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Black Unity – Organize and Fight in pursuit of a Black Agenda post mayoral Election

Nayaba Arinde
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Black Unity – Organize and Fight in pursuit of a Black Agenda post mayoral Election

By Nayaba Arinde
Editor-at-Large

“Thank you,” an incredibly energized new NYC Mayor-Elect Zohran Mamdani told his joyous crowd on election night. “Hope is alive…Hope over tyranny.”

 He spoke with eloquence and fiery conviction “We have toppled a political dynasty.”

The NYC General Election was a landslide win for the Democratic Party Mamdani, elected as the new 111th Mayor-elect of New York City. The DSA assemblyman, 34, is a Muslim, born in Uganda with Indian heritage, a naturalized citizen whom 26 billionaires spent $22 million to challenge him. 

In his concession speech former Governor Andrew Cuomo, seemed to speak as if he had won, warning, almost chastising Mamdani, as did Republican Curtis Sliwa who came in third, and seemed to be almost in tears during his concession speech.

Undeterred, Mamdani boomed, “You have delivered a mandate for change…a mandate for a city that we can afford…On January 1st I will be sworn in as the mayor of New York City…[with an] ambitious agenda to tackle the cost of living crisis…Donald Trump I have four words for you ‘Turn the volume up.’” 

Trump responded, “And so it begins. Mamdani listed what he will do for the city, from freezing rent, universal childcare, thousands more teachers, lights for NYCHA, and fast travel, safety and justice on the streets working with cops, help for low-income workers, and vulnerable populations, and creating the Department of Community Safety to help with the homeless and mental health crisis.

“Meanwhile New York is a city of immigrants, built by immigrants, powered by immigrants, and as of tonight led by an immigrant. So hear me President Trump, to get to any of us you have to go through all of us.”

Black New Yorkers are being warned not to be lulled into complacency.

“A speech is a speech! As powerful as it was, it’s a speech,” founding member of Operation Power Charles Barron told Our Time Press at close to midnight on Election Night about Mamdani’s victory speech. “It’s time to govern! What does his ascension mean for Black people? Time will tell.

We must organize, organize and organize. He is supporting Mayor Adams City of Yes ballot proposals, which favor the real estate industry and rich developers. We must remain intelligent and vigilant. I’m excited about the Black Solidarity Coalition and the National Black Radical Political Congress.”

Former East New York Assembly and City Councilwoman Inez Barron told Our Time Press that since the Black community’s specific issues were not even mentioned in any of the campaigns, the people must now “Organize and fight. Some of our main issues include needing more housing, the incarceration rate, deed theft, which is rampant here in Brooklyn and Black communities, and of course, our youth need jobs.” 

“Operational community unity is essential, December 12th Chairman Clay. “On day one, we want Mayor Mamdani to know that our children’s future and our elders’ legacy are at stake.”

With the government’s ongoing shutdown, SNAP was halted for over 40 million Americans, including unpaid furloughed government workers. With one year to the midterms, the city, state, and nation are in flux.

A retired 30-year educator, Ms. Barron added, “None of the candidates talked about the Black community. It was not on their radar. It was not on their agenda, nor in their thoughts or planning. It was not in their budget. So, the Black community has got to come together to create something new, like the Black Solidarity Coalition, to bring their ideas to work as a collective.”

Clay told Our Time Press that the community must simply, “Organize, organize, organize. Mayor Mamdani must respond to a Black agenda. We need operational unity for our Black agenda, which includes housing for our people, because we’re being liquidated in our neighborhoods. The agenda is a question of our youth.

They must be politicized, and they must get skilled to be able to earn a living. They need to learn basic skills in trade schools, and we have so many retired brothers and sisters who have those skills who can train young people to actually do the work. 

That’s our mission and our priority, then we can make demands on Mayor Mamadani, for things we need. At the Black Solidarity pre-rally on Sunday at Bethany Baptist Church, one of the things we raised was that everyone must belong to an organization.”

On Monday, November 3rd, 2025, a Black Solidarity Day rally was held at the subway stop on Bed Stuy’s Utica Avenue and Malcolm X Blvd. There activist Kazembe Batts renewed his call to have the station named for the world-renown icon Malcolm X. Activists and electeds came out to honor the day founded by Dr. Carlos Russell.

Bed-Stuy Senator Jabari Brisport told Our Time Press, “We need to be talking to each other. Black people still suffer from racism and racist capitalism in America, so we have to figure out what our agenda needs to be to climb out of that.”

Key issues?

“I think number one is going to be housing. I represent Bed Stuy, and we’ve got the dual hits of tenants being pushed out by rising rents, and homeowners being pushed out by it by deed thefts. We need to invest in good jobs for the community.

We also need to raise wages for a lot of people who are working in industries like childcare, social services, and  education that are not getting paid enough. We need to be investing more into after school programs and getting youth jobs.”

Bed-Stuy City Councilman Chi Osse told Our Time Press, “I worked with the Mamdani campaign on creating an Office of Deed Theft. We need to make sure that we are keeping Black people in their homes, as we see rampant displacement day after day after day.

We need this mayor to move with urgency on this displacement crisis that we’re seeing within Black Brooklyn, and within Black New York City.”

Charles Barron told Our Time Press, “We have to build the Black Solidarity Coalition, to hold the politicians accountable. Currently, they believe they don’t need us. We are building this strong coalition discussed at our pre-Black Solidarity Day rally on Sunday. We had over 200 people, 10 to 15 organizations, and about 50 organizing leaders.

Let’s run for State Assembly, let’s run for the City Council seats, because the legislative bodies hold the executive branch accountable,” the 20-plus-year elected official who worked with Mamdani in the Assembly added, “Zohran has no Blacks in his leadership circle.

He’s a neo-liberal,  he’s not a socialist. He even said he’s going to keep Police Commissioner Jessica Tish, who’s a part of the oligarchy. The Tischs spent $1.1 million to stop him.”

Activist Barron said “The city needs an anti-poverty program to deal with what’s really causing crime in our community– poverty. We need to develop a multi-billion-dollar workforce development program.

Mamdani could create these multi-billion-dollar solutions even without the City Council. We’ll find out where his values are, where his commitment is when he shows his budget.”

Another Look at Bed-Stuy’s Watson Mere

Bernice Elizabeth Green
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Another Look at Bed-Stuy’s Watson Mere

Artist & Urban Griot Makes the Connections That Matter …
in Life and On Canvas – Mere Exhibition at African Voices Gallery Extended thru November 21

by Bernice Elizabeth Green

In July 2025, Carolyn Butts, founder and CEO of both African Voices magazine and Reel Sisters, hosted a launch event for her quarterly publication and the Brooklyn-based artist Watson Mere, who created AV’s art for the cover story, “Lineage: Celebrating a Legacy of Love, Family, Activism.” The event took place at Butts’ AV Gallery at 325 Lafayette Avenue in Clinton Hill, where an exhibition of Mere’s work, tied to the magazine’s seasonal theme, has been extended to November 21. This Saturday, November 1, 3:30-5:30p, Mere will helm a second Artist’s Talk. In support of Mere’s artistry, Our Time Press is happy to share the following exchange between the artist and me after the publication of my story on his July opening. It reveals Mere’s gifts as a storyteller.

Hi Carolyn and Bernice:
Carolyn, thank you so much for connecting us.
Bernice, it’s a pleasure to be introduced to you and thank you for the wonderful feature in Our Time Press! I’m truly honored. That issue is hanging high up on my wall right now and it makes me smile every time I see it!
Watson

Rhianna Jones & Watson Mere

In response, I asked Watson if there was a story behind his “‘Bout 2 Stops Out” artwork depicting the hands of two subway commuters — one a man, the other a woman — grasping the overhead safety bar of an MTA train moving east from Manhattan on the A-line. Watson never glimpsed the faces nor shared words with the two people. A couple? Strangers? Mere did not know. It did not matter. He used the time before his Nostrand Avenue stop to commit to memory his sighting of the power in the grip of two people who together held a lifeline to a connection he may never hear about. Mere shares his subway story and its aftermath below.

Dear Bernice:
The vision for “Bout 2 Stops Out” came to me one day while I was on the train. I entered the A train one evening and I noticed two people standing close to each other, both holding onto the rail. Gradually, their hands started to touch, at first gently, almost accidentally and then, slowly, they intertwined their fingers as if embracing through that small, shared space. I wasn’t sure if they were actually a couple, but in New York City, that kind of gesture on the train feels like its own quiet language.

It is subtle, yet deeply expressive. Something about it captures the rhythm and intimacy of the city itself. The visual also captured the silent romantic dance of the subway. Usually, the subway is associated with danger or crime but from my observation, subtle love lives there too.
A few days after completing the piece, I exhibited it at my solo show in Brooklyn at the Crown Heights Café. That night, I met my Rhianna who, unbelievably, was wearing a ring nearly identical to the one I had painted on the woman in the piece. There was a kind of magic in the serendipity of it that captured our attention.

Just a few days earlier, I had seen her Brooklyn Museum’s First Saturdays and invited her to my show later that week. To my pleasant surprise, she came! After the show, we went on our first date and had dinner up the street on Franklin Ave. We’ve been together ever since, almost two years now.
In a way, “Bout 2 Stops Out” didn’t just tell a New York love story; it created one.
Kind regards,
Mere

I also asked Mere if there was anything he would like to say to Our Time Press readers about Art and his experience pursuing it. He responded:

I profoundly believe that you can see art wherever you are. In fact, almost all of my work comes from observing my surroundings, something rooted in my childhood. I was unable to speak until I was five years old, and I began creating art at the age of two as a means of communication. That early silence heightened my sense of observation, teaching me how to translate what I see, feel, and perceive in the world around me into visual form, something I’ve nurtured and practice to this day. – Mere

About Watson Mere:
Mr. Mere is an award-winning visual and performance artist whose work has been exhibited internationally over the past nine years. His art has been featured in galleries, museums, and prominent venues including the Barclays Center (Brooklyn, NY), Venice Art Gallery (Venice, Italy), The Oculus at the World Trade Center (New York, NY), Gracie Mansion Conservatory (New York, NY), Norman Rea Gallery (York, United Kingdom), and The Africa Center (Harlem, NY).

Mere is the recipient of numerous honors, including the 2024 Artist-in-Residence at Haiti Cultural Exchange, the 2025 El Greco – Premio de las Bellas Artes Fine Arts Award from ICM Gestora Cultural, and the 2022 Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts Studio Program. In 2018, he was awarded a Citation of Honor in the Arts by the District Attorney of Kings County.
His work and practice have been featured in publications and media outlets such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, Vogue, Hyperallergic, Esquire, Artsy, NPR, News 12 New York, Philly Magazine, Broadway World, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Nylon, C-Suite Quarterly, and others.

Mere holds a B.A. in Business Administration (2011) and a Master of Business Administration M.B.A. (2015) from Florida A&M University. Born and raised in Belle Glade, Florida, to Haitian immigrant parents, he currently lives in Brooklyn, New York, and maintains a studio at the Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts in Times Square, Manhattan, New York City. For more information: watsonmere.com

Thirty Years of Impacting The Community

Editor, Our Time Press
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Thirty Years of Impacting The Community

Bridge Street Development Corporation Gala Celebrates Legacy and Renewal

On the evening of September 18, 2025, the Bridge Street Development Corporation (BSDC) gathered at Industry City in Brooklyn, NY for a gala honoring the organization’s three decades of service in Bedford–Stuyvesant and Central Brooklyn.

From developing youth workforce initiatives to affordable housing and small business support, the Development Corporation has long stood as a pillar at the center of community transformation and a model for community building.

Edward Odom, Gregory Anderson, Colvin Grannum, Emilio Dorcely, Shimonah Isreal (Citi Vice President, Community Investing & Development)


Board Chair Edward Odom, Jr. delivered the opening remarks reflecting on Bridge Street Development Corporation’s legacy, and he graciously welcomed a host of partners, staff, community leaders and supporters. That was followed by remarks from Gregory Anderson, President & CEO, who reflected on the organization’s roots and its ongoing commitment to empowering people through sustained community investment.

The honorees included history-makers Colvin Grannum, founding President & CEO of Bridge Street Development Corporation; Suzette Bather-Taylor of the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey; Bridge Street AME Church; and Dr. Robert Williams, Church Trustee and a founding Board member of the Bridge Street Development Corporation.

Each honoree praised BSDC for its great works and their own personal joy in being part of the organization’s great history and ongoing work which includes:
Empowering 1,300+ young adults annually through workforce and civic programs.
Assisting 500+ seniors and families with housing and community services.
Developing 600+ units of affordable rental housing and renovating 80+ homes for homeownership.
Supporting over 300 small businesses with technical assistance and financial empowerment.
Hosting 100+ community events each year, strengthening neighborhood engagement and civic vitality.

Mellanee Harvin and Gregory Anderson.


Gala attendees were treated to two incredibly moving videos featuring Henry Butler and Mellanee Harvin—Bed Stuy residents whose homes were purchased through Bridge Street Development Corporation. In a beautiful full circle moment, Mellanee’s own company, The Fork Goes on the Left, provided the evening’s cuisine. Every dish was savored, applauded, and talked about long after the closing remarks—proof of the community rooted spirit that made the night so special.

Honoree Grannum, introduced first, reminded guests of the Corporation’s early beginnings as an organization that grew from seeds planted by the community itself, that still nourish Bedford-Stuyvesant and Central Brooklyn. He said, “Bridge Street Development Corporation was born out of the need to bring sustainability, increased capacity and funding, to the many-externally focused ministries, programs and initiatives of the Bridge Street Church.”

BSDC 30th anniversary honoree Suzette Bather-Taylor, a global leader in finance, construction management and diversity, is flanked by Gregory Anderson, left, and Edward Odom, right.



Ms. Bather-Taylor, recognized nationally, is known for her dynamic leadership in advancing MWBE participation in the aviation industry and uplifting Brooklyn-based businesses. She said, “Living in Bedford-Stuyvesant puts the core work of Bridge Street right in full view: helping neighbors build businesses and keeping families rooted in their homes. At the Port Authority, I have had the chance to open doors for diverse firms—but real change happens in communities like this, where equity and opportunity must go hand in hand.”

The gala also honored the historic Bridge Street AME Church, whose leadership includes Pastor David Cousin and Executive Minister Valerie Cousin, both Board members of Bridge Street Development Corporation.

Mr. Anderson said, “The same church that once sheltered freedom seekers on the Underground Railroad and welcomed Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass to its pulpit, inspired the creation of an organization in Bedford‑Stuyvesant, committed to justice, equity, and opportunity. Our founders saw what was possible when faith meets action — when neighbors come together to address the urgent needs of their community.”

Dr. Robert Williams and Gregory Anderson.



Special recognition was given to Dr. Robert Williams, a Trustee of the church and founding board member of the Development Corporation, acknowledging his enduring commitment to the congregation and the community. Dr. Williams said “I congratulate Bridge Street Development Corporation for 30 years of empowering services designed to improve the quality of life for Central Brooklyn residents.

I would like to acknowledge our history: the vision of Rev. Dr Fred A. Lucas for bringing church values – our faith, social justice and community connection to the broader community; the spiritual leadership of Colvin Grannum who relentlessly pursued mission and purpose; and the dedicated founding members who provided organizational and financial support.”

Dr. Malik Yoba


The evening’s tone was elevated by MC Dr. Malik Yoba, whose energy and charisma added warmth and celebration to the program. Guests mingled over cocktails and conversations, reflecting across three decades of impact in “Building on Community Strength.”

The theme of roots, resilience, and community empowerment—was woven throughout the evening. Two major sponsors of the gala, Citi and LISC NYC, were among the first financial institutions to support the Development Corporation in its early days. Colvin Grannum was introduced by Shimonah Israel, Vice President of Citi Community Investing and Development, who spoke to the decades-long partnership between Citi and the organization.

Bridge Street Staff: Christopher Jeffery, Abigail Frederick, Glennis Lynch, Paul Kress, Amani Johnson, Tiara Robertson, Kesha Harmon, Sidda Philip, Saran Simmons, Gregory Anderson, N’Dack Fleming. Unpictured: Amanda Illery, Donald Moore, Ivan Nicols, Jamal Harris, Louiza Chirinian, Shantel Hutchinson, Shawn Payton, Shaquille Gomes, Sonia Velazquez



Citi Senior Vice President Barlow Flores was also in attendance, along with several Citi colleagues. LISC NYC, represented by Lashay S. Young, Senior Director of External Affairs and Administration, was acknowledged as a key early investor whose support has helped power both affordable housing and small business development in Black and Brown communities.

A unique and crowd-pleasing feature of the evening was a raffle featuring over $1,000 in gift cards donated by small businesses from Bedford-Stuyvesant and Central Brooklyn—underscoring Bridge Street’s close connection to local merchants.

The Development Corporation formally recognized more than 65 sponsors, partners, and supporters at the gala, capping off a celebration that was both forward-looking and deeply rooted in the values that launched the organization 30 years ago.

Bridge Street Board: Shimonah Israel, Abitzel Robinson-Hobson, Edward Odom, Jr., Fitzgerald Miller, Rev. David B. Cousin, Sr., Rev. Valerie. Kendrick-Cousin, Tamara Charles, Joan Bartolomeo, Omar Washington, Drexel Harris. Unpictured: Phyllis D. White-Thorne, Niles Stewart, Janel Shervington, Bonny Williams.



Funds raised at the gala will fuel the Development Corporation’s next chapter—expanding affordable housing, deepening older‑adult services, scaling youth workforce programming and advancing minority‑owned business growth across Central Brooklyn and beyond.

The message was clear: three decades in, Bridge Street Development Corporation remains grounded in place, purpose and possibility—and prepared for what comes next.

Mayoral Race Tightens

Nayaba Arinde
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Mayoral Race Tightens

New York City in Global Spotlight

By Mary Alice Miller

Voters could be forgiven if the 2025 NYC mayoral race resembled their favorite telenovela. But it is serious business to elect the chief executive officer of one of the most cosmopolitan cities in the world.

NYC voters are taking their mandate seriously. Early Voting broke turnout records for previous mayoral elections. Day 1 had a 79,409 voter turnout. Day 2 turnout was 84,781. Day 3 saw 59,078. The first three days had a cumulative turnout of 223,268.

There are nine candidates for mayor, but only three are actively running: Zohran Mamdani, Andrew Cuomo, and Curtis Sliwa. Mayor Eric Adams suspended his re-election campaign after a series of incidents that led to him not obtaining matching funds to run a credible campaign.
Prior to ending his re-election campaign, Adams and Cuomo were forcefully attacking each other presumably because they were going after the same electorate: Black voters.

During the campaign, Adams attacked Cuomo by stating that Cuomo had made “a career of pushing Black candidates out of races”, particularly former Governor David Paterson and former State Comptroller H. Carl McCall. Adams went on to call Cuomo a “snake and a liar”, then endorsed him.

Meanwhile, Cuomo has been courting conservative voters, Muslim voters, and moderates in an attempt to chip away at Mamdani’s frontrunner status. Approximately half of early voters are Boomer age, which could benefit Cuomo.

But, Mamdani was born in Uganda and would likely attract the growing African vote. He is of Indian descent, which would attract voters with attachment to that subcontinent. He would likely get strong support from Muslim voters, in addition to young and disaffected voters who contributed to Mamdani’s primary win.

Mamdani has been subjected to racial and religious dog whistles from those who oppose/fear him.
A Cuomo mailer depicted Mamdani with a darkened beard to make him look foreign and scary. Sliwa has said Mamdani encourages “global jihad” and Eric Adams compared Mamdani to “violent extremists.”
In an emotional speech outside his mosque in the Bronx last Friday Mamdani addressed the issue.


“To be a Muslim in New York is to expect indignity. But indignity does not make us distinct. There are many New Yorkers who face it. It is the tolerance of that indignity that does,” said Mamdani. “Since I announced my candidacy for mayor one year ago, I have sought to be the candidate to fight for every single New Yorker, not simply the Muslim candidate.”

Mamdani added, “While my opponents in this race have brought hatred to the forefront, this is just a glimpse of what so many have to endure every day across this city. While it would be easy for us to say this is not who we are as a city, we know the truth: this is who we have allowed ourselves to become.”

In response, Cuomo said, “Don’t disrespect New Yorkers. What he is doing is the oldest, dirtiest political trick in the book: divide people by race, by religion, by sexual orientation. I’ve seen it in dozens of campaigns.”

Mamdani is undaunted.
“The Bangladeshi community is supporting Zorhan Mamdani. Being a journalist I found about 90%, a significant amount of voters in the Bangladeshi community in New York City, will want to give him a victory. About 100% of Bangladeshi vote in New York City. They are really behind Zorhan Mamdani,” said Abu Taher, publisher of Bangla Patrika and editor of Time Television, a digital Bangeli language platform. “There are a very few, maybe 8-9%, who may vote for some other candidate. But most of them are supporting Zorhan Mamdani.”

The two-page ballot contains other races and proposals.
Incumbent Jumaane Williams is running for re-election as Public Advocate on the Democratic and Working Families lines, and is bring challenged by Gonzalo Duran on the Republican and Conservative/United Alliance lines, and Marty Dolan on The Unity line.
City Comptroller is a citywide open seat. Mark Levine is running on the Democratic line, Peter Kefalas is running on the Republican and Conservative Party lines, and Ismael Malave Perez is running on The Unity line.

Incumbent Eric Gonzalez is running for re-election for Brooklyn District Attorney on the Democratic and Working Families line.
Incumbent Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso is running for re-election on the Democratic and Working Families Party lines, and is being challenged by Janine Acquafredda on the Republican and Conservative lines.

Central Brooklyn Member of the City Council Contests
35th Council District: Incumbent Crystal Hudson is running on the Democratic and Working Families Party lines, and is challenged by Benny Rosenberger on the Conservative line and Hector Robertson on the United Alliance line.
36th Council District: Chi Osse is running unopposed on the Democratic Party line.

37th Council District: Sandy Nurse is running for re-election unopposed on both the Democratic and Working Families lines.
40th Council District: Incumbent Rita Joseph is running on the Democratic and Working Families lines.

41st Council District: Incumbent Darlene Mealy is running for re-election on the Democratic Party line and is challenged by Yehuda Shaffer on the United Alliance line.
42nd Council District: Chris Banks is running for re-election on the Democratic line and is being challenged by Davon Phillips on the Freedom line.

45th Council District: Incumbent Farah Louis is running on the Democratic Party line, challenged by Joshua Elijah Diaz on the Republican and Conservative lines and Hatem El-Gamasy on the Safe & Affordable line.

46th Council District: Incumbent Mercedes Narcisse is running on the Democratic Party line and is challenged by Athena Clarke on the Republican line and Dimple Willabus on the Conservative line.
There are also Judicial races and proposals on the front and back of the ballot.

Zohran’s Mayoral Race to Lose?

Nayaba Arinde
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Zohran’s Mayoral Race to Lose?

By Nayaba Arinde
Editor at Large

“With early voting underway, it’s important for all of us to vote for my friend Zohran Mamdani for Mayor. He wants to make New York a more affordable city for all of us, and keep our communities safe and growing,” New York Attorney General Letitia James told Our Times Press, as she fends off what supporters call President Donald Trump’s retaliatory fraud indictment. She noted the Obama-esque energy surrounding the campaign.

“Zohran has generated enthusiasm I have not seen since what then-candidate Barack Obama did in 2008. Zohran’s campaign is one of joy and hope, of community and humanity, of power and purpose. He is going to be a mayor for all of us, so I am humbly asking for you to vote for Zohran Mamdani during early voting or on Election Day, Tuesday November 4.”

Democrat Mamdani is 10 points ahead of Independent line former Governor Andrew Cuomo’s 34 percent, with Republican Curtis Sliwa at 11 percent.
There are several other races on the General Election ballot: Public Advocate, District Attorneys, judges, and then the 6 proposals.

Specific Black issues are not on the ballot. Mamdani touts affordability across the everyday living gamut, Cuomo spouts something similar. Bringing up the rear, Sliwa is talking about being the realest public safety candidate.

Yet, some Black folks’ conversations focus on the glaring absence of a ratio-equivalent Black people presence at any of Zohran’s big events.
Even at the 13,000 person Forest Hill event on Sunday night, there was only a smattering of Black folks, but not enough to instill confidence in certain areas that Mamdani has a concern, understanding, or even curiosity about what even a minimal Black Agenda might be.
That being understood, there is perhaps no alternative for some. Cuomo and Sliwa may split the angry, or slightly perturbed white, and Black right-of-center vote.


CUNY Professor Rosemari Mealy told Our Time Press, “Mamdani has a lot of support amongst the youth, and also rising support in the Black community.”
As for the Black agenda, or his lack thereof, Mealy continued that Mamdani “needs to raise this issue around what’s happening where slave labor is occurring in the prisons in New York State, he needs to address that question.

He needs to address the educational system in this country, about what’s happening and how so many of our young Black kids do not have access to the more ‘advanced’ public school systems. He needs to look at the issue of charter schools and how they are taking over public schools spaces. Of course the question is around healthcare, and what’s happening with the aging population.”

Early voting began on Saturday, March 25th, 2025, 220,000 folks had voted by Monday – 22,105 in Brooklyn, second in the City to Manhattan’s 24,046.
With Baby Boomers and Gen Xers, 50-somethings casting most of the votes, Cuomo, 67, and Sliwa, 71, may feel they have an edge over Mamdani, 34, and his relatively young squad of 50,000 volunteers and active supporters.
Meanwhile, Trump’s border control czar Tom Homan has threatened to flood New York with ICE agents should Mamdani win.

“What I find troubling is the lengths people are going to go to steer the way people will vote,” artist Danny Simmons told Our Time Press. “While I’m not a NYC resident any longer, what happens in the city I still love is important to me, and the ability to make up one’s mind without the spread of outright lies and misinformation–attempting to misdirect the voters is vitally important.”

The former Bed Stuy resident, and brother of Run DMC Rev. Run, and former music executive Russell Simmons continued, “I’m hoping the people of New York see past this, and really look at the candidates positions on the issues and let that inform their voting.

I hope that the fear tactics being used, like if this person is elected we will punish the city in various ways, is a dangerous precedent to set if it is successful. Whoever you vote for shouldn’t be guided by the fear of revenge for your vote.”

Cuomo spokesman Rich Azzopardi said that the Suffolk University polls “shows exactly what we’re seeing on the ground: This is a two-man race, momentum is on our side, and the more New Yorkers learn about how dangerously inexperienced Zohran Mamdani is–and about his extremist agenda, the less they like what they see.”


Azzopardi continued, “In just a month, Andrew Cuomo has cut Mamdani’s lead in half, and the early voting is going our way. This is exactly where Mamdani was at this point in the primary, and it’s clear that Andrew Cuomo’s message of competent leadership–along with his agenda to increase public safety, end the housing and affordability crisis, and strengthen our economy and education system–is resonating.”

With his “vote, vote,vote,” mantra Cuomo says that he is confident that he “will not stop fighting for every vote in every corner of this great city between now and Election Day. Together, we can and will win the fight to save the city.”

The Constitutional Law professor, and Civil rights attorney Professor Gloria Jene Browne-Marshall told Our Time Press, “I work at CUNY, and CUNY was not treated well under the Cuomo administration….Also, do you want a politician that is so strong-willed in their own mind, that they are not going to listen to the will of the people?”

As for Mamdani? The educator replied, “I think he’s right now, he’s a bit of a wild card. But…I think there are a lot of people who are willing to take the chance on a wild card.”
Meanwhile, the outsider coming in hot on the inside track “Curtis Sliwa is running to be the People’s Mayor because he’s the only candidate in this race who actually puts New Yorkers first, not special interests,” Sliwa spokesperson Daniel Kurzyna, told Our Time Press. “Unlike Mamdani and Cuomo, he isn’t bought and paid for — he’s powered by the people, and we’re going to shock the world on November 4th.”

There is less than a week for folk to get to their decision–even less if they intend to take advantage of early voting until Sunday.
General Election Day is on November 4th, 2025.


Black Solidarity Day traditionally occurs on the first Monday of November, and every four years it coincides with heralding in election day. This Sunday, November 2nd, 2025, the December 12th Movement will be hosting their traditional rally at Bed Stuy’s Bethany Baptist Church. Omowale Chairman Clay told Our Time Press that a collective of Black organizations determined that as a united front they agreed on their tentative support for Mamdani despite
“reservations about other parts of his platform, which temper our support. Our position is that it is important for all registered voters to vote and that no one should vote for Cuomo or Sliwa.”

Clay added, “We encourage all Our Time Press readers to attend the Pre-Black Solidarity Day Citywide Rally on Sunday, November 2nd at 3 pm, at the historic Bethany Baptist Church, 460 Marcus Garvey Boulevard, in the People’s Republic of Brooklyn.”

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