Long Island’s Communities of Color to Join Statewide Call for Governor Cuomo to Veto Gerrymandered Maps
What:
Press conference of leaders of color to demand that Governor Cuomo veto LATFOR’s redistricting proposals
When:
Monday, March 12, noon
Where:
4th Street, off of Suffolk Avenue, Brentwood. Please meet us in the parking lot behind Apple Insurance. The site is on the line where the proposed map splits the community.
On Monday, Latino, immigrant, and African-American leaders will join others across the state and hold a press conference to call on Governor Andrew Cuomo to veto the political maps proposed by the state’s redistricting taskforce (LATFOR). Speakers will denounce the proposed maps for effectively disenfranchising communities of color by dividing several majority-minority communities and diluting their voting power.
Last month, LATFOR presented its maps for consideration by the State Assembly and State Senate. Now state legislators are trying to cut a deal that would disregard the grave concerns of communities of color. The proposed State Senate map in particular draws lines straight through the heart of Long Island’s communities of color in Islip, Babylon, and Hempstead—making it harder for these communities to be represented by candidates who are responsive to their needs. The LATFOR proposals clearly violate the standards of fairness for redistricting, and the governor should thus withstand the pressures for a back-room deal and exercise his veto power.
The press conference will be held simultaneously with similar events across the state that will demonstrate the breadth of the movement for redistricting reform in New York. Monday’s event, organized by the Long Island Civic Engagement Table, will feature speakers from various organizations, including Make the Road New York, New York Communities for Change, the Long Island Immigrant Alliance, the Central American Refugee Center (CARECEN), NAACP, Local 1102, and SEPA Mujer (Services for the Advancement of Women).
The Long Island Civic Engagement Table (LICET) seeks to transform the culture of civic participation and government accountability on Long Island. LICET does this by nurturing grassroots participation and leadership in low-income communities of color. LICET, led by Make the Road New York, New York Communities for Change, the Long Island Immigrant Alliance, and CARECEN, seeks to work with these communities to turn the tide of anti-working class and anti-immigrant politics and build a common platform for low-income people.
