Former Governor Andrew Cuomo appeared at the Black Agenda Mayoral Forum at Medgar Evers College, CUNY, on Wednesday, and was met with protests.
With just 75 days until the June Democratic primary, eight mayoral candidates appeared at Medgar Evers College, CUNY for the Black Agenda Mayoral Forum, an event that also featured former Governor Andrew Cuomo, who has made few public appearances so far.
The candidates' policy remarks were overshadowed by several disruptions, including two individuals who shamed the college for the lack of representation on the candidate panel. Then, several individuals bombarded Cuomo on stage, carrying a banner and chanting“Cuomo lies, people die," likely in reference to Cuomo's decision to send people infected with COVID-19 virus back to nursing homes in the beginning months of the pandemic, which resulted in thousands of deaths.
“If I don’t get protested about something, it’s a slow day to tell you the truth,” said Cuomo.
Hosted by the Brooklyn Democratic Party and moderated by Ayana Harry of Spectrum News NY1, the candidates were asked to be profiled one by one, instead of sitting together on the stage.
Around 200 people gathered to hear from former city Comptroller Scott Stringer, State Assembly Member Zohran Mamdani, State Assembly Member Michael Blake, city Comptroller Brad Lander, City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, State Senators Jessica Ramos and Zellnor Myrie. All the candidates hesitated to mention Cuomo, and stuck to their traditional roots of critiquing the Trump administration and Mayor Eric Adams, who did not attend the forum.
Prominent issues of the night included the future of the New York City Police Department, as well as the presence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement onRikers Island.
“Are you tired of the drama? Are you tired of the scandal?” said Speaker Adams, who mentioned the City Council's lawsuit against the mayor for allowing federal officials to open an office on Rikers Island.
Blake said the conversation about immigration should be expanded to include other ethnic groups.
"Immigration is not just Latino, it is Caribbean, it is African, it is Asian. There's all of us here,” said Blake, who agreed with the other candidates that the mayor's executive order to allow ICE to operate freely in the city treads into dangerous territory for New Yorkers.
Rikers was expected to close by 2027, but the city will likely blow this deadline as the alternative- a set of smaller jails in every borough- have yet to be completed.
“It is a torture Island, and we must close it, and I will get it done as mayor, even if it takes me both terms,” said Lander, who noted the high number of mentally-ill individuals incarcerated at Rikers.
If elected, Lander saidhe would like to keep Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch in her post. “Crime has come down every month, but last month was the first time ever that every [Civilian Complaint Review Board] recommendation that was made for discipline was upheld by the NYPD. New Yorkers want accountability,” said Lander.
Mamdani touted his policy idea to createa Department of Community Safety, a new city unitthat would take the lead on minor safety issues. “The NYPD and police have a critical role to play in public safety, but what we are doing now is relying on them to address every single failure of social safety and when we do that, we prevent them from doing their actual jobs,” said Mamdani.
Mamdani added that the new department would not take money away from the NYPD, and that he would not cut the number ofpolice officers from current levels.
Cuomo stated that he would fix how the NYPD responds to each call, while adding 5,000 additional police officers to the force.
"The overtime hours are expensive, and also they're getting burned out, and that's why they're quitting at the rate that they're quitting… Not every 911 call requires two police officers with guns. A gun isn't an answer to every situation“ said Cuomo.
With several candidates noting their wish to "fight" the Trump administration, Cuomo had a slightly friendlier approach.
"We had arguments back and forth. And I'm telling you this, he is a formidable guy. Do not underestimate the opponent ever," said Cuomo. "I love these people saying I can handle Donald Trump."
Candidates shared differing views on gentrification, a long-standing challenge for Brooklyn residents. Speaker Adams advocated for greater involvement of Black and brown community stakeholders in negotiations with developers, while other candidates expressed hope for an increase in low-income housing.
“Let's go back to using a word we don't use anymore: low-income housing. It's okay, folks,“ said Stringer, who said he wants the city to build more affordable and middle-income housing.
"I feel like the conversation about affordable housing is always all about renters, and we definitely have to have that conversation. But at some given point in time, New Yorkers deserve to own a piece of our city again," added Ramos.
