15 to the east and Conduit Avenue to the 16 south, which keep the communities of 17 interest together. 18 In Woodside, we oppose the 19 Commission's draft map for Woodside as 20 it divides the Asian Community into many 21 districts and puts the significantly 22 Asian part of Woodside in District 30. 23 This includes the Filipino, Nepalese, 24 Tibetan and Bangladeshi communities. 25 The APA community in Woodside has 267 1 2 little to no commonalities with District 3 30. We would like to see Woodside 4 remain whole in District 26 and we 5 support the Unity Map for Woodside, as 6 it does this. 7 In Elmhurst, we appreciate and 8 commend the Commission in keeping 9 Elmhurst whole in District 25. We hope 10 this part of the map is maintained. 11 The South Asian and Indo-Caribbean 12 communities share deep cultural, 13 commercial, religious and linguistic 14 connections in Council Districts 25, 28 15 and 32. In these districts, over the 16 last two decades, deep ties were 17 strengthened within the South Asian and 18 Indo-Caribbean communities. 19 During the post-911 backlash, when 20 our Muslim and city community members 21 were targeted, our entire communities 22 came together to support each other. 23 During the pandemic when mutual aid 24 groups comprised of Bangladeshi, Punjabi 25 and Indo-Caribbean members came together 268 1 2 to address food insecurities and the 3 need for PPE and testing sites. And 4 recently, census outreach is another 5 example of our communities coming 6 together. Guyanese, Bangladeshis, 7 Indians and Nepalis, all working 8 together to ensure our communities were 9 counted. 10 We urge the Redistricting Commission 11 to ensure that the South Asians and 12 Indo-Caribbeans in these key 13 neighborhoods are no longer fractured, 14 as they have been historically and 15 finally have the opportunity to elect a 16 candidate who truly represents their 17 voices and needs. Our communities can 18 no longer be invisible and divided, 19 thank you. 20 CHAIR WALCOTT: Thank you for your 21 testimony. 22 FERONZA LINZER: My name is Feronza 23 Linzer and I work at Chhaya CDC. I am a 24 longtime resident, worker and voter in 25 Council District 25. My family and I 269 1 2 have lived in our two-family home in 3 Woodside since 2003. My sister and her 4 husband are renters in Elmhurst, with my 5 niece and nephew attending a local 6 daycare and public school in the area. 7 All of us collectively frequent 8 Woodside, Elmhurst and Jackson Heights 9 for work, family and friends, shopping, 10 food, cultural events and services. 11 I support and commend the Commission 12 for keeping Elmhurst whole in District 13 25, just like the Unity Map does, 14 including many of the communities of 15 interest that I grew up with together in 16 the district, including Jackson Heights. 17 The northern border of the proposed maps 18 for District 25 does not extent far 19 enough to Astoria Boulevard to include 20 all of the South Asians who have shared 21 interest in the district, but it does 22 include many of the key institutions 23 like the only local Punjabi and Bengali 24 grocery mart that are within walking 25 distance for those who live between 270 1 2 Northern and Astoria Boulevard. 3 But we are still supportive of the 4 proposed northern border and hope you 5 will not bring the northern line down 6 any further. Please continue to keep 7 Elmhurst whole in District 25. 8 I do oppose the Commission's draft 9 map that divides Woodside into many 10 districts and puts parts of Woodside, 11 including little Manila and the South 12 Asian parts with District 30. Woodside, 13 including Little Manila, should remain 14 whole in District 26, just like the 15 Unity Map does. The basis for these 16 opinions is equally grounded in my 17 experience growing up in these 18 neighborhoods, and working at Chhaya as 19 a student, volunteer and then teacher at 20 the Islamic Center of Jackson Heights on 21 79th Street and 31st Avenue, which 22 became our source, as well as for many 23 others for community information and 24 resources. 25 Jackson Heights was where we shopped 271 1 2 for groceries, picked up news 3 publications, attended street festivals 4 and got our taxes done by people who 5 could speak Bengali. 6 The APA community in Elmhurst and 7 Jackson Heights share various commercial 8 cultural corridors, as we mentioned 9 earlier. The same can be said about the 10 Filipino, Bangladeshi, Nepali and 11 Tibetan community in Woodside. Many of 12 us in these neighborhoods are homeowners 13 and tenants who are working class, often 14 times taxi drivers, construction 15 workers, restaurant and hotel staff who 16 work long hours struggling to pay off 17 mortgage or rent. Many tenants rent in 18 1 to 4-family homes, basement apartments 19 or rent stabilized buildings. Both face 20 rising housing costs, stagnant income 21 and sit under the constant threat of 22 displacement and gentrification. The 23 APA community in these neighborhoods 24 must be kept whole with the distinctions 25 made earlier in order to preserve their 272 1 2 community and homes. These 3 neighborhoods and communities are my 4 home and place of work, and I'm 5 committed to seeing it grow and thrive. 6 I hope the Commission will help us do 7 that and ensure that our communities can 8 get the representation and access we 9 deserve and continue to have to fight 10 for. Thank you so much. 11 CHAIR WALCOTT: And thank you for 12 your testimony. 13 Next is Tenzin Chin, John Baheya 14 (phonetic) and then, Halley Kim. 15 TENZIN CHIN: Good evening. Can I 16 just say this is way past my bedtime? 17 So, I've been here since five o'clock. 18 I'm not complaining. I just will -- 19 CHAIR WALCOTT: Thank you. 20 TENZIN CHIN: Well, thank you guys 21 for sticking around. I didn't see any 22 of you -- I think some of you took 23 breaks -- bathroom breaks, I should say. 24 CHAIR WALCOTT: Now you're getting 25 into TMI. 273 1 2 TENZIN CHIN: Okay, I'll be brief. 3 I'll be brief. So I missed the e-mail. 4 Apparently, I'm in the 9:30 group. I 5 didn't realize it. I was so excited to 6 be here so I got here at 5:00. 7 It's almost five and a half hours, 8 but my motivation for being here is very 9 selfish. I'm here to speak on behalf of 10 my community, the Tibetan-American 11 community. So within that five hour 12 duration, I almost left. As you can 13 imagine, we're all human beings. It's 14 like a grueling 5 hours long. So then, 15 I had to reflect, right? It's kind of 16 off script, like, you know, my -- kind 17 of the Tibetan people have escaped 18 political prosecution, religious 19 prosecution. They came to countries 20 like this so they can actually speak 21 their mind without any fair of, you 22 know, dying or getting killed. So for 23 that, I just want to thank you guys for 24 giving us space to voice our opinion and 25 then also taking a lot of time to listen 274 1 2 to us. 3 Okay. So to my point, I'm going to 4 go off script because it's very late. 5 It's time to go to bed. I luckily live 6 ten minutes away, so hopefully none of 7 you have to go more than an hour to get 8 to your apartment or your home. 9 As I was saying, I'm a 10 Tibetan-American. So our community is 11 mostly -- predominantly resides in 12 District 25 and most importantly 13 District 26. As we know, in the new map 14 District 26 has dramatically changed. 15 So we're already kind of spread across 16 like District 26 and 25, a little bit of 17 22, 29, 30. But now, with this new map, 18 we're scattered across at least four to 19 five different districts. We're a new 20 community here. We're a minority within 21 minority. We're Asian-American, we're 22 part of the Himalayan group; so the 23 Nepalese and Bhutanese, they already 24 spoke, but you know, we want -- we built 25 a lot of political capital and 275 1 2 institutional relationship with District 3 26. 4 Before Julie Won, we were close to I 5 think Councilmember Jim Brammer, you 6 know, District 26, 25, now with Shaker 7 -- Councilmember Shaker. So we don't 8 want to lose that. We don't want to, 9 you know, our community leaders are here 10 right now. Hopefully they will speak as 11 well. They're all volunteers, nobody 12 gets paid within our community to, you 13 know, to serve this community. Now 14 you're asking us to do, you know, they 15 have two part-time jobs, three full-time 16 jobs and now, you're asking them, hey, 17 you need to talk to four different 18 council members -- five maybe. So this 19 is totally unacceptable to us. 20 So with that, I'll just conclude 21 with the -- maybe something close to 22 your neck of the woods, Mr. Walcott. 23 There is a Woodside library within 24 District 26. I know you're part of the 25 Queens Public Library, you're president. 276 1 2 Within that, you know, you're kind of 3 like, you're a noble cause, noble work 4 there is an effort made within that 5 library. A lot of Tibetan books are 6 being translated in Tibet, that might be 7 impacted because of the community. 8 So my conclusion is, please, I urge, 9 you know District 26 be preserved as 10 much as possible. Thank you so much for 11 your time. 12 CHAIR WALCOTT: And thank you as 13 well and have a good night's sleep. 14 John Baheya. 15 JOHN BAHEYA: Hello to the 16 Commissioners and staff of the 17 Districting Commission. This is my 18 third time testifying in front of the 19 Commission for communities that I 20 strongly advocate for, which is the 21 Filipino community and Little Manila and 22 the neighborhood of Woodside. 23 My name is John Baheya. I'm a proud 24 Woodside resident and currently the 25 community affairs associate at a local 277 1 2 community nonprofit with Time to Move. 3 I'm also a board member of Queens 4 Community Board 2, whose 5 responsibilities and services include 6 the entire neighborhood of Woodside and 7 covers almost all of the neighborhoods 8 of Council District 26. I also attend 9 CUNY LaGuardia Community College in Long 10 Island City. So basically, I breathe 11 live, work and have my education in 12 Council District 26. 13 My identified community is 14 Woodside's Little Manila, which 15 stretches from 70th Street to 63rd 16 Street along Roosevelt Avenue in 17 Woodside. The preliminary map proposal 18 released by the Commission is deeply 19 concerning to me, as it divides up the 20 communities of interest and fails to 21 comply with the City Charter. 22 Woodside's split from the west of 23 58th Street, including the loss of 24 Woodside's green space and park, from 25 the greater Woodside area, which is the 278 1 2 Doughboy Park and Lawrence Virgilio 3 playground and also parts of Woodside to 4 the north of Broadway Avenue and above 5 31st Avenue. And with the bulk of 6 Woodside being incorporated with the 7 neighborhoods of Maspeth, Middle 8 Village, Ridgewood and Glendale, it thus 9 creates a majority white district, 10 dismantling a minority performing 11 district. This new map also separates 12 key transportation networks with also a 13 known lack of investment public 14 transportation in Council District 30, 15 it would be very disadvantageous due to 16 the day-to-day lives of Woodside 17 commuters and working class families 18 that rely on public transportation in 19 Woodside, including Little Manila. 20 Woodside on the Move supports a 21 Unity Map proposal with APA Voice 22 Coalition and the new Unity Coalition 23 members. We urge the Commission that 24 the neighborhoods of Woodside and Little 25 Manila should be kept whole to the 279 1 2 extent possible and to remain in Council 3 District 26. 4 Thank you so much for the 5 opportunity to voice my community's 6 concern and opinions on the preliminary 7 map proposals, and we ask the Commission 8 to not disenfranchise communities of 9 interest, take away very important voter 10 empowerment and disregard our 11 longstanding communities. Thank you. 12 CHAIR WALCOTT: Thank you for your 13 testimony. 14 Halley Kim. 15 UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: He already 16 left. 17 CHAIR WALCOTT: Okay. 18 Farah Salam. 19 Sandra Choi. 20 I see someone running down the 21 steps. Please don't run down the steps. 22 Hi. Good evening. 23 CHAIR WALCOTT: Good evening. 24 FARAH SALAM: I just wanted to ask, 25 I've been seeing a lot of folks with 280 1 2 their phones. A lot of people have been 3 here all night and they're going to be 4 here for the rest of the night. So I 5 just hope that everyone is taking notes 6 because, you know, a lot of people are 7 here speaking passionately about their 8 communities. 9 CHAIR WALCOTT: Just as a reminder, 10 we're also having it transcribed as 11 well. So we have a person that's in the 12 front doing transcription. 13 FARAH SALAM: All right, great. 14 Thank you. 15 So my name is Farah Salam and I live 16 in District 26. I am a 17 Bangladeshi-American. I live in 18 Sunnyside. 19 Since the late 1970s, the 20 Bangladeshi community members and 21 families have been an integral part of 22 Astoria, Woodside, Sunnyside and Long 23 Island City in District 26. Over the 24 last twenty, thirty years, we have also 25 established small businesses in the 281 1 2 neighborhood of Dutch Kills, Astoria on 3 36th Avenue and 30th Street, which we 4 call Little Bangladesh. 5 Western Queens became a safe haven 6 for Bangladeshis coming here after 7 Bangladesh fell under authoritarian rule 8 in the 1980s. As the country continued 9 with the struggles, Bangladeshi 10 immigrants made their homes in the 11 current District 26 seeking economic and 12 social stability. They not only 13 established their homes here, they 14 established their businesses, sent their 15 children to school and created different 16 community organizations. 17 We came here to seek and build 18 autonomy and political power as we know 19 what it is like to live without that 20 community power. District 26 is our 21 home. There are over 6,000 to 7,000 22 Bangladeshis living in District 26. We 23 are the second largest -- we're the 24 second largest growing community in New 25 York City and we live here from in 282 1 2 Sunnyside, Woodside, Long Island City 3 and Astoria, from 36th Avenue to 4 Woodside Avenue. 5 We celebrate our culture and our 6 identities in so many different ways. 7 We live, work and organize in District 8 26 for over the last 30 years. We are 9 part of the same organization. The 10 Astoria Welfare Society, the Bangladesh 11 Institute of Performing Arts, the 12 Arab-American Family Support Center, the 13 Taxi Workers Alliance and DRUM, they 14 have all worked together. There are 15 cultural and ethnic groups within 16 District 26, in tandem with other 17 immigrant groups, such as the Nepalis, 18 Tibetans, the Arabs, Filipinos and many, 19 many more Asian groups. 20 We ask that you keep us together in 21 the district. If District 26, 22 specifically Woodside, is divided into 23 four council districts like the new maps 24 proposed, it would disrupt the 25 continuity of services, and flow of 283 1 2 resources for our community. 3 For the first time ever, we have a 4 council office that provides resources 5 and translations in our language, 6 Bangla. Before, whenever we would get 7 city notices or anything and we read 8 resources in Bangla, they would often be 9 used through Google Translate or 10 somebody would translate it in a way 11 that's inaccessible. Right now, we have 12 an office that provides those 13 translations in an accessible way, in a 14 way that most people can understand, and 15 that not using Google Translate. 16 We also want to stay together within 17 the Asian-American community of District 18 26, which the overall API population 19 grew by 33 percent, according to the 20 last census for District 26. 21 This preservation of our identity 22 and political power relies on our unity, 23 to have fair and effective 24 representation by one councilmember. We 25 are a racial and language minority group 284 1 2 protected by the Voting Rights Act of 3 1965. I strongly encourage and 4 recommend that the Redistricting 5 Commission makes sure that Woodside 6 stays together, Long Island City, 7 Sunnyside and Western Astoria, as it has 8 been for the last thirty years. 9 Thank you so much and I hope you 10 have a wonderful evening. 11 CHAIR WALCOTT: Thank you very much. 12 What we were just checking on, 13 before we get to you, Mohammed Ahmed, I 14 know once spoke. Is there another 15 Ahmed? No, okay. 16 Thank you, just double checking. 17 Are you Sandra Choi? 18 SANDRA CHOI: Yes, yes. 19 CHAIR WALCOTT: Okay. 20 SANDRA CHOI: Hi. Good evening. My 21 name is Sandra. I'm here to represent 22 MinKwon Center for Community Action. 23 MinKwon established in 1984 and based in 24 Flushing, Queens, serves and organizes 25 working class Asian-American and 285 1 2 Korean-American working class immigrants 3 on civic, immigration and housing 4 advocacy. 5 My personal ties to Flushing include 6 I was born at Flushing Hospital. My 7 parents bought their first home in 8 Flushing about twenty years ago, where 9 they still live today. And I also just 10 want to mention MinKwon Center also 11 convenes the APA Voice Redistricting 12 Task Force, many of the members you're 13 hearing from tonight. 14 MinKwon serves community members 15 throughout the five boroughs but our 16 community members are primarily based in 17 the northeastern pocket of Queens, which 18 stretches along Northern Boulevard 19 commercial corridor, ten miles from 20 downtown Flushing to Bell Boulevard, 21 Bayside. Flushing's also a critical 22 transportation corridor with the 7 Train 23 Main Street Station, representing MTA's 24 most northeastern stop in New York City. 25 So we are a really important 286 1 2 transportation hub. We connect Flushing 3 to the rest of northeastern pockets of 4 Queens, areas like Linden Hill, Murray 5 Hill, Auburndale and Bayside. 6 2020 census data broken into 7 neighborhood tabulation areas, show that 8 the Asia-American community make up more 9 than 50 percent in the aforementioned 10 neighborhoods. In the borough of 11 Queens, Asian-Americans make up about a 12 quarter of the borough's residents and 13 our communities experience about 13 14 percent growth over this past decade. 15 We know that lines represent power 16 and the way that this Commission defined 17 our borders will determine how policy 18 moves, how resources are distributed and 19 ultimately how our communities are 20 represented in local government. 21 So two points I want to make 22 tonight. We were surprised to see the 23 Commission's proposed map lower the 24 northern boundary of District 20 from 25 23rd Avenue to 29th Avenue. We ask that 287 1 2 the Commission restore the original 3 boundary of the map that divides City 4 Council District 19 and 20, the same way 5 the Unity Map does. The Van Wyck 6 Expressway should be the western 7 boundary, Utopia Parkway, the eastern 8 boundary, and similar maps that respect 9 these boundaries also already exist, 10 including one for Community Board 7 and 11 the 109th police precinct. 12 Second point that I want to make 13 tonight is that, you know, initially 14 when I testified to this Commission a 15 few months ago, I mentioned that the 16 neighborhood of Murray Hill identified 17 as Koreatown on the City Council's 18 website's map, is divided into two. So 19 the City Council map identifies Murray 20 Hill as Koreatown. We don't call it 21 that. The City Council district map 22 does. So what we would like is for the 23 Commission to do is to keep the 24 neighborhood of Murray Hill whole and 25 that the Unity Map's borders also 288 1 2 reflects that. 3 So in conclusion, we would urge the 4 Commission to adopt the borders of the 5 Unity Map and thank you for your time 6 today and hanging in there with us. 7 CHAIR WALCOTT: And thank you for 8 your testimony. 9 Is it Doe Han Kim (phonetic). 10 UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: He had to go. 11 CHAIR WALCOTT: Okay. 12 Is it Sharob Robin? 13 Is it Shyam Karki? 14 UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: He left. 15 CHAIR WALCOTT: Okay. 16 Raj Kopan. 17 So Raj Kopan and is Amrit Roca 18 (phonetic) here? 19 If not, Romeo Hithal (phonetic). 20 Ellen Polavy (phonetic). 21 You'll be next after this current 22 speaker coming up. 23 And then Ivan Mossop. Okay. 24 RAJ KOPAN: Hi, everyone. First, I 25 want to say thank you for staying so 289 1 2 late. I appreciate it because I had to 3 get here late. I was putting my 7-month 4 old daughter to bed first. So it's 5 helpful that you had this late session 6 for us -- or at least for me. 7 My name is Raj Kopan. I'm a 8 resident of Rego Park in Central Queens. 9 I'm also a professor in computer science 10 and co-chair of the Central Queens 11 Redistricting Coalition. The Central 12 Queens Redistricting Coalition is a 13 nonpartisan, diverse group of residents, 14 organizers and activists of all 15 different backgrounds, who are 16 advocating for the neighborhoods of Rego 17 Park, Forest Hills, Kew Gardens and 18 Richmond Hill. 19 We reviewed your draft maps and 20 we've also developed our own map of 21 Queens that we feel resolves many of the 22 issues that we found with your map and 23 we'll be submitting that to you as well. 24 Other members of our group will be 25 testifying in other hearings. 290 1 2 I want to just summarize some of the 3 points. We were very happy to see 4 District 29 keep much of Central Queens 5 together. We believe that it keeps our 6 communities of interest whole. But it 7 appears that the consequence of that is 8 splitting many of the neighborhoods that 9 surround us, for example, Richmond Hill, 10 has been split into multiple districts 11 when it need not be. And the 12 communities there deserve to have a 13 single representative in the city 14 council. 15 Another issue we found with the map 16 is with Woodside being split into 17 multiple districts. Again, this has 18 been spoken to many times. We also take 19 issue with the proposed District 32, 20 which covers a very wide swath of 21 geography and is very irregularly shaped 22 and it separates communities that should 23 be kept together that people have 24 already spoken about. 25 What can we do about this? I think 291 1 2 the solution is pretty straightforward. 3 It is to not artificially force Staten 4 Island to have three whole districts and 5 lowering the population threshold across 6 the rest of the city. Staten Island has 7 not seen the same population growth as 8 the rest of the city, and so their 9 apportionment in the council should also 10 decrease. 11 So we look forward to submitting our 12 map of Queens and we will work with you 13 if you have any input, but Central 14 Queens should be kept whole. Thank you. 15 CHAIR WALCOTT: And thank you for 16 your testimony. 17 ELLEN POLAVY: Hi. I'm Ellen Polavy 18 and I represent Roosevelt Island and we 19 are -- we're a multi-ethnic, 20 multi-cultural, multi-financial island 21 that is very much a part of New York and 22 I would like to introduce you to Olivia, 23 Olivia Schaefer, who is going to be 24 talking on my behalf today. She is one 25 of the hyperactive Girl Scouts on 292 1 2 Roosevelt Island. She's been a Girl 3 Scout since the age of seven and she's 4 going to tell you about how the Girl 5 Scouts did something quite amazing on 6 Roosevelt Island, how a community really 7 works when it's part of the correct 8 district and we're part of Manhattan 9 District 5 and we'd like to stay that 10 way. 11 OLIVIA SCHAEFER: Thank you, 12 Chairman Walcott and members of the 13 Commission. My name is Olivia Schaefer 14 and I'm a young voice and voter on 15 Roosevelt Island. I've lived there my 16 whole life and I can probably say the 17 community there is tight-knit and 18 robust. 19 As part of that community, I worked 20 as a Girl Scout alongside my mom, who is 21 a troop leader, to build an even better 22 community. 23 In 2015, roughly seven years ago, I 24 helped rally votes to build a green roof 25 on top of my middle school, P.S.I 217, 293 1 2 as part of the New York City 3 participatory budget. We were able to 4 raise the most votes, and last year in 5 November, the community opened the new 6 green roof. That was only possible on 7 Roosevelt Island as part of Manhattan 8 working with District 5 Councilman Ben 9 Kallos. It is so rewarding to help be a 10 part of something that will last a 11 lifetime. And for a lifetime, we have 12 called ourselves Manhattanites, as we've 13 made connections with the larger island. 14 After graduating P.S.I 217, I went 15 to school in Midtown Manhattan, only 16 four stops on the F Train. I know many 17 other islanders that go to school or 18 work or travel in and out of Manhattan 19 using the commuter tram from Roosevelt 20 Island. After middle school, most of my 21 friends from the island went to 22 Manhattan for high school, rather than 23 Queens. 24 One thing that Queens could never 25 understand about our special island is 294 1 2 that it is a special island. Our larger 3 sister island of Manhattan, understands 4 the unique issues and all the 5 environmental protections that we 6 require. To be quite frank, I don't 7 think Queens can handle the iconic 8 Roosevelt Island and all its demands. 9 I know that we are a loud and active 10 community and will fight for what's 11 right. Also, I am not sure who decided 12 to put a sliver Manhattan that's part of 13 Queens -- I don't think that makes sense 14 in my opinion. 15 When people ask me where I live, I 16 proudly tell them I live on Roosevelt 17 Island, which is a part of Manhattan. 18 It has always been my home and after my 19 parents recently bought their small 20 piece of Manhattan there, hopefully 21 Roosevelt Island, part of Manhattan, 22 will be my home in the future. Thank 23 you. 24 CHAIR WALCOTT: Thank you both for 25 your testimony. 295 1 2 ELLEN POLAVY: I was going to say, I 3 brought a prop. This is a wetsuit. 4 Just ingrain this in your memory. We 5 can't swim across the river. We need to 6 be part of Manhattan. 7 CHAIR WALCOTT: Thank you very much. 8 Ivan Mossop. 9 After Mr. Mossop, it's Dan Kaminsky 10 and then Jonathan Esler. 11 IVAN MOSSOP: The quick brown fox. 12 Okay. 13 Stop Rochdale Village from being 14 drawn and quartered by the New York City 15 Districting Commission. 16 Ladies and gentlemen of the New York 17 City Districting Commission, I am Ivan 18 D. Mossop Jr., New York State 32nd 19 Republican Male Assembly District 20 Leader. I reside in the 5th 21 Congressional District, 10th Senatorial 22 District and 32nd Assembly District. 23 I share these districts with all my 24 fellow residents of Rochdale Village. 25 Though the maps of these districts have 296 1 2 recently changed, they have not been 3 redrawn to divide our community. The 4 entirety of Rochdale Village is and has 5 for decades been in the 28th City 6 Council District, currently represented 7 by City Council Speaker Adams. 8 According to redistricting -- a new 9 mapping resource created by the Center 10 for Urban Research at the Graduate 11 Center of CUNY, the New York City 12 Council preliminary plan would divide 13 our community into the 28th and 27th 14 City Council Districts. Specifically 15 eight buildings out of our twenty 16 buildings; Buildings 9-16 comprising two 17 circles on Bedell Street, and one third 18 of Building 7 would be in District 27. 19 According to the July 6, 2022 20 article of City & State New York, Anna 21 McDonough, redistricting partners of a 22 California-based firm that has also 23 worked with the State Independent 24 Redistricting Commission is working with 25 the City's Commission to actually draw 297 1 2 the maps. One might wonder if the 3 decision to draw a district line through 4 buildings, number seven, along with 5 redistricting eight other buildings was 6 made by either by a person possibly from 7 California or a computer logarithm 8 algorithm. 9 Rochdale Village Inc. Incorporated 10 in 1960 and 1965 and completed in 1965, 11 is the second largest cooperative 12 village in the world. It's a 13 Mitchell-Lama cooperative development 14 with oversight and regulation from the 15 New York State Department of Housing and 16 Community Renewal intended to be 17 affordable housing for moderate and 18 middle-income residents. The boundaries 19 of its 20 residential apartment 20 buildings are Guy R. Brewer Boulevard, 21 Baisley Boulevard, Bedell Street, 134th 22 Road, 137th Avenue. The utilities of 23 Rochdale Village 20 buildings are 24 provided by a common power plant on 25 Bedell Street. Rochdale Village has its 298 1 2 own team of public safety officers that 3 patrol the village in addition to being 4 in the confines of the 113th Police 5 Precinct. 6 Rochdale Village has a community 7 center centrally located that is 8 intended to serve the intergenerational 9 community of all 20 buildings. Rochdale 10 Village has a senior center and is a 11 naturally occurring retirement 12 community, receiving annual city funding 13 from the Department for the Aging. 14 Rochdale Village is an enclave of 15 people from the African Diaspora and is 16 the only such NORC in Queens of that 17 nature. Rochdale Village is also part 18 of the Jamaica and Hollis community that 19 the Task Force on Racial Inclusion and 20 Equity, TRIE, identified as one of 33 21 communities having accounted for more 22 than 50 percent of the city's COVID 19 23 cases. 24 When I think of Rochdale Village, I 25 think of people like me coming from or 299 1 2 having ancestors from South Carolina, 3 Georgia, other parts of the south and 4 the Caribbean, formerly of other parts 5 of Queens, and Greater New York. 6 Graduates of HBCUs and CUNY, et cetera, 7 graduates of Jamaica High School, et 8 cetera. My neighbors include employees 9 and retirees of the MTA, NYPD, FDNY, 10 civil servants and so forth; people who 11 speak not only English but Creole, 12 Spanish and various African languages. 13 It is even the home of olympic medalist, 14 Dalilah Muhammad. 15 Elected officials and politicians 16 seeking votes often make stops at 17 Rochdale Village and participate in our 18 community events. 19 CHAIR WALCOTT: Can you ask you to 20 start to wrap up, sir? 21 IVAN MOSSOP: Okay. 22 New York City Charter Chapter 2A 52C 23 states, district lines shall keep intact 24 neighborhoods and communities with 25 established ties of common interest and 300 1 2 association, whether historical, racial, 3 economic, ethnic, religious or other. 4 It is my contention that Rochdale 5 Village by its very name in its 50-year 6 or actually 60-year history is a 7 neighborhood community with established 8 ties of common historical, racial, 9 economic, ethnic and religious interest 10 and association. Any attempt to 11 partition Rochdale Village into more 12 than one city council district, would be 13 against the New York City Charter and 14 leave our community dismembered or drawn 15 and quartered. Respectfully submitted. 16 Thank you. 17 CHAIR WALCOTT: Thank you for your 18 testimony. 19 Next is Dan Kaminsky and then 20 Jonathan Esler. 21 DAN KAMINSKY: First, I want to echo 22 statements from before, just thanking 23 y'all. It is past my bedtime, I'm sure 24 many of the people here so thank you for 25 ensuring everyone gets heard. Thank the 301 1 2 people who are staying posted. 3 My name is Dan Kaminsky. I'm the 4 policy manager at Citizens Union and 5 today I'm talking more about the process 6 than about the lines itself. 7 So we've been running a community 8 education program, where we worked with 9 over a thousand New Yorkers. I think 10 we're really pleased that so many folks 11 have come out. We see this as generally 12 a good thing, even though it means a 13 later bedtime for many. And as the 14 Commission moves to the next stage of 15 the process, Citizens Union makes the 16 following comments and recommendations: 17 One, explain the reasoning behind 18 line drawing decisions. The draft 19 redistricting plan made some substantial 20 changes yet, the Commission has not 21 provided a meaningful oral or written 22 explanation to justify any new lines. 23 Most notably, the proposed plan kept 24 three whole districts on Staten Island. 25 This decision exceeded the Commission's 302 1 2 own analysis of district population 3 limits without clarifying these changes 4 to the public. 5 By using most of the legally allowed 6 population on Staten Island deviation on 7 Staten Island, 4.29 out of the 5 8 percent, the Commission left the other 9 48 districts in the city with much less 10 room to accommodate population changes 11 or comments from communities of 12 interest. Under your proposed map, 13 Staten Island averages 165,481 people 14 per district, while the rest of the city 15 averages 173,342 people per district. 16 While this is technically legal, it 17 undermines the principle of one person, 18 one vote, and equal apportionment. 19 Citizens Union finds the absence of 20 clear public justification for this 21 decision and other decisions to be 22 concerning. The urgency of providing 23 public justification for the lines, has 24 taken on new added significance to this 25 cycle, as this is the first time where 303 1 2 there's not a need for a preclearance 3 report. 4 Number two, conduct mapping 5 deliberations in public. The public was 6 not exposed to negotiations the 7 Commission had about drawing the 8 preliminary council lines. There is no 9 reason for discussions over the final 10 lines to be kept out of the public's 11 eye. 12 As we detailed in a letter submitted 13 to y'all on August 10th with -- which a 14 bunch of cosigners was here as well, 15 we're particularly concerned by recent 16 reports that others have mentioned about 17 possible backroom deals between 18 appointing authorities and their 19 influence over mapping decisions. 20 While we understand the Commission's 21 need to work in small subcommittees, key 22 mapping issues should be brought for 23 discussion before the Commission as a 24 whole. We urge you to hold mapping 25 deliberations as part of an open public 304 1 2 meeting. 3 Open meetings on mapping 4 deliberations are not an uncommon 5 practice for commission-led 6 redistricting process. Actually, the 7 last New York City Redistricting 8 Commission in 2012 held multiple public 9 meetings on maps and included district 10 by district presentations on the 11 reasoning behind every proposed line and 12 the public's concern about each area. 13 And finally, third, we request that 14 you disclose any meetings Commissioners 15 have with elected officials. All 16 meetings and other conversations with 17 council members, other elected officials 18 or their representatives -- almost 19 done -- related to the district -- 20 redistricting, must be disclosed. 21 The redistricting process is exposed 22 to politicization. Now that the maps 23 are out, elected officials and others 24 may try to put pressure on Commissioners 25 behind closed doors. To keep the 305 1 2 mapmaking process transparent, 3 Commissioners or staff members who 4 discuss maps with individuals who are 5 not affiliated with the Commission, 6 should file a disclosure form. Thank 7 y'all so much. 8 CHAIR WALCOTT: Thank you for your 9 testimony. 10 JOHN ORTIZ: Hello. My name is John 11 Ortiz. I'm a lifelong resident of 12 District 25, living in Elmhurst Queens, 13 off of Queens Boulevard and currently 14 attend high school within Long Island 15 City in District 26. 16 On behalf of my community, the 17 Filipino community in Little Manila, 18 which is situated in Woodside, District 19 26. I oppose the Commission's current 20 draft proposal because it splits 21 Woodside into four multiple districts 22 and puts part of Woodside, including 23 Little Manila, which is a community of 24 interest, rather than keeping District 25 26 whole and puts it into D30, which is 306 1 2 a predominantly white community that 3 encompasses Glendale, Middle Village and 4 Maspeth. And as we know, communities of 5 interest are conjoined together with 6 communities that do not represent them 7 politically, racially or even 8 economically do not -- does not make 9 sense, right? Because if we were to put 10 a conjoined District 26 with D 30 and 11 having that contrast of working class 12 immigrants of Little Manila, Queens over 13 to a district that's predominantly more 14 affluent, predominantly more accessible 15 when it comes to economic and social 16 status, will cause disenfranchisement to 17 Little Manila, Queens. 18 Filipinos that are predominantly 19 immigrants working in Elmhurst and 20 Woodside also are important people that 21 work in nursing homes, in the hospital 22 nearby, in Elmhurst Hospital. 23 Additionally, a major fallacy in the 24 grouping of those two districts is the 25 transportation services not provided. 307 1 2 As we know right now with the MTA lines, 3 Q39 and Q18, which are situated in D30, 4 are about to be cut and swapped with 5 QT80, which will cause disruptions in 6 the services with 20 minute delays 7 providing (sic) throughout Maspeth and 8 also Middle Village. And obviously a 9 lot of people that are working in 10 Elmhurst Hospital that reside in 11 Woodside often rely on the 7 Train to 12 get to their jobs or to also work in 13 Manhattan, for example, for labor work. 14 And if they were to rely on these bus 15 lines, which are obviously being cut 16 because of the desert is being -- 17 because the transportation desert is 18 being proposed in the MTA, when it comes 19 to D30, it'll be highly inconvenient but 20 also inequitable for immigrant families 21 to sustain in their lifestyle over there 22 after working through the night and 23 having to rely on those bus lines will 24 not be sufficient for them to get home 25 on time and also provide for the 308 1 2 communities back home. 3 So therefore, the political, 4 economical interpretation and means of 5 the immigrant community like Woodside, 6 Little Manila, is at risk of erasure 7 with that proposal, it does not 8 represent the communities of interests. 9 Then what does that say to the 10 residents who stimulate the city's 11 economy encompasses the diversity only 12 to be disenfranchised and fractioned in 13 fragments because of Staten Island being 14 the predecessor and also being the 15 decision to make a whole of other 48 16 districts that often are being 17 disenfranchised right now. 18 So I ask the Commission to keep 19 Woodside, Elmhurst whole to the fullest 20 extent and to preserve our various 21 communities of interest, in reference to 22 the Unity Map proposal by the Unity 23 Coalition, and also to prior City 24 Council district maps, in order to make 25 sure that our community of immigrants in 309 1 2 Woodside are not disenfranchised and are 3 kept whole. Thank you. 4 CHAIR WALCOTT: Thank you very much. 5 I'll be right back. 6 COUNSEL PYUN: Chairman Palmer and 7 then Eric Duncan. 8 Eric Duncan. 9 ERIC DUNCAN: Yes, good evening. My 10 name is Eric Duncan. I am a resident of 11 Ravenswood Houses in New York City 12 Housing. I'm a community activist 13 there. I also have been the vice 14 president of the Ravenswood Resident 15 Association, I've been a secretary for 16 the Police Executive Board PS8 Community 17 Council. I just left a position with 18 Jacob A. Riis Neighborhood Settlement 19 for two years working as a subcontractor 20 employee for the Department of Health 21 and Mental Hygiene on Test and Trace and 22 Tree projects. 23 I'm here to say that the map is 24 unacceptable, no disrespect to you guys. 25 The analogy I can make looking at that 310 1 2 map is like District 26 was a whole, 3 healthy community of all different types 4 of ethnicities working well together and 5 looking at that map between the 6 dissections and outright amputations, 7 it's now a corpse. It's not functional. 8 As far as our community leader, 9 Councilmember Julie Won, she was out in 10 the trenches with me and other people 11 from the community in 2020 and 2021, 12 before she was elected, making sure that 13 there was food being brought into the 14 community, thousands of meals. 15 She was out in the street handing 16 out masks and hand sanitizer before she 17 was elected. Her office is 18 unprecedented. She has an LGBTQ 19 representative, she has an 20 African-American representative, someone 21 who speaks Nepali, Tibetan, Bengali. 22 She has a Caucasian, she has a Mexican, 23 a Colombian. She has someone to 24 represent for every part of her 25 constituency. 311 1 2 Now you want to amputate 3 Queensbridge and Ravenswood Houses 4 totally out of her district and force us 5 to be represented by someone who does 6 not have anything that connects us the 7 way that our representative does; and we 8 elected her. That's not fair. 9 I'm not going to speak to the things 10 that have already been spoken on about 11 the Voting Rights Act. All of that has 12 been beaten to death. I just want you 13 to take a serious look at what you're 14 doing. And I'd like to suggest that the 15 next time -- this can be in ten years -- 16 maybe you can give the people who 17 actually live in the boroughs to do the 18 redistricting. 19 And the next time that you have a 20 hearing, could you schedule it earlier 21 in the day. We had six representatives 22 from the Ravenswood Community, that are 23 all senior. They had to leave. You 24 know that this goes on for seven, eight 25 hours. Possibly you could start in the 312 1 2 middle of the afternoon so that people 3 can actually get the opportunity to 4 speak and you could hear them. Thank 5 you. 6 COUNSEL PYUN: Rosalba Almazan. 7 Vishnu Maha Mahidol (phonetic). 8 Vishnu Maha Mahidol. 9 Muhammad Ahmed. He already 10 testified. 11 Nalima Ahmed. 12 NALIMA AHMED: It's been a long day. 13 Thank you all. I want to start 14 there first. 15 My script said good afternoon but 16 it's actually good evening now. I do 17 want to say thank you for the 18 opportunity to testify. Thank you for 19 still being here. It's really important 20 to have these conversations and I 21 appreciate all of your time. 22 My name is Nalima Ahmed and I use 23 she/her pronouns. I'm an immigrant from 24 Guyana who has called Richmond Hill home 25 the majority of my life. I'm also a 313 1 2 volunteer with the Caribbean Equality 3 Project, a Queens-based community LGBTQ 4 immigrant right based organization. 5 Richmond Hill and South Ozone Park 6 are home to the largest South Asian and 7 Indo-Caribbean communities in Queens, 8 one of the fastest immigrant populations 9 in New York City. Currently, my 10 neighborhood is unjustly divided into 11 three city council districts, 28, 29 and 12 32. These district lines have 13 deliberately gerrymandered our political 14 power for decades. 15 The Commission's proposed map for 16 Richmond Hill and South Ozone Park 17 fracture my community even further into 18 five city council districts, 27, 28, 29, 19 31, and now 32 -- and 32. 20 From my understanding of the New 21 York City Council redistricting process, 22 which is very limited, I do want to say, 23 the goal of the Commission is to create 24 a compact district that reflects the 25 growth of the general population from 314 1 2 the 2020 census, including Asians, which 3 consist of a population increase of 4 345,000 people in New York City. 5 During the COVID 19 pandemic, I 6 joined Caribbean Equality Project to do 7 census outreach to count my 8 underrepresented community of interest. 9 We jeopardize our safety and lives to 10 count the underserved and underfunded 11 communities of Little Guyana in Richmond 12 Hill and Little Punjab and South Ozone 13 Park. 14 After dominating multiple hearings, 15 the Commission's draft maps failed to 16 keep Richmond Hill and South Ozone Park 17 into a single district. That's 18 unacceptable at this point, especially 19 with all the data that has been 20 collected from the census. 21 We are more than numbers but this 22 Commission should not ignore many 23 contributions of South Queens. The 24 South Asian and Indo-Caribbean community 25 share similar language diversity, 315 1 2 migration history, cultural and 3 religious tradition and historical 4 faith-based institutions that deserve to 5 be united and not divided. 6 The natural boundaries of Richmond 7 Hill and South Ozone Park are Woodhaven 8 Boulevard to the west, Jamaica Avenue to 9 the north, the Van Wyck Expressway to 10 the east and the South Conduit Avenue to 11 the south. 12 You have the power to end 13 gerrymandering in South Queens. And 14 today I'm calling on all of you, even 15 those that are not here still, to stand 16 with us to undo decades of political 17 harm. I hope you will hear our 18 collective voice and not contribute to 19 the growing trend of racial 20 gerrymandering and political oppression. 21 Thank you for your time. 22 CHAIRMAN WALCOTT: Right on time. 23 Thank you very much. 24 So I need to have us take a five 25 minute break because our stenographer is 316 1 2 one person who has been here the entire 3 time and has not had the flexibility to 4 get up to do whatever she needs to do. 5 And so we're going to take a five minute 6 break and we'll be right back here and 7 then reconvene. 8 (Whereupon, a brief recess was 9 taken.) 10 CHAIR WALCOTT: I'm ready to 11 reconvene. It's been about five 12 minutes. Again, it's really, really 13 late. So if one could really be on time 14 as far as their testimony so we can 15 leave a little earlier and anything else 16 can be read into our public testimony, 17 which we do read. So with that being 18 said -- is it Kaytri Sahatri (phonetic). 19 UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: She just went 20 to the restroom. 21 CHAIR WALCOTT: Okay. 22 UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: She'll be 23 right back. 24 CHAIR WALCOTT: Okay, just remind 25 me. 317 1 2 Paul Trust. 3 Paul Trust. 4 Danielle Brecker. 5 Danielle's here? 6 DANIELLE BRECKER: I'm here. 7 CHAIR WALCOTT: Hi, Danielle. And 8 the way you just went to the microphone 9 gave us all a new round of energy. 10 DANIELLE BRECKER: I have been here 11 since 5:00 because I voted before I came 12 here. 13 CHAIR WALCOTT: You did it in such a 14 way we all have a new round. 15 DANIELLE BRECKER: It's really 16 strange to watch myself on screen. 17 Okay. 18 Hello. I am Danielle Brecker 19 testifying on behalf of Queens Community 20 Board 2. Queens Community Board 2 is 21 dedicated to making sure the people who 22 live within our boundaries, our 23 neighbors, are represented, have a voice 24 in decisions that impact their lives and 25 have needed resources. 318 1 2 We call on the New York City 3 Redistricting Commission to hold 4 additional hearings in Queens in 5 September and beyond so everyone who 6 wants to testify -- and tonight is not 7 everyone -- has an opportunity to do so. 8 Public input should be the priority. 9 The Commission's proposal -- I'm sorry. 10 Queens Community Board 2 opposes the 11 first map proposal for Council District 12 26, as it does not comport with the New 13 York City Charter and will have an 14 adverse impact on our community. The 15 Commission's proposal to add a portion 16 of Manhattan and all of Roosevelt Island 17 to Queens-based Council District 26 18 violates the city districting 19 requirements, as it fails to keep the 20 neighborhoods and communities intact, 21 keep the district compact and creates an 22 oddly shaped crossover district. 23 The proposed 26 further violates the 24 requirement to keep neighborhoods and 25 communities intact by dividing Woodside 319 1 2 into four council districts. The impact 3 on CB2 is stark. The proposed map 4 shifts -- as many people have said -- 5 the proposed map shifts the racial 6 makeup of District 26 towards majority 7 white, 29 percent currently to 44 8 percent. Meaning further 9 disenfranchisement and deprioritization 10 of communities of color and immigrants, 11 and the proposed map inflates the 12 average income of District 26 and CB2 13 from $80,000.00 to $110,000.00 meaning 14 the incomes is overstated for the 15 majority. But it is not about 16 demographics. It is about 17 representation and resources. 18 While the proposed map would make 19 Manhattan East Side Hospital part of 26, 20 CB2 would still have no hospitals or 21 places to give birth, as ambulances will 22 not cross a bridge or go through a 23 tunnel unless one pays privately. 24 Healthcare will remain inaccessible and 25 inequitable for many CB2 residents. 320 1 2 The proposed 26 means small 3 communities like Blissville and Wynwood 4 Gardens will even have less 5 representation and resources. In 6 Blissville, this impacts the resources 7 available to unhoused residents and 8 shelters. With the proposed District 9 26, CB2 schools will compete for already 10 decreased funding and longstanding 11 problems of overcrowding and the need to 12 build new schools, especially in growing 13 areas like Hunter's Point and Court 14 Square would continue to be unmet for 15 years. The proposed 26 would divert 16 attention from funding to environmental 17 issues in CB2, including Newtown Creek 18 clean up, and access health issues 19 related to Asthma Alley. 20 The proposed map would increase 21 public park space in District 26, but 22 that space would be in Manhattan or on 23 Roosevelt Island, which is a cause for 24 concern regarding funding for existing 25 and new parks in CB2. Thank you. 321 1 2 CHAIR WALCOTT: And thank you. 3 Was it Kaytri Sahatri (phonetic). 4 Was that the individual who -- okay. 5 Take your time. Don't run. 6 And Paul Trust did not respond, 7 correct? 8 Okay. 9 So after Kaytri, is Nonni Pratt 10 (phonetic) here? 11 Umkar Budda Madgar (phonetic). 12 Phoenix Radgar (phonetic), as well 13 as Hussain Budda Madgar (phonetic). 14 Why don't you go ahead? 15 KAYTRI SAHATRI: Thank you. Sorry 16 to keep you waiting. 17 CHAIR WALCOTT: No, no. Don't 18 apologize, please. 19 KAYTRI SAHATRI: Good evening, my 20 name is Kaytri Sahatri and I'm here 21 tonight as a representative of the 22 Indo-Caribbean Alliance Inc., otherwise 23 known as ICA, the first nonprofit 24 organization dedicated to the 25 empowerment of Indo-Caribbeans in the 322 1 2 United States. 3 I am 51-years old and I live in 4 Richmond Hill, Queens. I have been 5 living here for more than 30 years with 6 my elderly parents who migrated from 7 Guyana in 1985. After my marriage in 8 1999, I also brought my Indian-born 9 husband, who is here with me today, to 10 live here in Richmond Hill with is. 11 I also have three siblings who live 12 in Queens with their families. I work 13 at a law firm at downtown Manhattan and 14 commute daily on the A Train from 15 Lefferts Boulevard to Broadway-Nassau 16 and back. 17 Being a resident of Richmond Hill is 18 a great source of pride for me and my 19 family. Which is why I am against the 20 Commission's plan to split Richmond Hill 21 and South Ozone Park into several 22 districts. 23 The Indo-Caribbean community is 24 among the five largest immigrant 25 populations in the city and the second 323 1 2 largest in Queens. We have been 3 contributing to the city in areas of 4 healthcare, education, law enforcement, 5 politics and business. And being one of 6 the hardest hit by COVID 19 pandemic, I 7 think we deserve an equal opportunity 8 for representation at the table of 9 power. 10 You have heard from many leaders and 11 residents today all conveying how 12 important it is to keep communities 13 together. Representation is important. 14 At ICA we see families who come through 15 our doors asking for support, ranging 16 from tutoring and mentoring for their 17 children, social services assistance, as 18 well as questions around immigration and 19 voting. 20 In addition to this, whenever a 21 natural disaster strikes or manmade 22 disaster, such as COVID 19, fires that 23 we recently had on 125th Street on 24 Liberty Avenue and other disasters in 25 our community, people come to us for 324 1 2 support. We have a responsibility in 3 our community to meet the needs of the 4 thousands that are in our community. 5 It is important for us to have the 6 representation and that seed at the able 7 that will enable us to continue to 8 provide that support from our community. 9 A healthy community has a strong 10 identity. It is so important for 11 communities to maintain their identities 12 and be supported in every way. This 13 past Saturday I was fortunate to lead a 14 group of Indo-Caribbean families on a 15 tour of Liberty Avenue in Richmond Hill. 16 I watched the pride and joy on the faces 17 of the young children as I pointed out 18 landmarks that the contributions of 19 members of our community; such as Wall 20 Street and Little Guyana. 21 This in itself is the result and 22 reward for keeping our districts and 23 communities intact. These young people 24 will grow up with a strong sense of 25 identity and purpose. Please don't take 325 1 2 that away from them. Keep all of South 3 Ozone Park and Richmond Hill together. 4 Thank you. 5 CHAIR WALCOTT: And thank you. 6 Is it Wotell Rock (phonetic)? 7 UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: 8 (Unintelligible). 9 Jayden Amir. 10 Purna Haja Madgar (phonetic). 11 Dhondup Lockpa (phonetic). 12 Whojohnny Lee (phonetic). 13 WHOJOHNNY LEE: Good evening, 14 everybody. My name is Lee and I'm 15 26-years old. I spend most of my adult 16 life in Elmhurst and Jackson Heights 17 near the hospital and also Flushing. 18 As a Chinese-American immigrant, I 19 recognize the Commission's effort in 20 keeping the Asian-American community 21 whole in District 25. However, I also 22 fully support the Unity Map, not just 23 for Elmhurst but also for all other 24 neighboring districts which keeps the 25 Asian-American interests at heart and 326 1 2 unites all communities that are 3 consisted of people of color, since 4 often times we do share the very same 5 interest and concerns. 6 People often say Queens is the most 7 diverse borough, but I would like to add 8 that Elmhurst and Jackson Heights is at 9 the heart of Queens and is undoubtedly 10 the most diverse neighborhood. 11 The majority of Elmhurst is in 12 Congressional District 6, State Senate 13 District 12 and Assembly District 39. 14 Historically, we tend to elect minority 15 and queer local representatives to 16 advocate on our behalf. 17 Last year, we saw a record breaking 18 voter turnout the elect the first ever 19 Asian -- American city council member to 20 our district. To be more specific with 21 the draft map, I'm seeing that in my 22 district a few blocks below Roosevelt 23 were chopped off and a huge chunk of 24 Woodside above Broadway, which should 25 belong to District 26 were somehow added 327 1 2 in return. 3 From my understanding, Woodside and 4 Sunnyside have always been combined in 5 terms of district lines due to their 6 location and the communities' shared 7 interest. The Unity Map would address 8 this issue perfectly, as it keeps the 9 entirety of Woodside and Sunnyside in 10 District 26 and also Elmhurst and 11 Jackson Heights in 25, without any 12 overlapping and misrepresentation of the 13 communities involved. 14 Also as a Chinese-American 15 immigrant, I'm so proud to say that I'm 16 a community organizer based in Flushing, 17 which is also why I'm advocating for the 18 Unity Map for Flushing and Bayside, 19 which address the misrepresentation 20 issue of our community. 21 The Commission's draft map lower the 22 northern boundary of District 20 from 23 23rd Avenue to 29th Avenue. We ask that 24 Commission's map be modified to consider 25 the growing Asian-American community in 328 1 2 Mitchell-Linden and move the northern 3 boundary to 22nd Avenue, as the Unity 4 Map does. 5 More importantly, I would also like 6 the Commission to reconsider the Unity 7 Map specifically near Murray Hill, which 8 is the vibrant Korean-American 9 neighborhood that centers on Northern 10 Boulevard and is currently divided by 11 the Commission's draft map as well as in 12 existing lines. 13 The Unity Map addressed this issue 14 perfectly by bringing in the entirety of 15 Murray Hill back to District 20 where it 16 should belong, a district that is 17 predominantly consisted of Chinese and 18 Korean Americans and historically elects 19 Asian-Americans as our local 20 representatives. Thank you for your 21 time and consideration. 22 CHAIR WALCOTT: Thank you for your 23 testimony. Now we're going to go 24 virtual and then we'll come back in -- 25 person. 329 1 2 Is it Murray Galinine (phonetic)? 3 MURRAY GALININE: Galinine. Thank 4 you. 5 Well, first of all, it's late and 6 I'm grateful that you all have stayed 7 here. Thank you, Chairman Walcott and 8 the Commission. I really appreciate it. 9 My name is Murray Galinine. I am 10 chairperson of the Queens Community 11 Board 2. Before I start, I just want to 12 say how listening to the really 13 heartfelt, thoughtful and passionate 14 testimony from my neighbors here in 15 Queens, really humbles me and makes me 16 so proud to be a resident of Queens. It 17 really shows how important it is to come 18 together to participate in democracy and 19 let our voices be heard. 20 I'm testifying tonight to make sure 21 that our community has proper 22 representation, that we prevent 23 disenfranchisement and that we ensure 24 that marginalized communities are not 25 divided and diluted. This is why we 330 1 2 strongly oppose the map, this first map 3 proposal for District 26. 4 The draft district does not align 5 with the New York City Charter and it 6 will have adverse effects on our 7 community and our council district. 8 The district is not compact, as 9 you've heard over and over again from 10 different folks' testimony. It does not 11 limit crossover districts. In fact, it 12 spreads over three different land masses 13 but it is three different landmasses. I 14 know it's really only two boroughs 15 technically, but it is three different 16 landmasses that are all distinct. 17 The proposed district actually 18 received a score of 27.4 out of 100 for 19 compactness by The CUNY Center for Urban 20 Research, which you can learn move about 21 that at redistricting.org. As you've 22 heard before, it's not keeping the 23 community intact and when we look at the 24 demographics, as we've heard before, 25 right now, we have a very even split 331 1 2 among Asian, Hispanic and white 3 non-Hispanic, all around 30 percent. 4 The new district would be 44 percent 5 white non-Hispanic and will drop all of 6 the other demographic ethnicities. And 7 if we cut out Woodside and we split it 8 into multiple districts, it's just going 9 to lead to more disenfranchisement. 10 CB2, as you've heard before, has a 11 dearth of public open green spaces and 12 no hospital birthing center or women's 13 medical facility. These are all things 14 we have been working hard to improve. 15 However, if we add in Manhattan and 16 Roosevelt Island, the district suddenly 17 looks like we have a glut of resources 18 and infrastructure and we won't actually 19 be getting any improvements in the 20 district. And that can hurt our ability 21 to get the resources we need. 22 What we haven't talked about much is 23 an impact on the actual council 24 district. CB2, of course, as a city 25 agency is a nonpartisan agency, but we 332 1 2 must address the impact of the proposed 3 District 26 would have on CB2 Queens. 4 The result of this map would mean 5 diminished representation. Why? 6 Because the councilmember, whoever that 7 would be, would be saddled with multiple 8 community boards and three different 9 landmasses, meaning less representation, 10 attention, resources and funding for all 11 the districts. This representative 12 would also be responsible for multiple 13 land use and re-zonings, meaning that 14 the member would have to spend 15 significant time and have significant 16 influence on development across two 17 boroughs and multiple communities and 18 would likely need multiple district 19 offices, perhaps three; Queens, 20 Roosevelt Island and Manhattan, which 21 would mean more money spent on rent 22 rather than on constituent services. 23 Finally, I call the Comission to 24 hold additional hearings. We've seen 25 this is really, really, a tremendous 333 1 2 outpouring of participation here 3 tonight. We know it's exhausting for 4 everyone, but people in Queens want to 5 be able to testify and we're grateful 6 for you staying so late. But this is a 7 time of where when people are on 8 vacation and many are visiting family in 9 faraway places. 10 As you've heard, this is a borough 11 that is extremely diverse with 12 immigrants from all over the world. And 13 while school is out, people are 14 vacationing and visiting family far 15 away. So the community must have a 16 voice in this process and we must not 17 let logistics impede their opportunity 18 to participate. 19 Our full statement will contain more 20 and will be submitted. Thank you for 21 your time and attention. 22 CHAIR WALCOTT: And thank you for 23 your testimony. 24 Okay. Now we're back here. 25 Five Borough Man. 334 1 2 FIVE BOROUGH MAN: To the Chair and 3 Executive Director who prepares for 4 Shaft and Superfly, not to mention 5 Geoffrey Cambridge and (unintelligible). 6 Again, I told you these public hearings 7 shouldn't start before 6 p.m. and you 8 didn't listen. 9 There's an old saying that goes, 10 your hard head will give you a soft 11 behind. You didn't tell me before time 12 I could preregister, so I was confused 13 when the female posted that to ask me if 14 I preregistered. You didn't tell me I 15 could preregister as far as I know. So 16 as a result, I signed the sheet but 17 didn't know I had to wait over six hours 18 before I could finally testify, which I 19 find very disturbing given the fact that 20 I arrived here at 3:59 p.m., doors 21 didn't open until 5:15 p.m. and it's now 22 after 11. It's almost midnight and now 23 I'm finally testifying. 24 I don't find that amusing and I sure 25 as hell don't appreciate it. I 335 1 2 sincerely hope you don't do that in the 3 future. In fact, any public hearings 4 you're holding, I'd like to preregister. 5 This way hopefully, I don't have to wait 6 several hours before you finally call my 7 name. It feels like you didn't even 8 want to acknowledge me, which I didn't 9 appreciate. 10 As I said before, if you want to be 11 successful, if you want to redraw lines 12 successfully, you should go by the bus 13 corridors. That's the best way to 14 redraw these maps. Go by the bus 15 corridors. 16 Many bus corridors have many bus 17 corridors in all five boroughs. If you 18 go by the bus, the bus corridors could 19 be the boundaries. This way we'll know 20 who's representing us under the city 21 council, under the state assembly, under 22 the federal Congress. But apparently, 23 you didn't listen because from what I 24 was told, you want to separate Sunnyside 25 and Woodside, you want to separate Ozone 336 1 2 Park and Richmond Hill. So I guess your 3 favorite song is, you got to keep them 4 separated. 5 As I said before, you're not 6 supposed to break up the communities. 7 This is a break up to make up corporate 8 stylistics. I'm sure you remember that 9 song, (unintelligible) you're old 10 enough. You should remember it. 11 Okay. This is round two, and I 12 still haven't seen any improvements from 13 round one. The Chair and Executive 14 Director aren't listening. They're not 15 sharing our concerns. I don't know why 16 they bother holding public hearings to 17 begin with. It's like they are not 18 holding it for our interest, they are 19 holding it for their interest. 20 Well, as you can see, the auditorium 21 is empty. Is this the Districting 22 Commission or is it MTA, which stands 23 for Money Thrown Away. 24 You're just going to have to keep on 25 trying until you get it right, okay. 337 1 2 And by the way, speaking to you two 3 gentlemen is like speaking to my 4 divorced -- parent. You don't listen, 5 they don't listen. So as I said, your 6 hard head will give you a soft behind. 7 Food for thought. 8 CHAIR WALCOTT: Thank you for your 9 testimony. 10 Is it Howard Binbar? 11 Anu Diwar (phonetic). 12 Catello Thomas (phonetic). 13 Joyce Short. 14 Pensly Cantos (phonetic). 15 Marciallo Santos (phonetic). 16 Phil Wong. 17 Craig Carciture (phonetic). 18 Annel Shahigh. 19 UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: 20 (Unintelligible). 21 CHAIR WALCOTT: Spell that again. 22 UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: 23 (Unintelligible). 24 CHAIR WALCOTT: I said Phil Wong -- 25 that was Phil Wong, maybe. 338 1 2 Annel Shahigh. 3 Jane Pratt. 4 Gerald Nunez. 5 Benjamin Kim. 6 Benjamin Kim? 7 Don't run, don't run, don't run, 8 please. 9 BENJAMIN KIM: Hello, hello. Thank 10 you. Wow. I want to thank you for your 11 time and hosting us so late into the 12 night. 13 My name is Benjamin Kim and I'm the 14 project coordinator for Woodside on the 15 Move, a local community nonprofit that 16 serves the community of Woodside and the 17 greater western Queens area. We are a 18 member of the APA Voice Redistricting 19 Task Force, as many of our previous 20 members have spoke about. 21 Aside from the fact that I work in 22 Woodside, I'm also a resident of 23 Woodside. I've been living in Woodside 24 for about six years now. My family 25 settled in western Queens from Korea and 339 1 2 we have long ties in the community here, 3 in Sunnyside and Woodside. 4 The preliminary map proposal by the 5 Districting Commission is very 6 concerning as it splits Woodside into 7 four separate city council districts, 8 22, 25, 26 and 30. It puts the bulk of 9 Woodside into City Council District 30, 10 dividing the communities of interest 11 within the current city council lines, 12 disregarding the city charter and the 13 Federal Voting Rights Act. 14 Woodside on the Move's main goals as 15 a community based organization are to 16 serve the Woodside community, and by 17 splitting up these neighborhoods, it 18 prevents our organization from doing our 19 work to the fullest potential. 20 Indeed we were shocked that the 21 preliminary map proposal had none of our 22 members, or Woodside residents testify 23 at the discretionary hearing to be 24 placed in City Council District 30. Too 25 often, APA communities are divided as an 340 1 2 afterthought to mean a district's one 3 person, one vote requirement. However, 4 we are more than dispensable numbers. 5 We are a community. 6 The Unity Map proposal by the APA 7 Voice Coalition keeps the majority of 8 Woodside whole and within City Council 9 District 30. We support this map, this 10 Unity Map proposal because keeping 11 Woodside whole means that us, as a 12 community organization, we can continue 13 to provide vital services and advocacy 14 efforts our community members rely on. 15 Speaking of City Council District 21 16 -- 26, rather, in 2021, we elected our 17 very first ever female and immigrant 18 representative and Councilmember, Julie 19 Won. The district that elected Julie 20 Won had an Asian plurality and was a 21 well-proportioned district. 22 By redistricting parts of Manhattan 23 and Roosevelt Island into City Council 24 District 20 and the bulk of Woodside 25 into City Council District 30, it will 341 1 2 create two white plurality districts at 3 the expense of a performing minority 4 district. 5 The communities that we do serve, 6 such as members of the Latin X 7 community, who came here by the busload, 8 reside in both neighborhoods of 9 Sunnyside and Woodside, which under the 10 Commission's proposal, would be split 11 from each other. 12 Your most recent map proposal also 13 has our office located in redistricted 14 council District 30 separate from our -- 15 most of our constituents and our clients 16 from the greater Woodside area. When 17 residents of Woodside are facing 18 unlawful eviction and need housing 19 assistance, or when working parents need 20 a safe and welcoming local after school 21 program to look after their children, 22 they come to Woodside on the Move. But 23 with these new map proposals, that 24 brings that all into question. 25 I want to thank you for your time 342 1 2 and giving us the opportunity to 3 testify. Thank you so much. 4 CHAIR WALCOTT: Thank you for your 5 testimony. 6 Samten Noran. 7 Pema Choden (phonetic). 8 Following you, Pompano Parkrello 9 (phonetic). And then Emma Gartan. 10 PEMA CHODEN: Respected Commission 11 Board Members, and good evening to all 12 my. Name is Pema Choden and I was born 13 and raised in Tibetan refugee camp in 14 India. I migrate to the United States 15 over two decades ago and I'm proud to be 16 a Queens resident, a New Yorker and I'm 17 fortunate to be a Tibetan-American. 18 For over three decades, we the 19 Tibetan refugees from Tibet, India, 20 Nepal and Bhutan migrate to U.S. and 21 scatter it (sic) on different states. 22 New York Tri-state is the highest 23 Tibetan population living here comparing 24 other state. The majority of Tibetan 25 lives around the Astoria, Sunnyside, 343 1 2 Long Island City and Woodside. Today 3 there are over 15,000 Tibetan in this 4 neighborhood. We, the Tibetan 5 community, has been unified part of 6 council District 26. Our Tibetan 7 community center is the largest 8 nonprofit organization represent in the 9 U.S. Our community center is also 10 currently in the district in Woodside. 11 Even our Queens library branch in 12 Woodside has Tibetan language books. 13 The library would be placed in another 14 district -- it's a (sic) sad for me and 15 for the Tibetan community. 16 At our community center, we learn to 17 preserve our identity, our language, 18 art, cultural. For me, the community 19 center is heart and soul for a 20 Tibetan-American in New York. It would 21 disrupt community service and 22 (unintelligible) the resource. What we 23 got, we got leadership from Council 24 District 26. 25 For this first time, even in New 344 1 2 York history, we have a council office 3 that provide resource and translation in 4 our Tibetan language. This is very, 5 very -- how grateful this America is to 6 us. By presenting our identity and 7 political power relies on our unity to 8 have fair and effective representative 9 (sic) by one council member. 10 In conclusion, I strongly urge and 11 request to all the Commissions to make 12 sure Woodside stay together with Long 13 Island City, Sunnyside, Western Astoria. 14 Please protect against fracturing our 15 community and dividing us into multiple 16 council district. I support to the 17 Unity Map. Thank you for all (sic). 18 CHAIR WALCOTT: And thank you for 19 your testimony. 20 Is it Ampano Arboleda? No? 21 Is it Emma Artan? 22 NGA -- all right. 23 Following -- is Christina Ambrose 24 here? 25 Hello. Good evening. My name is 345 1 2 Nowang and I'm the vice president of 3 Tibetan Community of New York and New 4 Jersey and I'm here with one of our 5 board members. And we have recently 6 elected, overwhelmingly by the Tibetan 7 Community of New York and New Jersey, 8 and we represent Tibetan nonprofit 9 organizations of three provinces of 10 Tibet; Student for Free Tibet, Tibetan 11 Nurses Association, Tibetan Women's 12 Association and many other nonprofit 13 organizations under the Tibetan 14 community of New York and New Jersey. 15 With the passage of Immigration Act 16 of 1990, that welcomed migrants to the 17 United States in early '90s and 18 resettled around in Astoria, Woodside, 19 Sunnyside, Long Island (sic), and mostly 20 in Queens Borough. 21 Tibetan community in New York 22 comprises of (unintelligible) of 23 personal backgrounds. Tibetans from 24 Tibet, asylum seekers, refugees from 25 India, Nepal, Bhutan, Tibetan-Americans. 346 1 2 Tibetans want Tibetans. As displaced 3 people of Tibet for over 63 years, we've 4 made this home for over thirty years and 5 we're here as a result of displacement 6 due to the threat of genocide of our 7 culture and population. 8 Please do not add to the diminishing 9 of our voice and our community by 10 dividing us into multiple council 11 districts. For over thirty years, 12 Tibetan community has been a unified 13 part of Council District 26. We ask 14 that you allow us to stay together in 15 the district. 16 Tibetan Community Center of New York 17 and New Jersey is the largest Tibetan 18 nonprofit organization. We represent 19 Tibetans all over the western world and 20 we are one of the largest Tibetan 21 communities in the United States. It's 22 very vibrant, it's very vigor, and we 23 always have something on the weekends so 24 that we can preserve our culture, 25 identity, religion and language et 347 1 2 cetera. 3 So I mean it's been too late so I 4 don't want to go much. My final request 5 is I strongly recommend making sure that 6 Woodside stays together with Long Island 7 City, Sunnyside, Western Astoria as it 8 has been for the last thirty years. 9 Thank you very much. I appreciate it. 10 CHAIR WALCOTT: And thank you for 11 your testimony. 12 Is it Christina Ambrose? 13 Maria Romaine. 14 Maria Rosario. 15 Jessica Cardena. 16 Ivan Conteras. 17 Renee Taylor. 18 Shatta Perez. 19 Richard David. 20 Okay. Following you -- is Deepak 21 (phonetic) here? 22 And following Richard David is John 23 Cho. 24 Is John Cho here? 25 Okay. And then -- is it Serrani 348 1 2 Islam? 3 So, Mr. David. 4 RICHARD DAVID: Okay. Good night, 5 Commissioner Walcott and other 6 commissioners here tonight. My name is 7 Richard David. I'm a district leader in 8 Assembly District 31 in Southeast 9 Queens. I'm also a board member of the 10 Indo-Caribbean Alliance, who you heard 11 from earlier tonight. 12 I'm here to recommend improvements 13 to the proposed map for Richmond Hill 14 and South Ozone Park. I moved to the 15 United States from Guyana and have lived 16 in Southeast Queens for 27 years. This 17 is where I landed and continue to live 18 with my mom, my brothers and their kids. 19 This is actually really common to live 20 with extended family members in this 21 part of Queens. 22 I was surprised to see that in this 23 part of Queens and in New York City, 24 there are actually more Guyanese than 25 even the country of Guyana. And 349 1 2 actually, we are the second largest 3 foreign-born population in Queens after 4 the Chinese community. This is nothing 5 new. It's actually been like this for 6 decades. 7 Trinidadians who also live in our 8 neighborhood are in the top ten 9 foreign-born population groups as well, 10 and that's nothing new. And so we use 11 the term Indo-Caribbean to represent the 12 ethnic communities of the Southern 13 Caribbean that we all share a common 14 culture, language and heritage to bring 15 us together and mobilize and advocate 16 for our common interest here in New 17 York. 18 One thing that has not changed 19 though, are the political -- the city 20 council lines representing this area, 21 and that's reflected in the city 22 council, where we have never been able 23 to elect a city councilmember from any 24 of these communities, although they are 25 such large populations here in New York 350 1 2 city. And so, in this geographic area, 3 you also have no political offices at 4 the city council level. So we lack 5 basic access to senior services, 6 education resources, sanitation, the 7 main corridor in our neighborhood 8 doesn't even have garbage cans, and 9 immigration resources. So this 10 Commission has this important task to 11 correct decades of undoing. So it's not 12 one night of staying here late to fix 13 forty years of being overlooked. 14 The current map you've proposed for 15 Richmond Hill and South Ozone Park, it 16 goes far but it doesn't go far enough. 17 It must include Smokey Park, which is 18 where we have all of our outdoor 19 festivals; every single one of them. 20 It's along 125th Street and Atlantic 21 Avenue. 22 There are also about six blocks that 23 is cut out of South Ozone Park and put 24 into the Rockaways. There's no way for 25 those residents to get representation in 351 1 2 the Rockaways if they live in South 3 Ozone Park. And so I'm requesting that 4 this Commission use the boundaries of 5 Jamaica Avenue to the north, the Conduit 6 Expressway to the south, Woodhaven 7 Boulevard to the west, and the Van Wyck 8 Expressway to the east. 9 These are the same lines we asked 10 for at the federal and state levels and 11 we're asking here, tonight, to have 12 these lines in the city council. 13 Thank you all for being here and for 14 giving us the opportunity to testify 15 before you. I appreciate it. 16 CHAIR WALCOTT: And thank you for 17 your testimony, sir. 18 I just want to double check. 19 Deepok. 20 John Cho. 21 Serrani Islam. 22 Iris Chang. 23 I think Tenzin was earlier and is it 24 Elvis Davis Johnson? 25 Roger Rodriguez. 352 1 2 Then Nelly Rodriguez. 3 William Craigler. 4 Andre Dorth. 5 Richard Khuzami. 6 Loretta Foreman. 7 William Thomas. 8 William Thomas? Okay. 9 And then following William Thomas -- 10 is Brandon Lee Johnson here? 11 Yvonne Hogue. 12 Jennifer Robinson. 13 Did I hear a response to Jennifer 14 Robinson? 15 That was a yawn. You're the first 16 one I've heard yawn all night. 17 Jennifer Robinson. 18 George Lugo. 19 Myrna Swaby. 20 Christina Chayes. 21 Okay. 22 WILLIAM THOMAS: Hi, everyone. My 23 name is Will Thomas. I'm a new resident 24 of Long Island City. I'm the executive 25 director of Open New York. We're an 353 1 2 independent grassroots pro-housing 3 organization. 4 We believe that New York is 5 suffering an immense housing shortage 6 largely due to exclusionary land use and 7 zoning policies. 8 I'll try to keep this very brief, 9 given how late we are. The one thing we 10 would like to say is our advocacy and 11 land use has given us some insight into 12 the redistricting process, which we 13 would like to share. The first thing 14 that I want to emphasize is just the 15 Staten Island point that everyone else 16 has made tonight. You know, they're 17 substantially lower in residents than 18 the ideal district size, it's very 19 unfair. 20 We think that the only point we 21 would like to add there is that Staten 22 Island's political representatives have 23 actively worked with the Bloomberg 24 Administration to impose exclusionary 25 zoning and growth controls. They should 354 1 2 face the consequences of those 3 decisions, rather than being gifted 4 extra representation for simply being a 5 separate borough or controlling the 6 minority party in the city council; so 7 we think that those districts should be 8 extended out to Brooklyn. 9 But the other thing that we would 10 suggest, which I don't know has been 11 mentioned tonight, is redrawing maps 12 with an eye to expected residential 13 change over time. As map drawers are no 14 doubt aware, population growth has not 15 been equally distributed across the 16 city. According to the Citizens Budget 17 Commission, over the last decade, over 18 half of the housing built in New York 19 City has been concentrated in just ten 20 neighborhoods, and fully, one third has 21 been concentrated in just five 22 neighborhoods. So the far west side of 23 Manhattan, downtown Brooklyn, 24 Williamsburg, Greenpoint, Long Island 25 City and Astoria. 355 1 2 One insight we have from our housing 3 advocacy, population growth is not an 4 independent variable. It's dependant on 5 housing construction. And because only 6 certain areas of the city are zoned to 7 allow substantially more housing 8 construction, we know that growth will 9 likely be concentrated in those areas. 10 So we know districts aren't going to 11 be likely to have exactly equivalent 12 populations. But where they have to 13 differ, we would ask map drawers to err 14 on the side of historical data. You 15 know, if neighborhoods are -- have seen 16 little growth or grown substantially, 17 they're likely to continue on that path 18 without serious policy interventions, 19 which means that maps drawn without that 20 in mind, can very quickly result in 21 unequal representation in just a few 22 years. 23 To give a Queens centric example, 24 District 26 covers Long Island City. 25 It's fastest growing neighborhood in the 356 1 2 United States and yet, it's already over 3 its ideal population by 1100 residents. 4 This growth is likely to continue, so 5 should be an area where map makers feel 6 safe to shoot under. 7 There are a few thousand homes that 8 are already in residential developments 9 under construction right now. It makes 10 sense to start with the neighborhood -- 11 it makes little sense to start with the 12 neighborhood already in equitable 13 representation. 14 We'll include more written 15 testimony, but thank you for hearing us 16 today. 17 CHAIR WALCOTT: And thank you as 18 well. 19 Is its Toshi (phonetic). 20 Tara Herbert. 21 KJGRD, first name. I can't read the 22 last name. 23 Next one is Jason Gulupa (phonetic). 24 Arianne Melliwanog (phonetic). 25 Arianne? 357 1 2 ARIANNE AZARIA: Yes. 3 CHAIR WALCOTT: Hi. 4 And then following Arianne, is 5 Farrah, and then Evelyn Mya Fella 6 (phonetic). And Gloria Espinoza. 7 And then Hassan O. 8 ARIANNE MELLIWANOG: Hello, 9 everyone. Thank you to the New York 10 Districting Commission for hearing us 11 today. My name is Arianna Melliwanog 12 and I'm testifying on behalf of the 13 National Federation of Filipino American 14 Associations, a nationwide organization 15 dedicated towards the promotion of civic 16 engagement in the Filipino-American 17 community, and also part of the APA 18 Voice Redistricting Task Force, which 19 aims to protect APA communities of 20 interest. 21 We appreciate the work and efforts 22 that you've shared on behalf of the 23 district map thus far, which we 24 recognize is no small feat. This is my 25 third hearing and I stand again here 358 1 2 today on behalf of my Asian-America 3 community, specifically the Filipino 4 community that resides in Woodside and 5 Elmhurst. 6 I stand here in opposition of the 7 Commission's draft map, specifically as 8 it unjustifiably splits Woodside into 9 four districts, 22, 25, 26, and 30, and 10 separates parts of Woodside, including 11 the heart of Little Manila in District 12 30, rather than remaining whole in 13 District 26. 14 I've previously shared about the 15 impactful connection that Woodside and 16 Elmhurst shares with the Filipino 17 community, the home that Woodside and 18 Elmhurst has provided ever since our 19 healthcare workers emigrated to America 20 in the 1970's, the overrepresentation of 21 Filipinos due to the impact of COVID 19 22 and some of the achievements, including 23 the welcoming mural that greets everyone 24 into our Little Manila neighborhood. 25 Again, I want to reiterate 359 1 2 highlights and insights about my 3 community. The Filipino population is 4 the fourth largest AAPI population in 5 both New York City and New York State. 6 According to 2020 census data shared by 7 our partners at the Asian-American 8 Federation, the Filipino population 9 increased by 15 percent in New York City 10 between 2010 and 2020. Nearly half of 11 them reside in Queens and at least 30 12 percent of those reside in Elmhurst and 13 Woodside. 14 In Woodside and Elmhurst lives the 15 highest concentration of Filipino small 16 businesses of New York State, including 17 restaurants, remittance centers, 18 bodegas, and feed centers that serve its 19 community. 20 Splitting Woodside continues to 21 fracture our immigrant community's voice 22 and voting power, impacting our ability 23 to fund for much needed services for our 24 community and cultural centers and also 25 impacts our ability to address anti-hate 360 1 2 crimes. 3 This evening, I advocate for the 4 Filipino-American community and the 5 larger APA community. I strongly urge 6 and advocate for the Unity Map, which 7 keeps Little Manila whole, including 8 keeping Woodside whole in District 26, 9 and continuing to keep Elmhurst whole in 10 District 25. 11 It is important that our immigrant 12 families that share cultural 13 experiences, our restaurants, our 14 grocery stores that cater to our 15 communities, are not fractured and 16 instead are visible, heard and 17 addressed. 18 Thank you for your time and 19 consideration tonight. 20 CHAIR WALCOTT: And thank you for 21 your testimony. 22 HASSAN OCHUNGA: Good morning to all 23 Redistricting Commissioners. My name is 24 Hassan Ochunga (phonetic) and I'm 25 speaking as a Tibetan to oppose the 361 1 2 proposed map by the Redistricting 3 Commission. 4 We have our Tibetan community center 5 in Woodside and a lot of Tibetan 6 community lives in Sunnyside and 7 Woodside areas. The main reason why 8 people choose to live nearby and buy 9 houses there is because most of the 10 Tibetans, they send their children to 11 Tibetan language weekend classes, which 12 happens in the Tibetan community center; 13 so that's the main reason. 14 There's a little bit dense 15 population of Tibetan in Sunnyside and 16 Woodside areas. The proposed 17 redistricting -- the redistricting 18 proposed -- redistricting weakens the 19 already marginalized community and I 20 hope our voice will be heard and the 21 district will not be divided as 22 proposed. Thank you so much. 23 CHAIR WALCOTT: Thank you for your 24 testimony. 25 And let me take this opportunity to 362 1 2 thank all the audience members who are 3 still here. 4 UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: 5 (Unintelligible). 6 CHAIR WALCOTT: I'm sorry that we -- 7 you have to do -- so what is your name 8 so I -- 9 (Cross talk.) 10 Because I thought I called it 11 earlier, but maybe not. 12 I remember seeing Zoila before. So 13 yes, come on. Please. 14 Did I miss someone else? 15 ZOILA ALONZO: I want to start by 16 saying thank you, again, for the 17 opportunity and the Commission being 18 here this evening and allowing us to 19 give our testimony. 20 CHAIR WALCOTT: Please move closer 21 to the microphone. 22 Thanks. 23 ZOILA ALONZO: And my name is Zoila 24 Alonzo. I'm born in Elmhurst Hospital, 25 a lifelong resident of Northeast Queens, 363 1 2 my City Council District 21. I, myself, 3 again, am Zoila Alonzo. I'm here with 4 the Queens Latinos Presente. 5 The framers of the Constitution of 6 the United States chose population to be 7 the basis for sharing political power. 8 The results of every ten years we 9 conduct a census. The results of this 10 census help determine how hundreds of 11 billions of dollars in federal funding, 12 including grants and support to states, 13 counties and communities are spent every 14 year for the next decade. It helps 15 communities get their fair share for 16 schools, hospitals, roads, public works 17 and representation. 18 Queens Latinos Presente is a 19 grassroot coalition of Latinos in Queens 20 who are concerned about the lack of 21 representation of Latinos at all levels 22 of city government. We also have 23 witnessed the past failures of this 24 Commission as it relates to 25 redistricting in Queens County to ensure 364 1 2 Latino opportunity districts, as we only 3 have one for the last almost thirty 4 years. 5 The City of New York empanelled a 6 Commission to ensure council districts 7 continue to reflect population and 8 demographic changes. The borough of 9 Queens is the most diverse place on the 10 planet and the Latino community is the 11 largest minority group in our borough -- 12 have been, are. 13 This has been the case for over 14 thirty years but our representation in 15 the city council does not reflect that. 16 Just this year, New York State 17 demonstrated it's own inclination to 18 violate constitutional principles and as 19 a result, have come under the State 20 Supreme Court Appointed Special Master. 21 We urge the City of New York not to 22 make the same mistakes. We propose 23 three majority Latino districts in 24 Queens County as representative of the 25 population. The first is City Council 365 1 2 21. This district is a majority Latino 3 district and has been represented by 4 Latinos since 2002. It covers East 5 Elmhurst, Corona, Jackson Heights and 6 Elmhurst. 7 Since 2002, no other majority Latino 8 district in Queens has been created by 9 the Commission. Extremely concerning. 10 The second district could adjourn the 11 21st council district with a more 12 equitable, reconfiguring 25th council 13 district, which could take into account 14 the large Latino population in Jackson 15 Heights, Elmhurst, Woodside, East 16 Elmhurst and parts of Corona. 17 We also propose a creation of a 18 third majority Latino district that 19 respectfully takes into account the 20 large Latino population of Woodhaven, 21 Ridgewood, Ozone Park, South Ozone Park, 22 Jamaica and Richmond Hill. 23 Do not ignore us. We are here. 24 We've been here and we will continue to 25 be here. 366 1 2 Next week, to aid the process, our 3 group will be submitting Queens County 4 District Maps for your consideration and 5 to ensure that such proposed maps are 6 part of the public record. Thank you 7 for your time. 8 CHAIR WALCOTT: Thank you. And my 9 apologies for missing your name. 10 UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: We saw 11 someone who have a language barrier, who 12 really until now, you know, did not 13 register or did not (unintelligible) but 14 they were here concerning that they want 15 to (unintelligible) Sunnyside and 16 Woodside together in the interest of the 17 community. 18 CHAIR WALCOTT: Thank you. And what 19 you can have them do is have them submit 20 public testimony and we can take it from 21 there as well. Okay. Thank you. 22 Did I miss one other person? We 23 need to really -- the lights are going 24 off in the theater, so. 25 MR. SPEAKER: Good evening, 367 1 2 everyone. My name is (unintelligible) 3 from Nepali community. I belong to 4 (unintelligible) Association USA and I 5 live in Woodside region of the city 6 council District 26. 7 Proposed new map has divided 8 Woodside into four different city 9 council districts. Our Nepali community 10 will be separated from each other very, 11 very badly as well, which is extremely 12 against our community's interest and 13 values. It also (unintelligible) and 14 mandatory protection law. 15 For the first time ever, we have 16 council office who's serving our 17 community in Nepali language, which has 18 its first Nepali intern and it is a huge 19 victory for us. 20 But new map will ruin all our 21 excitements. So I strongly recommend 22 making sure Woodside stays together with 23 Sunnyside, Long Island City and Western 24 Astoria, as it has been the last thirty 25 years in the current District 26 lines. 368 1 2 Thank you so much. Thank you so much 3 everyone. 4 CHAIR WALCOTT: And thank you so 5 much again for your testimony. 6 What I would like it do is, again, 7 thank the Museum of Moving Image and 8 also the council member who was a very 9 strong advocate, which allowed us to be 10 here at this late night or early in the 11 morning. And also our commissioners and 12 other hardworking staff will be in the 13 Bronx tomorrow -- really be in the Bronx 14 today and then Staten Island on Thursday 15 and then, Brooklyn on Sunday and then 16 Harlem, Manhattan on Monday. 17 So thank you all, get home safely 18 and have a good night. 19 (Time noted: 12:20 A.M., August 17, 20 2022.) 21 22 23 24 25 369 1 2 C E R T I F I C A T E 3 4 5 STATE OF NEW YORK ) ss: 6 COUNTY OF QUEENS ) 7 8 I, MAKEDA EDWARDS, a shorthand reporter 9 within and for the State of New York, do hereby 10 certify that the within is a true and accurate 11 transcript of the statement taken on 08/16/2022. 12 I further certify that I am not related 13 to any of the parties to this action by blood or 14 by marriage, and that I am in no way interested 15 in the outcome of this matter. 16 IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set 17 my hand this 16th day of August 2022. 18 19 20 21 _signature_ 22 23 24 25