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News 12 Staff

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As we get back to our exclusive conversation with my son Lennon, a member of Mayor-elect Zoran Mamdani's transition team, about how he hopes his controversial past can help shape the city's future. What do you believe is the biggest misconception about public safety in New York City? That um police stop it. I believe, I believe that people don't understand that police only come and not saying that they don't do a job that is necessary, but To believe that police stop or make the, the, our city safe is just not really true, you know, I think, the first line of public safety is the community, is um those who are what we call credible messengers in our communities because we know where the violence starts. When you have someone who lives in a building and they know that two kids are at odds and they have certain levels of credibility and respect in the community, then they're able to stop that violence and protect the community better. When you, when you see people who come from the community able to see, you know, differences and miscommunications, those things create um better public safety than That's just calling the police on everything, you know, a lot of, and that's why I, I love what the mayor-elect wants to do, he wants a couple mental health um experts and community um leaders and liaisons with police. I think we have to work together because that's preventative measures about public safety than just reactive. What reforms do you think are most urgent for the criminal justice system in New York City right now? Well, there's a number, a number of them, I think. I think um especially when it comes to youth, I think that um there should be preventative measures rather than just um reactive measures and imprisonment measures. I think schools should be able to identify those at-risk youth who, who are dealing with, um, lack of emotional intelligence or there should be programs inside schools that are pre-suspension, cause once you suspend a kid from school and you send them out in To the society with no guidance, then that's the school to prison pipeline. So I think that is one of the biggest things that we should do. I think we should, especially in communities where violence and crime is rampant, I think there should be um liaisons and brothers like myself who are able to identify and see those kids who are heading along that track and be able to guide them back. You know, we have a lot of um I've, I've worked out in Newark with Ras Barak, and they have um They have what you call safe passage, and they have Big Brother program, shout out to New Direction in which they go to schools and they interact with the kids, and they're able to see what's going on with those kids, so they're able to, you know, intercept before the crime and the violence starts, and they're able to, to deal with the kids. I think we, we need to focus on our youth. Mhm. And how closely will you be working with the mayor-elect, and what's his top priority? Indicated anything like that to you? Well, right now we just work in our respective groups, you know, coming up with what we think policy should, should be. You hear different ideas bouncing off of each other and one person to put out, and we, we write down our notes and then we talk about who do we think would be suitable for certain positions, and we just advise, you know, ultimately the mayor-elect makes his own decisions. But the fact that he wants the, the melting pot of New Yorkers to be involved in that decision and make us feel like we're involved, a lot of times, you know, we have politicians who campaign and say I wanna do this for New York and I'm gonna do this and I wanna do this. This is the first time that I feel like we have an elected official in New York City that's actually doing what they say. They were gonna do from the beginning, you know, from the beginning, New York was represented in the first, um, transition team meeting. I, it was over, like I said, over 400 people, and I'm like, wow, this, this reflects with New York. It was somebody that was like me, somebody like you, somebody like him. It was, and we were all in there, and he listened to all of us, and he wanted, and he really seemed like he wanted to get our advice cause that's what it is, it's an advisory transition committee. He wanted to get our advice. He wanted to know what we think. How do we see New York, you know, so that makes a better leader, when you're listening to the people that you're leading, the people that you represent, then you're actually leading. And what does success look like for you in this role? The success for me is, is being able to represent those individuals from our community, you know, that, that come from the, the most. Underserved communities and have our voices at the table. When I walk into every room, I represent the Bronx, I represent New York City, I represent Harlem, I represent people who, the everyday individual because I've lived like that so my whole life. So success for me is just knowing that I'm sitting at tables with individuals who are in position to actually make change and make things better for the people in the communities that I come from, and that's just all it is for me. Do you see a future for yourself in public service even beyond this transition? I mean, you know, who knows what the future holds, you know, I, I, I don't, I never really wanted to be in politics. A lot of my friends say you need to be in politics. You are voice, you this and that, and I really never wanted to until I've seen me and Mandani, right, and seeing that there's somebody who can have a bold vision for. Our community, who can sit there and say, I want to make sure that the working-class people are involved, that they have a shot at actual, the American dream. I wanna make sure that poverty ends. I don't think that people should not have, I don't want the top billionaires controlling, you know, the, the, the whole scheme and the whole agenda. for New York City, I want everyone to feel like they're safe. I want them to feel like they're actually making ends meet. So now he's shown, he's given me a pathway to say, well, maybe there's something in here for me, and when we talk about criminal justice and community safety, those are two things that I'm passionate about. So if I can find a role within an administration or anywhere to where I can focus on that. And I can make sure that I'm saving our kids' lives, and I'm giving our kids opportunities to actually be a part of the American dream and be successful, you know, and go to the highest, to go to colleges instead of prisons. If I can contribute to that, then I, I think that's something I might be interested in.

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As a number of politicians across the boroughs have their sights now Capitol Hill, several announcing runs for Congress in next year's election, and City Comptroller Brad Lander among them, officially launching his campaign for Congress in New York's 10th district, challenging the incumbent Dan Goldman. Lander emphasized his long history of public service as a housing organizer and a city council member to his role as city comptroller. He has already secured major endorsements from. Mayor-elect Oran Mamdani, Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, the Working Families Party, and public advocate Chumani Williams. We're going to fight Trump's corruption and hold people accountable because we're not going to let our country be turned over to people who are putting all the resources in their pockets while workers can't afford their healthcare, can't afford their childcare, can't afford their housing. And the race for New York's 10th district is shaping up to be one of the most closely watched this election cycle in the Bronx. The race to represent New York's 15th district is intensifying. Assembly Member Amanda Septimo launching her campaign in an effort to unseat Congress. Richie Torres Septimo is a lifelong Bronxite who currently represents areas of the South Bronx in the state assembly. The area is known to be the poorest congressional district in the country. Septimo feels that she can be the one to turn that statistic around. Our community is under attack from the federal government, and we need a representative who's going to step up and fight back, not only so that we're playing defense to defend the programs that we know are important like SNAP, but also to be on the offensive. We shouldn't just be protecting Section 8, we should be expanding it. We know it's a great program that creates incredible stability for Bronx families. She says her platform centered around cost of living, safety, job security, and building more affordable housing. Former mayoral candidate Michael Blake has also announced a run to unseat Torres in this district. Brooklyn borough president Antonio Reynoso is making his move for Congress as Congresswoman Nydia Velasquez plans to retire at the end of her term. Reynoso says that he's ready to pick up her fight. The son of immigrant parents and the youngest Latino elected as Brooklyn VP, Reynoso says that he's ready for the challenge, bringing health disparities and affordable housing to the forefront. He says those two topics will be the first he tackles. Reynoso outlining why he's the best candidate for New York's 7th district. They're going to get a strong sincere fighter that understands the issues, and I'm going to do everything I can to make sure government works for the folks in my district. And that is all this week here on Power and Politics on News 12. Thanks so much for watching.

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Kelly Kennedy sat down with the activist to talk about his past, and how he hopes to shape the city's future.

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