Adriano Espaillat currently holds the seat. He’s been in Congress for almost ten years, but he’s been in elected office for almost thirty — in the state assembly, then the state senate, and now in Congress. He’s the head of the Democratic machine uptown, and he’s worked to consolidate power by supporting allies for city council and state legislature seats while running candidates against those who challenge him.
The machine is backed by AIPAC, corporate landlords, and lobbies that have been working against the interests of working people in this district. It’s $4,000 for a two-bedroom in Harlem or Washington Heights now, and Espaillat is taking money from the very landlords and institutions that are pricing people out. He’s been on housing committees in the state assembly, the state senate, and Congress, and yet this district still has a serious lack of affordable housing. His record shows he hasn’t been fighting for what people here desperately need.
When I walk out my door, more and more of my neighbors are homeless. I see more people lining up at food pantries. I see fewer children because families are moving away — they can’t afford to raise their kids here. Over a hundred thousand public school children in this city are homeless, and that statistic has held for nine years. The establishment is not meeting this crisis. We’re facing an affordability emergency and an authoritarian administration that’s making everything worse, and rather than standing up, establishment Democrats have been spending their energy attacking progressives and protecting the interests of their donors.
I refuse to take any corporate money. I refuse to take any AIPAC money. I refuse to take money from landlords who are pricing us out. People are ready for someone who sees their struggle, and I’ve lived it. I’m a working person in Harlem who has had to think about whether I can afford to stay in the city I love.
Auteur: Darializa Avila Chevalier
