New York, NY–Today, the New York City Districting Commission publicly released new City Council maps but did not move them forward for a New York City Council vote. The New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC) and NYIC Action Executive Director Murad Awawdeh released the following statement in response:
“When the New York City Districting Commission called for public comment starting in March, we were optimistic that New Yorkers would have their voices heard in this key process of democracy. In these newly proposed maps, the Commission clearly heard the concerns of some but not all New Yorkers. In particular, in South Brooklyn’s Council Districts the proposed lines are an improvement from the previous version and reflect the city’s Asian and Latino population growth and feedback from residents.
Yet, we cannot ignore that immigrant communities continue to be split, including in Southeast Queens and in the Northwest Bronx, meaning additional changes need to be made to ensure community members have a chance at fair representation. By not moving the proposed maps to a vote by the NYC Council, we hope the Commission will use the time to work to ensure that more New Yorkers are heard in this process. We call on the Commission to receive public comment on the proposed maps, and to hold an open meeting of the full Commission to resolve the issues raised.”
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