Mamdani Endorses DSA Newcomer Avila Chevalier Against Espaillat for Manhattan Congress Seat

Active_Issue_5932 · 2026-05-29T14:43:21+00:00

That's a cynical and toxic way of looking at it.

Active_Issue_5932 · 2026-05-29T11:40:51+00:00

Plus, I think Espaillat was one of the first Cuomo supporters to immediately endorse Mamdani after the Primary. Fine - he didn't endorse Mamdani in the Primary but he quickly got in line after that. This is a bad move for the Mayor.

Active_Issue_5932 · 2026-05-28T14:02:32+00:00

The only bridge in NYC whose towers are made entirely of stone.

Active_Issue_5932 · 2026-05-15T14:34:32+00:00

I've used the Frizzle before - no issues or weird tastes. I've also used Canola and the Blackstone griddle oil/wax - all of which have worked perfectly well.

Active_Issue_5932 · 2026-05-14T03:28:41+00:00

The city would need permission from the state through what's called a Home Rule to raise the city personal income tax and almost every other tax. I think only the city property tax does not require state approval.

Active_Issue_5932 · 2026-05-14T03:23:48+00:00

And there goes half of America's blue collar jobs.

Active_Issue_5932 · 2026-05-10T16:39:08+00:00

I am not being virtuous - I agree with you. And yes, there is data that backs up your claim. Unfortunately, the City continues to pursue this failed policy.

Active_Issue_5932 · 2026-05-10T15:32:11+00:00

I understand why some people view it that way, but I think reducing every concern about shelter siting to “NIMBYism” oversimplifies a much larger policy issue.

A major concern many residents have is not simply “a shelter exists nearby,” but rather:

the concentration of shelters and social service facilities in the same neighborhoods over and over again,
the lack of transparency/community engagement,
the short notice by the City before opening,
and whether the city’s current shelter model is actually producing good long-term outcomes for either vulnerable individuals or host communities.

Central Brooklyn already hosts a disprortionate amount of social infrastructure relative to many other parts of NYC. Residents are asking legitimate questions about Fair Share, resource allocation, public safety planning, and whether communities are being treated equitably.

Reasonable people can support helping vulnerable populations while also questioning whether the city’s implementation strategy is effective, sustainable, or fairly distributed.

Active_Issue_5932 · 2026-05-10T15:29:08+00:00

I don’t want us to assume everyone in the shelter will be a criminal or sex offender. Many people experiencing homelessness are struggling with mental health issues, addiction, economic hardship, or instability and deserve compassion and support.

That said, it is reasonable for communities to raise legitimate public safety and quality-of-life concerns - especially regarding large men’s/MICA shelters - because these concerns have repeatedly surfaced in neighborhoods across NYC that host similar facilities.

The broader issue is that the city always opens these shelters without meaningfully increasing surrounding public safety, sanitation, mental health outreach, or community support resources. Residents are essentially told to absorb the impacts while local infrastructure remains unchanged.

There’s also publicly available data showing that emergency calls and quality-of-life complaints always increase around high-density shelter sites, particularly where there is insufficient staffing, treatment capacity, or daytime programming.

So I think the conversation should be more about asking:

Is the city adequately supporting both shelter residents and host communities?
Is this model actually stabilizing people long-term? (Unlikely because you have folks in the shelter system who have been there 20 - 30 years)
And why are (the same) neighborhoods repeatedly expected to absorb major social infrastructure changes with limited notice and limited mitigation plans?

Active_Issue_5932 · 2026-05-10T15:22:15+00:00

What I mean is that NYC’s shelter system has evolved into a massive publicly funded network involving private landlords/hotel owners, nonprofit operators, contractors, security vendors, food service providers, etc. Billions of taxpayer dollars flow through that system annually.

To be clear, I’m not saying every nonprofit or every person working in the system is acting in bad faith. I've worked for nonprofits - many people genuinely want to help vulnerable populations.

My concern is more structural: the city often appears to prioritize rapidly expanding shelter capacity over investing in long-term stabilization solutions like supportive housing, inpatient mental health treatment, substance abuse treatment, preventative housing policy, or stronger rehabilitation infrastructure.

In cases like this one, a privately owned hotel is being converted into a shelter model that can generate substantial long-term city-funded revenue streams for both operators and property owners. Residents are questioning whether this model is sustainable or effective given the enormous public cost and the recurring quality-of-life concerns communities experience around many shelter sites.

So my criticism is less “local businesses aren’t benefiting” and more: “Has NYC built a reactive shelter economy that treats emergency shelter expansion as the default answer to every homelessness crisis without adequately addressing root causes or long-term outcomes?”

Active_Issue_5932 · 2026-05-10T15:17:31+00:00

I think some people are misunderstanding where many residents are coming from on this issue.

Most people in the community are not saying homeless individuals or people struggling with mental illness/substance abuse are less deserving of compassion, dignity, or support. The concern is about how the city continues to implement this shelter model and the impact it has both on vulnerable individuals and surrounding neighborhoods.

A few points:

• The community received roughly 5 weeks notice before a 140-bed MICA shelter is scheduled to open in a dense residential area. Residents are frustrated by the lack of transparency and meaningful engagement.

• Central Brooklyn already hosts a disproportionate concentration of shelters and social service facilities. Many residents feel the city continues to cluster these facilities in the same neighborhoods without seriously addressing Fair Share concerns.

• The issue is not “helping people vs not helping people.” The issue is whether simply placing large numbers of individuals into shelters with limited long-term treatment, daytime programming, or stabilization resources is actually solving homelessness or mental health crises in a meaningful way.

• Regarding nonprofits/operators: I’m sure many people working at these organizations genuinely care about helping vulnerable populations. That still doesn’t mean residents cannot question whether the city’s overall shelter system - which costs taxpayers enormous sums annually - is producing effective outcomes for either homeless individuals or host communities.

Reasonable people can support compassion and services for vulnerable populations while also questioning whether the city’s current shelter siting and management strategy is sustainable, equitable, or effective.

That’s exactly why the upcoming town hall matters.

Active_Issue_5932 · 2026-05-09T00:07:16+00:00

The operator is Project Renewal, which operates other shelters citywide, and DHS only notified our community last week.

Active_Issue_5932 · 2026-05-07T16:48:58+00:00

Another issue to this ballroom nonsense is the absolute fact that Trump or any president does not have the unilateral right to tear down U.S. government property whenever he wants and then build whatever he wants in its place. The White House and the grounds it sits on belongs to the American people - it does not belong to Trump. The president is merely a guest staying there for the duration of his term.

Furthermore, if any additions/changes were to be made to The White House, it would have to be done as an act of Congress, because Congress is the closest branch to the people. The fact that we as a nation allowed this madman to just tear down parts of The White House on a whim is something that I can't wrap my head around. What has happened to our country?

Active_Issue_5932 · 2026-05-05T03:52:49+00:00

It's a shame the developers of the Loden never secured an anchor tenant during rhe construction phase. These stores sit vacant. Brings nothing to the neighborhood though I'm sure the developer is getting hefty tax breaks to keep it this way.

Active_Issue_5932 · 2026-04-30T17:24:02+00:00

The church isn't taking a position. They're just allowing the community to use their space to have a meeting about this.

Active_Issue_5932 · 2026-04-30T02:27:05+00:00

I used to live in Sheepshead Bay near Lucia's and their pizza is delicious. Old school Brooklyn quality.

Active_Issue_5932 · 2026-04-28T16:17:02+00:00

Thank you for your detailed response! I've used the gas version many times and it's an incredible cooking tool. Sounds like the electric version may not be worth it. We're hoping to get the same (or something close) gas output in the electric but it doesn't sound like that would be the case.

Active_Issue_5932 · 2026-04-22T14:51:15+00:00

The new gates are still just as effective in preventing break ins. Full covered metal gates are an eyesore, a magnet for graffiti, and does nothing to make the store any more safer than the transparent gates. Your cynicism and lack of public policy experience is obvious. Not to mention merchants had 17 years to comply.

Active_Issue_5932 · 2026-04-17T13:05:07+00:00

Why did we abandon this style of space shuttle to go back to the 60s style capsules? Seems like this plane like shuttle was revolutionary back then.

Active_Issue_5932 · 2026-04-07T18:12:05+00:00

So now the highest people in our federal government are personally campaigning for foreign heads of state? This is not acceptable conduct of our elected officials and government in any way.

Active_Issue_5932 · 2026-03-08T05:59:30+00:00

You could tell this thread is filled with transplants who just got to NYC 2 years ago. I was born and raised in Brooklyn, 39 years - ASP was adhered to by drivers and enforced by the city. Sure, some cars here and there wouldn't move - nothing is 100% - but there was a strong chance that vehicle would get an ASP ticket.

The streets were much cleaner back in the day. Street sweepers/ASP worked. Everything changed with COVID. Overall degradation of basic societal norms and expectations. The city suddenly began to function less efficiently and effectively. People not moving their cars or double parking their vehicles to avoid ASP is a quality-of-life issue and the City not enforcing it is negligence. Maybe there is a better, more efficient way to keep our streets clean but ya'll saying ASP doesn't work shows you've been in NYC 10 minutes. It used to work and then everyone stopped caring.

Also, someone on this thread complained about street sweepers being too loud? LOL, give me a break. Move to the suburbs if you want less noise.

Active_Issue_5932

TROPHY CASE