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• Jagpreet
  March 29, 2023
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  To the Commissioners of the Independent Redistricting Commission, My name is Jagpreet Singh and I am the Political Director of Desis Rising Up and Moving (DRUM). We are a community based organization in NYC that organizes the working class South Asian and Indo-Caribbean communities around issues of immigration, housing, inequity, civic engagement and more. At the IRC hearings in January and February 2023, you had the opportunity to hear from many of our members and organizers across the city about where their communities are, where their borders are, where they worship, eat, live, shop and so much more. I am writing this written testimony to summarize our requests. We joined our coalition partners in APA Voice for all these hearings, and they have provided maps for all of our recommendations. In the Bronx, you heard our members thanking the Commission for uniting all of Westchester Square and Parkchester in AD 87. These two adjoined neighborhoods have become an anchor community for the Bangladeshi community. NYC Districting Commission’s Communities of Interest report shows that in the last decade the Bangladeshi community here has grown over 110% and jumped from 3% of the district to 11%. Many of the community institutions including the Starling Bangladeshi business corridor and community institutions like the Performing Arts Center and our offices are located in Parkchester. While a lot of the community also lives next door in Westchester Square, there are also a number of community Masjids in Westchester Square. We hope the commission keeps these two communities together. In South Queens, we also thanked the Commission regarding AD24, the Richmond Hill and South Ozone Park district. Our Punjabi and Indo-Caribbean communities have been here for decades and have made this area a world capital for Cuisine and Culture. The Sikh community, which is made up of mostly Punjabis from North India, has their oldest religious institution in Richmond Hill as well as the Little Punjab Corridor. There are also many Mandirs, Roti Shops, and other community institutions important to the Indo-Caribbean community in the neighborhoodThe Little Guyana corridor is also in this district. Our communities have been an important part of the fabric of this state and city, yet for the last 5 decades, there has never been a district that centered our communities. For the past decade, we were egregiously divided into 7 districts, last year that was changed to 3. We ask the commission to keep your draft for AD24 and give us a single unified district. In East Queens, we asked the commission to split up the “Backwards C” AD26 district into two districts. Both of these districts would include the requisite number of people for an assembly district as defined by law and as you can see from the maps that APA Voice submitted. While our partners and allies discussed why the northern part deserved to be kept whole, we discussed why the southern part needs to be kept whole. The Hillside corridor is the longest South Asian commercial corridor in all of NYC. It starts with the largest Bangladeshi community in all of NYC, in the Jamaica portion of Hillside. It spans many blocks and features many grocery stores, restaurants, apartments comprised of mostly Bangladeshis, community institutions and so much more. This then spans across North Hollis and Queens Village which is home to a mostly residential Indo-Caribbean and Bangladeshi community. And the corridor ends in Glen Oaks where you see many Indian, Pakistani, and Punjabi stores, institutions and communities. This is a vibrant part of Queens which sees people from across South Asian living side by side. The Hillside corridor has historically been split and we are asking you to keep it whole and keep it as one district. In West Queens, you heard our members ask for minor tweaks to AD30. As a resident of this district, I was excited to see the IRC suggest this Asian majority district last year in the initial revision, and to see the senate adopt it. It resulted in the first Filipino elected in NY State and is a cohesive and unified district. Your revisions in this cycle make it even better. We are only asking for minor tweaks to make it whole. By including 75th, you ensure all of 74th street Between Roosevelt and 37th Ave in Jackson Heights is covered, the main and oldest South Asian shopping corridor in all of the East Coast. We also made revisions north to capture more of the South Asian, including Nepali and Bangladeshis communities in East Elmhurst. Additionally, we were dismayed to see the 36th Ave corridor in Astoria was split into multiple districts. Between Northern Boulevard to the East river, there are many Bangladeshi restaurants, businesses, and Masjids on this corridor, much of the diverse Muslim community who lives in Astoria utilizes it, and there’s a new establishment for the community opening there every month. The communities that live along it to the north and south have been split into 3 separate districts, when for years they were kept together. We ask the commission revisit this decision and find a better solution which does not split the Astoria Bangladeshi and Muslim community and keep them whole in one district. Finally in Brooklyn, our members testified on why they call Kensington whole. This has been the biggest growing Bangladeshi hub in Brooklyn, and this community elected the first Bangladeshi to any New York elected office as a councilmember. We asked for only minor tweaks to ensure the communities that reside around Church ave, Beverly Street, the Ave C plaza, and Kensington plaza are kept together. As the commission draft stands, masjids and community centers are excluded from the Kensington Assembly district. I once again want to thank you for your efforts in this process. There was a lot in the IRC draft map of December 1, 2022 which showed us as a community that you listened and took our considerations from the last round of hearings seriously. We want you to continue that track record and present the State Legislature with maps that reflect our communities’ homes, interests, and livelihoods. As you know we are also part of the APA Voice Taskforce, and we had some of the biggest turnout across the city. While we don’t have members in all the districts the APA maps cover, we stand in solidarity with our fellow community members in demanding districts that represent their best interests as well. We ask you to adopt our maps in your final proposal. Jagpreet Singh, Political Director, Desis Rising Up and Moving (DRUM)
  
• TOM
  March 29, 2023
  Dear Chairman Jenkins, I feel like adding an additional Assembly member to the city with such a very small area will only weaken our representation in Albany. I fear that the current 92 assembly district in Yonkers will be tremendously overlooked. It almost feels like this small piece of Yonkers, has very little community relationships to the 98% of the 92 assembly. It will be quite difficult to hold our assembly representative accountable for fighting for Yonkers Schools, affordable housing and other legislative needs to support our city. This is a tremendous disservice to the city of gracious living. Thank you for your efforts and hard work.
  
• Nancy
  March 29, 2023
  The east side of Manhattan (New York County) should be together as one district, not combined with Queens County. Manhattan people and Queens people cannot easily mingle (there is a river in between with only a tunnel - Manhattan people do not usually have cars) - Manhattan and Queens are viewed as very different neighborhoods with different lifestyles. Manhattan's representation would be diminished if it is combined with Queens.
  
• Micah
  March 29, 2023
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  I work at the Center for the Integration and Advancement of New Americans (CIANA), a nonprofit that serves AAPI immigrants, particularly South Asian and Middle Eastern communities. We support APA VOICE’s proposed changes to the IRC draft map for Assembly District 30 because the Asian American communities that CIANA serves in Jackson Heights, Woodside, and Elmhurst should not be separated politically. There is a significant South Asian community from Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan, as well as Nepal and Tibet, centered around 74th Street in Jackson Heights. Yet, the blocks north of 74th Street, particularly on Roosevelt Avenue and 37th Avenue, are not included in District 30, neither in the current map nor the IRC’s draft map. Additionally, many of the Tibetan and Nepali communities who live in Jackson Heights are not part of the district, whereas their neighbors in Woodside are. Each of these cultures are distinct but share many similarities. Their communities likewise face many of the same challenges on both sides of the district line: gentrification, which has caused many local small businesses to close after years of serving the community; decreased availability of affordable housing; rent increases that have priced out many long-time residents; and more. Impacted communities cannot get the relief, resources, and benefits they need to remedy these problems when they are not in the same district and cannot jointly speak out to the same district leaders. CBOs that serve them, like CIANA, cannot receive adequate funding from elected officials when their client populations are not significantly accounted for in a single district. APA VOICE’s proposed changes to the District 30 map offer a direct remedy: they expand the district’s coverage of Jackson Heights up to 79th Street on Roosevelt Avenue, 35th Road, and 35th Avenue to include more of the South Asian community; expand slightly to the northwest to include the bulk of Woodside’s Tibetan community, including the Tibetan Community Center, and lastly, eliminate the portion south of the Long Island Expressway in order to expand eastward to include more of Elmhurst and its diverse East Asian community. If approved, APA VOICE’s proposed map will bring together diverse AAPI communities into a single, unified District 30, thereby creating a stronger, louder voice to speak out against the threats to their communities. We hold power in numbers and we will not stand alone or be silenced. We hope the IRC will address our concerns through meaningful action.
  
• Reva
  March 29, 2023
  Looking at the current vs. planned map for the area that includes Kew Gardens Hills (unfortunately I'm not sure which district it's considered), it's kind of ridiculous the way little bits around the edges are being excluded from the rest of our community. It's unfair, and seriously diminishes the voice of those who are being excluded from the rest of our community.
  
• John
  March 29, 2023
  Thank you for the opportunity to comment. The City of Glens Falls in removed from 113rd and placed in the 114th AD. The City of Glens Falls is more similar to the areas in the current 113rd, than the rural communities of the 114th. The simple fact that the City lies within Warren County, which is mostly rural and mountainous, should not be used as justification for this move. Glens Falls is an urban community with needs more similar to those in the 113rd than the 114th. I urge the committee to review their current proposal and place Glens Falls back into the 113rd district. Thank you. John Reilly - Glens Falls resident
  
• Brian
  March 29, 2023
  Obviously, this is NOT an independent commission. It is a Hochul directed hatched job to insure the "supermajority" enjoyed by the downstate Democrats. Gross and blatant gerrymandering, as stated by the court. Another perfect reason to make two, or three, New Yorks.
  
• Lloyd
  March 28, 2023
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• Hersh
  March 23, 2023
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  Please see attached written public comment.
  
• Amy
  March 20, 2023
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• Mona
  March 16, 2023
  March 15, 2023 Attention: New York State Independent Redistricting Commission Dear Commissioners, As a longtime resident of the Town of Ramapo, I am also the Chair of the Town of Ramapo Democratic Committee and have spent many years working on behalf of this wonderful town that I am proud to call home. I am writing about the proposed assembly maps which plans to split the Town of Ramapo into three separate Assembly Districts. Unfortunately, history has shown us that diluting our community in this way has a lasting negative effect on Ramapo families. Having multiple Assembly members, each of whom represents a district that includes just a small portion of the Town of Ramapo, is not beneficial to the town and in fact puts us at a serious disadvantage. Arbitrarily splitting the town in this fashion deprives us of the opportunity to have a strong and substantive partnership with the State Assembly, the ripple effect of which is felt by our town and its residents on a regular basis. Without a true partner in the State Assembly, our extremely diverse town lacks a single representative who is attuned to their varied needs to be their voice in the State Assembly. The lack of a single representative inevitably creates a sense of confusion that compounds issues which may surface and need to be addressed accordingly. We ideally need an Assembly member who understands our town, our residents, and our needs, and who is solely dedicated to us and the issues that we face. The reality is that our town, with 148,000 residents, should largely be contained in one Assembly District, not divided into three different districts. We deserve to have proper and adequate representation, which would entail having someone who considers the Town of Ramapo to be their primary focus, and not simply an afterthought. I therefore respectfully urge you to take a close look at the town and take the time to better understand its needs relative to representation in the New York State Assembly. Dividing the Town of Ramapo in such a fragmented and haphazard manner is imprudent, and the Commission should take this opportunity to ensure that our town is treated in a responsible and evenhanded fashion. Thank you for your consideration of our town and the needs of its residents. Sincerely yours, Mona Montal Chair, Town of Ramapo Democratic Committee
  
• Judy
  March 13, 2023
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  Hello Commissioners, The attached document coincides with my oral testimony on 2/28/23. I appreciated the opportunity to share my oral comments and now my written comments that convey my support for your proposed map for AD21 as well as ways to enhance this map. Best, Judy Griffin, Former Assemblywoman AD21
  
• Katherine
  March 12, 2023
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  My name is Katherine Walsh; I am born/raised here in Sunset Park. I am also on my local Community Board 7 Brooklyn and serve as the Transportation Chair. I am very active in my community and have extensive civic and political engagement including participating in local County Committee. I testified to the New York State Redistricting Commission virtually on Feb 15th. You can go to the website and choose “Part 3” 1:58 to view the recording of the testimony. I submit testimony today on behalf of myself and my community. I request that you keep us in Assembly District 51 (Sunset Park) specifically the streets between 56th street and 54th street between 4th and 6th avenue in Sunset Park, Brooklyn together in the existing 2022 Assembly District Map. The proposed map cuts out this section and moves into a new Assembly District 49th. Do not move us in Assembly District 49th. I ask you to please respond to what community members are asking for. Keep us in Assembly District 51. I spoke with residents that live around on these blocks about this issue when it was first proposed in 2021. More than 35 neighbors already signed that they want to stay together in the 51st Assembly District. This is the second time I have come to testify about keeping us together. It was the same issue at that time that it was proposed we were removed but in the final maps we stayed in. We would like to stay in and I ask you to preserve the lines on 6th avenue. Here in Sunset Park, we have experienced high rates of gentrification, and developments from all sides, we have high air pollution and lung cancer rates, we are dealing deluge of different challenges. It is important that we are unified in our elected representation to keep us together to work on these, and this needs to be reflected in the Assembly District Maps. I ask you to rise to your goals to keep neighborhoods, like Sunset Park, together, and specifically to keep these blocks under one unit in representation for the same assembly district in Sunset Park Please keep 56th to 54th street between 4th avenue and 6th avenue in existing 2022 assembly plan map for Assembly District 51 – don’t move us into the 49th. KEEP SUNSET PARK TOGETHER! New York State Redistricting Commission New York is finalizing new district maps to change the Assembly district for the next ten years. The commission wants to move us into the Assembly District further east, associated with Borough Park and Bensonhurst. Our elected leaders can serve us better if Sunset Park stays in one district! Sign the petition to keep our Sunset Park community together. THESE RESIDENTS SIGNED // ORIGINAL NAMES-SIGNATURES BELOW First Last Address Cesar Zuniga 434 55th street Petra Pena 430 56th street John Cucci 451 55th street Mary and John Murphy 449 55th street Strat Muh 435 55th street Laura Olin 424 55th street Yasko Yoshida 422 55th street Angela Aleman 424 54th street Jhodessa Reimer 428 54th street Helene Onserud 428 54th street Erik Steyn 428 54th street Marun Aleman 424 54th street Alice Walsh 452 54th street Katherine Walsh 452 54th street Viviane Hays 424 56th street John Milisenda 424 56th street Natalie Reubens 424 56th street Joseph and Lisa Estrella 432 56th street Josiah Estrella 432 56th street Michael Sierra 559 56th street Jessica Sierra 559 56th street Wanda Sierra 559 56th street Tanya Varges 563 52nd street Judith Rosario 563 52nd street Gladys Cruz 234 54th street Damarys Villaneuva 563 52nd street Nancy Acevedo 563 52nd street Karen Moore 563 52nd street Madison Moore 563 52nd street Matthew Sierra 559 56th street Samuel Sierra Jr. 559 56th street Samuel Sierra Sr. 559 56th street David Santiago 559 56th street Victor Perez 479 56th street
  
• Josh
  March 12, 2023
  Beacon should remain in its current district, the 104. Beacon, Newburgh and Poughkeepsie have historical connections, as well as cultural and economics ties, as river cities. I urge the committee to reconsider the proposed maps and leave Beacon in the 104th.
  
• Brad
  March 10, 2023
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