Guest op-eds, City Limits bloggers and reaction from readers
‘AAPI New Yorkers deserve to be heard in the halls of power, and we need a mayor who will recapture our diverse communities’ support and confidence.’
‘We implore the new administration to seriously consider the Human Services Council #JustPay campaign, and ensure that all New York City contracted employees, who on a daily basis perform critical lifesaving work, make a living wage.’
Adi TalwarA late October afternoon bingo game in progress at the PSS King Towers Senior Center in Harlem. Our new mayor, administration, and city council have taken office at a challenging time for New York City—but especially for our city’s seniors. The latest wave of COVID-19 has continued to affect older New Yorkers at a disproportionate rate, causing hospitalization and death in worst cases, and leading to continued social isolation for many others. When our new elected representatives talk about COVID recovery, it’s imperative that they prioritize the needs of older New Yorkers. At Encore Community Services, we see these needs up close and work daily to keep seniors healthy, safe, and connected to community.
‘With enough popular momentum, politicians and offices will change their positioning based on constituent demands. It is contemptible to call these feedback loops a mob or a witch hunt. On the contrary, they are demonstrations of democracy at work.’
‘Our new mayor should know solitary confinement does not curtail violence in jails, decarceration does. The people of New York deserve so much better than a limited imagination of this former cop who knows people will die from this policy.’
“From the vantage point of future decades, his many flaws and huge mistakes—all so apparent to us who have watched his day-to-day mayoralty—are unlikely to be as visible as the major decisions he made which, in many cases, were pretty sound and made the city a better place.”
‘Acknowledging the inequitable distribution of climate change’s damage is an important step, but we must do better. Those with the fewest resources should not have to shoulder the full burden of the damages primarily caused by the wealthy. Climate attribution systems are the step forward.’
‘The accusation that the labor shortage is to blame for non-accredited programs’ plummeting recruitment numbers is just smoke and mirrors. Such programs pose as accredited apprenticeships that strive to combat the “labor shortage” by connecting hopeful workers to seemingly stable career pathways and safe jobs. But this is far from reality.’
‘While Medicare Advantage plans are required to cover everything covered by original Medicare, they aren’t required to cover them in the same way or for the same price.’
‘Winning a New Deal for CUNY would benefit literally hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers—an affordable high quality education right here in NYC can lift up families while creating a long term, sustained boon for our local economy.’
“Criminal records pose lifetime barriers, especially in the search for housing, where background checks are prevalent and landlords have nearly unfettered discretion to deny people with conviction records.”
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