NYC Identities

I am a tax-paying Queens resident on behalf of EMS

As a realtor but also as a mother of twins in college

I am a Vice President of a Board 370 Riverside Drive at West 109th Street and as the Vice President of the Board, I am also a member of the Finance Committee

I'm the attorney in charge of the Education Advocacy Project at the Legal Aid Society, and I want to thank you, Chair Joseph, for having this hearing

As a former afterschool educator myself, I still serve as a citywide consultant for nonprofits on the social-emotional stakes of these kinds of programmatic collaborations

I am a resident of Queens and a long time lover of the library

I am also a member of the Chelsea Council Block Associations

I'm a member of the Community Engagement Team

I'm a Persian-American Jew born to Iranian and Israeli parents

I'm a Senior Fellow at the Education Law and Policy Institute at New York Law School's Legal Services and a private special education attorney advocate

I am a staff attorney at CJU, and I'm really lucky to have my job because I really think that this is the only path forward to invest in our communities

I'm a second-year student in the master of science in nutrition education program at Teachers College, Columbia University

I've been a resident of Coney Island for 60 years

As a board member of the Jewish Community Relations Council, the Queen Jewish Community Council, and many other civic and Jewish organization

I'm a community health worker, supervisor at Make the Road New York

I am a New Yorker born and raised and I am a member of the New York City Public Library Action Network

I am also a proud member of the New York City Coalition for Adult Literacy, or NYCCAL

As a staff member at an organization that works with vulnerable youth, I'm here to raise deep concerns regarding proposed bills 1-A and 175-A regarding educational facilities and places of worship

I'm a resident of Astoria and member of Western Queens Community Land Trust, submitting testimony here in favor of the Community Land Act, and in particular, Public Land for Public Good

I'm a Staff Attorney with the Legal Aid Society

As a Jewish woman and New Yorker and constituent of Eric Dinowitz, I hereby submit this testimony urging the upcoming buffer zone legislation be rejected

I'm a member of East New York CLT

I'm an English professor at CUNY, a U.S. veteran, and a refugee from the former Soviet Union

As a resident of the neighborhood, I want to see this area redeveloped for the benefit of myself, my children, and the entire community

I'm the planner who has been helping neighbors on this application

I'm also a new mom of a future New York City public school kid, and I'm calling our city to prioritize funding for arts in New York City schools

I am a proud lifelong New Yorker, born and raised in Queens– Elmhurst, Queens almost 41 years ago now

I'm a volunteer member of the board of directors of Power of Two, a nonprofit organization that harnesses the power of the foundational parent-child bond to help children thrive and lead healthy

I'm an immigrant from the Dominican Republic that came here 14 years old with my mom looking for a better future like everybody else that has spoken here

I am a graduate of New York City Public Schools

I'm a parent of two former public school students, and I previously served on a community education council

I am a professor at New York Law School where I direct the New York Election census and Redistricting Institute where we do training, education and public information on an ongoing basis

I'm a clinical psychologist, and I sat here all day

I am a resident of Brooklyn, New York

I'm also a neighbor living nine blocks away

I'm also a volunteer of the Highline and I wanted to get to the first two points that were very stark to me

I'm a resident of New York City

I am the Student Government Association President of LaGuardia Community College and a Senator at the University Student Senate, where I have the honor of representing over 13,000+ degree-seeking students

I'm a lifelong New Yorker, a proud member of the city's Jewish community

As a lifelong resident of Coney Island and an active community advocate for over five decades

I'm a resident of Elmhurst, Queens

I'm a proud member of Local 79 and 32BJ

I am a comic book writer, uh, and also a New York City resident

I'm a working delivery cyclist speaking on behalf of Los Deliveristas UNIDOs and the New York City Bike Messenger Association

As a Black independent journalist, I find it deeply jarring that this bill could strip reporters of their press freedom and place us at risk of policing

As an English teacher in a boys and girls high, I came in and did my five classes and I was very happy to do so

I am a former New York City resident

I am the Lead Community Organizer at African Communities Together at the New York City chapter

As a New Yorker, I had concerns that gentrification might happen if the casino is built

I'm a lifelong resident of the Queensbridge Houses

As a co-op board member, as we all know it is a volunteer position

I have been a CB2 member for over 20 years, and I previously served as Land Use and Community Board Chair

As a business owner and as a person who has a family business on Mermaid Avenue, I can tell you when the boardwalk or Surf Avenue has events, we do well

I am a lifelong New Yorker and an urban planning graduate

I've been a lifelong resident of Corona East Elmhurst, right next to this project site

I'm an Episcopal priest in District 39 in Cobble Hill

I'm a resident of Southern Brooklyn

I'm a community garden member at El Sol Brillante and Down to Earth Community Garden

I am the landlord of the property, 2119 Starling Avenue

I am a member of the public

I'm a Supervising Attorney with the Immigration Legal Program at the Lutheran Social Services of New York, and I'm here to testify in support of funding for immigration legal services

I'm an Educator and Cultural Programmer at the Brooklyn Museum, a proud member of DC 37, Local 1502 for almost five years and I'm also an artist

As a rail systems engineer, I must state clearly: this design represents an act of permanent Option Value Destruction for outer-borough infrastructure

I am the Immigration Attorney for New York Lawyers for the Public Interest Health Justice Program

I'm a member of the public and uhm I have eight years of experience working as a librarian in public libraries as well

I'm a five-year resident of Greenpoint, where I live with my partner, who is a 5th generation resident

I'm the only attorney that represents these kids with the help of my two paralegals

I am a library patron and a member of New York City PLAN

I'm a Williamsburg resident since 2020, much better than my hometown of Boston, so happy to be here

I'm a Supervising Attorney with the Cop Accountability Project at the Legal Aid Society

I'm a founding member of Cooper Square Housing Association, and Cooper Square Community Land Trust

I am the community organizer at Mixteca, a community- based organization in Sunset Park, Brooklyn

I'm a father, I have a seven year old son and every morning at 8:00 in the morning, my son has to get to school

I am a volunteer docent on the Highline and if there's anything I've known or learned about the Highline is that change is a constant

I'm a student at CUNY proud granddaughter of immigrants, and I'm here from New York City DSA and more than 12 other youth organizations in the Livable Future Coalition, Council Members

I am also the mother of a fourth grader at that school

I have been a resident of Queens since 1963

I am an advocate for both my father and brother who are buried on Hart Island

I'm a former teacher, so education is the way I believe movements are made

I am an educational organizer with New Settlement and Parent Action Committee in the Bronx, the Great Boogie Down, and I'm also here with many colleagues for educational rights

I'm a New York City resident, a mother, and a member of the Jewish community

I'm a mother of two teenage sons, the President of the Space Block Association on the Lower East Side, a member of Neighbors on Canal

I'm a proud member of Local 3 International Brotherhood of electrical workers and I'm here in support of this project

I'm a resident of Morris Park

I'm a member of the NAACP, National Action Network, Democratic Socialist, and the Working Families Party

I'm an English professor at NYU

I am a student at John Jay College of Criminal Justice and a senator within the CUNY University Student Senate

I'm the managing attorney for Partnership and Advocacy at Safe Passage Project

As a former United States Army Reserve and son of a World War II Navy veteran, I am passionate about the United States military history

I'm a volunteer at the Highline and I wanted to first talk about the small business impacts

I am an economist at the Institute for Justice

As a steward and representative of folks in the community

I'm the Music and Model Teacher at PS123K in Bushwick, Brooklyn

As a resident, there are so many great parts of Long Island City, and I've seen so many benefits of the rezoning over the past few decades

I am a proud 4th generation New Yorker who works at the Brooklyn Museum as the curatorial assistant for photography, fashion, and material culture

I'm a longtime resident of Brooklyn and I love Coney Island so much that I showed up to speak in person

As a sales clerk at Bloomingdale's selling designer handbags to tourists and wealthy upper east siders

I am a resident of Greenwich Village

As a parent of two, I want to highlight that Long Island City is a great place for kids

As a person who have lived here over 40 years, some of our families have been here 70 years

As a Jewish New Yorker, I encourage our City Council Members to vote no against this dangerous and unnecessary bill that does not keep Jews safe and instead criminalizes free speech

I am a member of the Bowery Alliance of Neighbors

As a faith leader who cares for and nurtures a faith community, and also as a faith leader who finds her home in organizing

As a Jewish New Yorker, I care deeply about Jewish safety and thus I know that it is inextricable from the safety of my Muslim

I'm an immigrant from the Philippines and raised in Jackson Heights Queens, and I am a proud product of the magic created at Ballet Tech

As a case planner in a preventive program in the same neighborhood that raised me

I've been a food vendor since 2008 and I started my own business in 2009

I am an architect and I'm a member of Community Board 8 and I have – I also served on the Borough Presidents Taskforce in 2019-2020

As a parent, it is a terrible feeling to know that your child needs a service but that the City is unable to provide it

I'm a Jewish woman born and raised in this city, a former youth group president who has passed many a treasured hour within the walls of my synagogue

I'm a Queens Native and a representative from the Hotel and Gaming Trades Council

As a concerned scholar, a New Yorker, and a proud mom of a CUNY Hunter College student and a New York City public high schooler

I am also an employee of the New York City Housing Authority

I am a lifelong New Yorker and upper east sider and I'm here to express my strong support for the Streets Plan

I'm a Jewish New Yorker here in strong support of Intros 1 and 175 of 2026, introduced by Council Speaker Menin

I'm a resident of Brooklyn New York and a parent to two children in the New York City Public School system at PS261 in Brooklyn

As a lifetime New Yorker, I am appalled that it has come to this, that legislation is needed just to ensure that people can attend religious services

As a proud member of the Kingsbridge Together Working Group, KHCC strongly supports both the Kingsbridge Armory project as well as a robust

I'm a third generation New Yorker

I've been a resident of New York City for nearly 20 years now

I'm a constituent of Chair Rita Joseph's district, and I'm also the daughter of an educator and a librarian, so I'm very pleased to be here

I am simply a concerned citizen that is deeply troubled by this bill, and I strongly oppose this

I'm a fourth-generation New Yorker, born and raised in Williamsburg

I'm a proud New York City public school parent and a public education advocate

I am a resident of both Brooklyn and New York City

I'm an Attorney at the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund

I'm a supervising attorney in the Immigrant Protection Unit at the New York Legal Assistance Group

I am also a member of BSGE's Parent Teacher Association, representing parents, teachers, and students who strive every day to ensure that our school has the resources it needs to succeed

I am a student of the City College of New York

I am a freshman at SUNY Purchase, and I am also a alum at Theater Arts Production Company and Midori Next Gen Musician Program

I am a resident of the Court Square area, directly adjacent to where the project area would be for OneLIC

I'm a life long resident of the Kingsbridge Heights neighborhood and current advisory board member of the Street Vendor Project

I'm a Principal at Type A Projects, the lead developer at River Commons and Type A is a proud WBE developer

I am a member of a community board, Queens Community Board Two, but speaking on my own behalf

I'm also an adjunct instructor at CUNY Brooklyn College where I prepare future music educators and an independent educational consultant

As a proud New Yorker and yet another descendant of both Holocaust survivors and victims

I'm a parent of two young children in Long Island City and a proud member of Community Education Council 30

I am a resident of New York City, an immigration attorney who represents low-income New Yorkers from all faiths and walks of life, and the granddaughter of a New York City pastor

I'm a proud hospitality worker and a member of the hotel and gaming trade council

I am a member and organizer with WE ACT for Environmental Justice and also a coalition organizer at the Climate Justice Coalition, New York Renews

I'm a resident of Astoria, a proud military veteran of the US Navy, and I support this plan

I'm a proud Brooklyn boy and CUNY student

I've been a Chelsea resident for the past 30 years

I am a member of Families for Safe Streets

I'm a professional performance artist with over 25 years of experience in New York City and I'm the Artistic Director of Ballet Tech Foundation

As a board member and currently serve as the board secretary of a modest 26 unit co-op on the upper west side

As a local resident, I see the expansion of the parks as an improvement to the neighborhood, not hindering housing, which, let's be honest, is barely considered what we call affordable

I'm a representative with the Workers of Local 28 Sheet Metal Workers who understand what this project means

I'm a Greenpoint resident and a lifelong New Yorker

I am a small business owner and I live in Flatbush so I know personally how terrible Thor Equity really is

I'm a lifelong housing advocate, environmental justice organizer, and founder of the Social Impact Organization to Lindy

I am a Senior Advocacy Advisor at the International Rescue Committee and a Brooklyn resident

As a religious leader, I definitely appreciate when politicians are working towards the freedom of religion, but I want to make clear that attacking a shul

I'm a senior attorney in residence at CUNY Law's Community and Economic Development Clinic, or we CED Clinic in short

I'm a Jewish New Yorker and member of the New York City chapter of Jewish Voice for Peace, a grassroots organization representing thousands of Jewish New Yorkers

As an education organizer, I work alongside families navigating racial and institutional harm every day

I'm the attorney in charge of the Immigration Law Unit at the Legal Aid Society

I'm also a resident of Long Island City, Court Square area, not a real estate developer, so I've been paying market-rate rent for the last three years

I'm a Senior Campaign Organizer at ANHD

I'm a member of the MET Council on Housing, the New York State Tenant Block, and Caring Majority Rising

I'm a doctoral researcher studying Public Voice and Urban Organics Management

I'm a proud Local 79 member

As a government teacher in the age of social media, fake news, increased polarization, and parallel web universes, digital literacy is obviously a critical skill for our students

I'm a CUNY undergraduate student who just founded a human rights club on campus at John Jay

I'm a recent college graduate, and I'm speaking in regard to QueensWay and the departments of Parks and Budget

I'm a 12-year Long Island City resident, a designer and a pre-K parent with a corporate background managing strict product compliance and an early career in affordable housing operations

I'm a member of the Hope Tenant Union, as well as part of Housing Justice for All Coalition, and I also one of the 19 authors of the Green Social Housing bill

I'm a CUNY student, and I'm currently working for a DYOC funded afterschool

I'm also a Professor of Urban Planning at Hunter College

As a father, I know that it means to work long hours to ensure my children have a roof over their heads, food on their tables and the opportunities to dream

I'm a business owner and homeowner for over four decades

I'm the owner and operator of Dickson's Farms and Meats, the butcher shop and restaurant in Chelsea Market

I'm a resident of Forest Hills, Queens, and a mother of two children, ages 11 and 9

I'm a neighbor who often works in and frequents the neighborhood of the Western Railyards

I am an immigrant artist and the Executive Director of ID Studio Theater in the South Bronx

I am a Brooklyn resident and performer

I'm a member of the West 47th, 48th Street Blocks Association and a Hell's Kitchen resident for 25 years

I'm a native New Yorker, okay, from Brooklyn

I am an architect and an upper east side resident

I am the Managing Attorney for the Immigration Defense Team at the Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem, the public defender office for upper Manhattan

As a mother, not being able to communicate made it hard for me to support my children in some things like reading, helping with homework, connecting with teachers

I am also a father of two, here to speak about Bushwick City Farm, which is still under threat of closure, where I volunteered for the past 15 years

I am the parent of a seventh-grade student in the New York City Public Schools

I'm a pediatric resident doctor at Jacobi Hospital, and I'm also a Regional Vice President of my union, the Committee of Interns and Residents

I'm a proud card-carrying member of Local 79

I'm a resident of Hell's Kitchen

I am an organizer with the Northwest Bronx Community Clergy Coalition and a longtime resident of Kingsbridge

I'm the Reverend James Duckett, Senior Pastor of the Fort Mott Baptist Church in the Bronx New York and also a member of Impact New York Network

I am a Brooklyn resident and a student at Pacific College

As a member of the Coalition of the Theaters of Color and the Cultural Equity Coalition

I'm a North Brooklyn resident and Local 79 laborer

I'm a small business owner, a Native New Yorker and my business is in Chelsea New York

I'm a social worker with the Center for Family Life in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, working on the ACS founded Family Enrichment Center, FEC Project

I'm a Manhattan-born student at Northeastern University in support of QueensLink

I am the mother of two children who graduated from New York City public schools and are now in their early early 20s

I'm a business owner here in Chelsea myself and a Native New Yorker and it's just the expansion and there's going to be a casino in New York

I'm also a volunteer gardener at the Bushwick Inlet Park

I have been a resident of the upper east side for the past 21 years

I'm a proud union member, Local 79

I've been a resident of Williamsburg for 12 years

As a native New Yorker, I've observed the real-life implications of housing policies on the city's most vulnerable populations

I'm a resident of Sunnyside and a member of Community Board Two

I am also a mother of two daughters in New York City public schools

I'm a 24-year resident of Greenpoint who lives 10 minutes from Bushwick Inlet Park in the 40 Quay site

I'm a resident of Sunnyside with strong ties in Long Island City

I have been a resident here for 42 years and have worked in its warehouses for 30

I'm a Corona resident and I am in support of Metro Park

As a special ed teacher at three different school buildings in the Bronx, and until I became a librarian myself, I had not worked in a school that had a functional library

I'm a Senior Staff Attorney in the Education Project at Brooklyn Legal Services, Legal Services NYC

As a high school special education teacher in Flatbush

As an instructor for the museum's roadshow school program

I'm a long time citizen, first time testifier and I come to you as a government liaison from Japan Society

I am a student in City Tech and I work part time with this program

I'm a Community Organizer in Ridgewood

I'm a licensed clinical social worker

I am a born and raised New Yorker and I live in Williamsburg

I am the Managing Attorney for the Detained Program at Kids in Need of Defense in the New York office

I am also a proud member of Christian Cultural Center

I am a CUNY political science student at Baruch College, a recent graduate of New York City Public Schools, and a youth leader as Citizens Committee for Children of New York

I'm also a pastor at a local church, Wellspring Church, and part of my role as pastor is to listen to the community

I'm the Managing Attorney of the Immigration Unit at Catholic Migration Services, or CMS for short

I'm a resident of Astoria, Queens

I'm a health and fitness educator for 40 years, a former adjunct lecturer at New York University, former instructor at Fashion Institute of Technology, and at the American Red Cross

I'm an economist and I support One Fair Wage

I'm a lifelong New Yorker and a proud resident of Hudson Yards

I've been a resident of this district, now so ably represented by Council Member Won, for over 55 years

I'm a mother of two and I'm speaking on behalf of Jackson Heights indivisible

I'm a 46 year resident of Hell's Kitchen, Executive Director of Clinton Housing, a not-for-profit housing developer

I'm a Jewish New Yorker and a member of Jews for Racial and Economic Justice, here to voice my strong opposition to the Perimeter Bills

I am the Supervising Attorney of the Collateral Consequences Unit at New York County Defender Services

I've been a resident near Long Island City for almost 10 years

I am an immigrant mother, and I arrived in New York last year

I'm the priest of the oldest church in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, Church of the Ascension, founded in 1846

As a citizen, as someone who loves democracy and our government here, this is a challenge for us

As a long time resident of Corona, I can tell you Roosevelt Avenue is not a vibe

I am a volunteer with several rescue organizations and work with several independent rescuers, and I want to emphasize that I'm a volunteer, like all the rescuers I know

I'm a homeowner in East Elmhurst and a public school parent

I am a community organizer with the East New York Coalition for Community Advancement, an organization dedicated to fighting against gentrification and the erosion of affordable housing in East New York

I'm a City employee and a volunteer for the QueensLink

I am a member of the City and State Bars Co-Op and Condo Committee

I'm a Q-UP member and I oppose Intro

As a principal, a challenge that administrators, teachers, and counselors face across the system, is not that the data exists somewhere, but that the data exists in too many different places

I'm a parent and former NYC DOE teacher here to oppose Intros 1-A and 175

I'm also a part of an alliance of resident councils in south Queens

I'm a lifelong resident of Carey Gardens, a former resident leader

I am a resident of Queensbridge, and I have been here since the beginning of Gantry Park for 25 years

I am a proud board member of the ADL New York, New Jersey, and the JCC of Manhattan, as well as a public interest attorney and Co-Founder

I am a current resident of Williamsburg, and I'm here to support Monitor Point

I'm a lifelong Bronx resident and a proud member of Local 79 Labor Union

I'm a native of Brooklyn and a proud graduate of New York City school system

I'm a professor of computer science and Data Science at NYU and the founding director of the Center for Responsible AI

I am a proud and eternally grateful granddaughter to both my sets of grandparents who came through Ellis Island and became naturalized citizens

I'm a member of community organizations in all five boroughs of New York City and for years, I've attended or walked in the Mermaid Parade, ridden the rides, seen the shows

I'm a lifelong resident of Greenpoint

I'm a local resident here in Williamsburg

I'm a 19-year-old student at NYU testifying on the Fiscal Year 2027 budget

I'm a proud Jewish grandchild of Holocaust survivors, all were New Yorkers

I'm a representative of the Council on American Islamic Relations of New York and our work extends to protecting Muslims everywhere

I am an artist, a part of the DC 37 Union, the Family Programs Coordinator for the Brooklyn Museum, a Board Member of the New York City Museum Educators Roundtable

I'm a resident of Hudson Yards and a local business owner

I'm a resident of Manhattan Community Board 4

As a resident of this extremely diverse community and a senior, I have witnessed firsthand the challenges that many older adults face, particularly when it comes to housing and social isolation

I'm an old man with graying brown hair, brown glasses, wearing a green suit, and a lavender shirt

I'm a woman of a certain age, so you are talking to a senior when you talk to me

I'm a parent at PS 184 in Manhattan, not too far from here in, um, uh, the, uh, District 1, I think

I'm a former elementary school teacher and now a current education professor and parent of three children in DOE schools

As a long born and bred Brooklynite and New Yorker who deeply values the layered complex and vibrant life of this city

I am a community advocate at Mixteca

I'm a Brooklynite, Brooklyn native, and a proud 32BJ member for the last 16 years

As a high school English teacher at various Title I schools, I saw firsthand the detrimental effects that decreasing school budget has on our students

I have been a restaurant worker since I was 14-years-old

I'm a Chef and a Pastry Chef by trade but I left the industry to pursue my art and music endeavors because the industry was so unfair

I have been a community member, resident over 50 years

I'm a resident of Kensington in Brooklyn, and I'm a member of the House the Future Campaign

I am a graduate of the YouthBuild program

I am a New York City non-profit leader and a proud Jewish person

I am a longtime resident of Queens, and I currently live in Sunnyside

I'm the mother of four children that are school-aged, and I'm a former board member of a Jewish day school

As a parent of a student in MS 177, I've been deeply troubled by the organization behind awarding our afterschool contract to a new provider after having Manhattan Youth work with us

I am a lifelong resident of Mars Park

I am a registered nurse with over 38 years of in hospital based experience

I'm a mom, an early childhood educator, small business owner and veteran and most of all, I'm a lover of my Queens community

I'm a campaign organizer at the Association for Neighborhood and Housing Development

I am a six-year resident of Long Island City

I'm a Brooklyn native and Jewish New Yorker

I'm the Rabbi of West Side Institutional Synagogue and West Side Sephardic in the Upper West Side

As an upper east side resident, I've seen the area change dramatically over the years

I'm a professor at City College of New York where I lead the Community Change Studies Program which introduces students to community organizing around the city

I'm also a resident of the Lower East Side

As a former criminal defense attorney, generally we don't receive any information

I serve as the founding Rabbi of Romemu community in Manhattan and Brooklyn and as a Rabbi at the 92nd Street Y

I'm a tenant and a member with Jorge, the Upper Manhattan Tenants Union

As a proud Muslim American and the daughter of immigrants, trust me when I say that this is an important issue to me

I have been an active parent at PS 11 for over a decade and I am the head of the Chelsea Green Park Friends of Chelsea Green Park

As a Bronx parent living in the Bronx for 55 years (now it's about 56 years), a mental health advocate, and a counselor

I've been a Social Studies teacher in the Bronx for 18 years and my students, some of them are here today and they have been to All the Together for Kingsbridge Working Groups

I'm a lifelong resident of Flushing and I'm testifying against the Queens Futures proposal today

As a small business owner, I'm also concerned about the future of small and micro businesses, especially immigrant and family-owned shops that are vital to the identity

I'm also a musician, so I put it into a song

I'm a community organizer for Malikah Safety Center, a Queens-based anti-violence non-profit

As a Native of Astoria, I'm here today to express my strong support for Metropolitan Park and their plan to turn the empty parking lots into actual public parks around City Field

I'm an organizer with the People's Plan NYC, a grassroots coalition that represents working class and poor New Yorkers and New Yorkers of color

I'm a proud member of the hotel and gaming trade Council and a resident of Brooklyn

As a tenant organizer in the west side of Manhattan

I'm a proud member of the Hotel and Gaming Trades Council

As a Black woman descended from enslaved African people, I must highlight that these five proposed bills fail to address the protection that Black people deserve

I'm the Senior Pastor of the Center of Hope International

As a Jewish New Yorker, I care deeply about my community's safety, but I do not believe these bills will make us safer

I'm a freelance creative professional and the parent of a New York City student

I'm a lifelong resident of the Bronx

As an educator, I'm particularly excited about the projects commitment to creating 23,000 good paying union jobs

As a New Yorker who believes deeply in the promise of opportunity

I'm a paralegal at The Door's Legal Services Center working with our detained minors project

I'm a New York City educator and I'm here today as a member of NYC PLAN, the Public Library Action Network, which is a group of patrons

I'm also a journalist who reports from the occupied West Bank

I'm a Jewish New Yorker and a union organizer at UAW

As an organizer of CUNY students across the city, the message I hear is consistent

I'm a working artist who actually just rushed here after a dress rehearsal of La Traviata at the MET Opera

I am a second generation street vendor who have been actively advocating for our street vendors and I feel like it's tiring that we have to come here all the time

I'm a native New Yorker, and for the record, I have no phobias

I've been a lead assistant principal of eight school sites, special ed supervisor of five school sites, master teacher, community volunteer for over 30 years to Pueblos, NAM, a whole bunch of organizations

I am a Staff Attorney with the Microenterprise Project at Volunteers of Legal Service

I'm a board member, vice president and Chair holder of 4077 Owners Corp on the west side

I am the sole owner of the Worlds Borough Bookshop that is located in the Worlds Borough, which is Queens It is a bookstore that amplifies BIPOC voices

I'm a Workplace Justice Staff Attorney at Make the Road New York

I'm a small business owner and I run a business that connects artists, think painters, sculptors with opportunities in real estate

I'm the Director of Government and Community Affairs at El Museo del Barrio, a proud member of the CIG and I'm also a proud New Yorker

As a principal, it's my responsibility to assist teachers in identifying children who may need help and guide the parents to seek the services to help them participate in class and succeed

I'm a Senior Staff attorney at New York Lawyers for the Public Interest

I'm also a proud Jewish American and an active member in a wide range of congregations and other forms of New York City-based Jewish life

I'm a retired professional social worker who has worked in the psychiatric departments of Harlem Hospital and Kings County Hospital and in numerous other social work jobs

I'm a New York City resident residing in Kew Gardens Hills, a neighborhood in Central Queens that has been at the forefront of much of today's discussion

As a proudly visible Jew, the grandchild of Holocaust survivors, and someone who regularly walks to synagogue with my family

I am a 22 year old resident in Brooklyn and I oppose this casino being on Coney Island as it stands as more of a means to gain large access money for billionaires

I'm a street vendor, a community chef, a community gardener, and I'm here to share that street vendors need your support

As an adult basic education tutor at the Rush Dale Village Library

I am the Community Organizer for the Alliance for Quality Education

I'm a business owner for a business that's established in Manhattan and does work in and around the area of the Hudson Yards

I'm a physician and a lifelong resident of Coney Island, a small business owner in a community of the hardest workers, the disenfranchised

I am a Social Worker with the Center for Family Representation where we work to keep families together

I am a home owner in Elmhurst Queens, a voter, educator and director of public programs and partnerships at a Corona cultural institution

I am a candidate for New York State Assembly District 50

I am a native Jewish New Yorker, a psychologist, and a parent from a family that includes Holocaust refugees and survivors of pogroms, people that did not survive those incidents

I am an active resident at Penn South Community, which is the largest affordable co-op apartment complex on the west side

I'm also a Queens resident for ten years of immigration experience

I have been a neighbor of Coney Island for 15 years and I'm here just to show support for our neighbors in Coney Island

I'm a resident of Jackson Heights Queens

I am a volunteer at La Nacional Spanish Fenevolence Society

I'm a resident leader, Gravesend Houses New York City Housing Authority, NYCHA and I want to say we are the least in the community to get anything that comes into our community

I'm a Board Member at Brooklyn Community Board 13 and a board member of the Neighborhood Advisory Board for Brooklyn 13 speaking on behalf of myself

As a father and a congregational rabbi, I know how special it is to walk our children to school and how meaningful it is to bring our families to prayer

I'm a daughter of Harlem, a first-generation northerner and a daughter of the second migration

I am a third-generation resident of the Chelsea neighborhood in Manhattan and grew up across the street from the Fulton and Elliott-Chelsea Houses public housing complex

I'm an organizer representing WE ACT for Environmental Justice speaking in favor of Community Opportunity to Purchase, Tenant Opportunity to Purchase, and Public Land for Public Good

I'm a lifelong member of Coney Island

I'm a senior staff attorney with the Employment Law Project at the New York Legal Assistance Group

I am a proud CUNY graduate and currently a public school teacher

As a high school student from 1995 to 1999, and today I sit before you as not only the SAPIS Chair, but a 10-year SAPIS counselor

I am a restaurant worker, 20 plus years in the industry

I'm a Bronx parent living in the Highbridge neighborhood of the Bronx and the Director of the New Settlement Parent Action Committee

I'm a member of the community garden at 461 Franklin Street

I am a proud New York Zionist Jew

I'm also a local resident and a part of the Latino community in Queens, Astoria

I am a Minister of Justice at Hope Astoria Church

I serve as a principal of SAR in Riverdale

I'm an immigrant and a Senior Policy Strategist at the New York Immigration Coalition

I am an Immigration Attorney at Chinese American Planning Council, one of the largest providers of social services to immigrants in New York

I am a frequent user of and volunteer with Friends of the Highline

As a dues paying union member

I'm also a lifelong Queens resident now raising my family there as well and our volunteer driven group fights for dignified affordable housing and against displacement while providing mutual aid in our community

I'm a 35-year resident and owner in Long Island City speaking on behalf of the LIC Coalition, along with other local organizations that oppose the OneLIC Plan as it stands

I'm the parent of a first-grader at PS261 in Boerum Hill, Brooklyn, and activist with the Public School Parent Campaign, Librarians Equal Literacy

As a mother as well, I do not want a casino at close proximity of our children, my daughter

I'm the Supervising Attorney of the Immigration Law Project at Mobilization for Justice

I'm a Youth Guardianship Paralegal at the Children's Law Center, or CLC, a legal services organization in New York City that has represented over 185

I'm currently a CB8 member though I speak individually

I'm an upper east side Native

I am a mother of four children

I'm a current Board Member with Metro Athletic Dragons, Dragon Boat Team

I'm a father, a lifelong New Yorker, and a Jewish member of JVP, Jewish Voice for Peace

As a former bilingual teacher, social worker, and principal of the International High School of Prospect Heights and Internationals Network School

I am currently a Long Island City resident for over five years now, and I am a lifelong Queens resident

As a long-time department of education vendor, we serve students from 3K through 12th grade in styles ranging from modern and valet to hiphop, Latin, African, Hollywood and musical theater

I am a Senior Staff Attorney in TakeRoot Justice's Equitable Neighborhoods Unit

I am a resident of Astoria, and I am in the neighborhood regularly, and I fully support the Monitor Point project