WEBVTT

1
00:00:03.480 --> 00:00:03.839
<v Speaker 1>Cassy.

2
00:00:05.480 --> 00:00:12.160
<v Speaker 2>This is the seventy seven WABC Mini Cast. Now we

3
00:00:12.320 --> 00:00:18.000
<v Speaker 2>are going to our featured guests here today, a person

4
00:00:18.079 --> 00:00:20.920
<v Speaker 2>that I by the way, she's got great energy. I

5
00:00:20.960 --> 00:00:24.679
<v Speaker 2>love her energy. You know, she's she's really energetic, and

6
00:00:25.000 --> 00:00:28.280
<v Speaker 2>you know what, and she came to WABC Radio, which

7
00:00:28.320 --> 00:00:32.439
<v Speaker 2>is cool. You know, she's got cohona is because you

8
00:00:32.520 --> 00:00:36.039
<v Speaker 2>know what, most Democrats don't want to come to WABC

9
00:00:36.200 --> 00:00:39.159
<v Speaker 2>radio because they think we are going to attack them.

10
00:00:39.320 --> 00:00:43.320
<v Speaker 2>I don't ever attack my guests. I have conversations with

11
00:00:43.359 --> 00:00:48.920
<v Speaker 2>them and I let them be heard because if they're heard,

12
00:00:49.039 --> 00:00:52.079
<v Speaker 2>they can get their point across. And for our million

13
00:00:52.119 --> 00:00:58.119
<v Speaker 2>plus listeners, I want you to know that Emily Gallagher

14
00:00:59.320 --> 00:01:04.439
<v Speaker 2>is a wonderful assembly woman and she's from Brooklyn. You know,

15
00:01:05.120 --> 00:01:11.719
<v Speaker 2>ladies and gentlemen or whatever your pronouns are here assembly

16
00:01:11.799 --> 00:01:16.480
<v Speaker 2>Woman Emily Gallagher. Assembly Woman Gallagher. She represents Green Points,

17
00:01:16.560 --> 00:01:21.719
<v Speaker 2>she represents Williamsburg. Those are the communities that are really throbbing.

18
00:01:21.760 --> 00:01:25.840
<v Speaker 2>So congratulations, and you're doing a great job there, Emily,

19
00:01:25.879 --> 00:01:28.959
<v Speaker 2>because the streets are pretty clean. You know, you've got

20
00:01:28.959 --> 00:01:33.400
<v Speaker 2>a whole elected officials responsible when their streets are dirty.

21
00:01:33.680 --> 00:01:37.400
<v Speaker 2>But your streets are clean. I gotta give you that.

22
00:01:37.879 --> 00:01:40.799
<v Speaker 2>But listen, Emily, you said something today. I want to

23
00:01:40.840 --> 00:01:44.959
<v Speaker 2>I want to play play the videotape here, Come on, ahs.

24
00:01:45.120 --> 00:01:47.640
<v Speaker 3>What we saw were kinds of poverty. People who are

25
00:01:47.640 --> 00:01:51.120
<v Speaker 3>stealing things like toothpaste, people who are stealing things like

26
00:01:51.599 --> 00:01:55.319
<v Speaker 3>you know so. And that means if you're stealing those things,

27
00:01:55.359 --> 00:02:00.640
<v Speaker 3>you need them. And we are choosing to protect billion

28
00:02:00.840 --> 00:02:06.280
<v Speaker 3>dollar companies like CBS and Walgreens over the people who

29
00:02:06.359 --> 00:02:08.400
<v Speaker 3>are struggling to get by.

30
00:02:09.120 --> 00:02:14.240
<v Speaker 2>Well, Emily Gallagher got national attention. Man, she really tweeked

31
00:02:14.439 --> 00:02:16.719
<v Speaker 2>what she said. And I like it because you know

32
00:02:16.800 --> 00:02:20.080
<v Speaker 2>what she said, it raw, okay, and she said it

33
00:02:20.159 --> 00:02:24.439
<v Speaker 2>how she felt. But I have a simple question, Emily,

34
00:02:24.800 --> 00:02:26.599
<v Speaker 2>is shoplifting right or wrong?

35
00:02:27.400 --> 00:02:33.159
<v Speaker 3>Look, my point is that we are investing in a

36
00:02:33.280 --> 00:02:38.120
<v Speaker 3>system with our taxpayer dollars that doesn't work, and that

37
00:02:38.319 --> 00:02:43.800
<v Speaker 3>is putting people in prison or jail for low level

38
00:02:43.840 --> 00:02:48.479
<v Speaker 3>crime and even prosecuting them running them through the system.

39
00:02:48.639 --> 00:02:52.719
<v Speaker 3>There's been so much research on this that shows that

40
00:02:52.840 --> 00:02:56.719
<v Speaker 3>this doesn't actually decrease crime, it keeps it about the same,

41
00:02:57.159 --> 00:03:01.159
<v Speaker 3>and actually it really worsens outcomes for peopleeople who end

42
00:03:01.240 --> 00:03:05.159
<v Speaker 3>up in the system from shoplifting. So I think my

43
00:03:05.520 --> 00:03:11.000
<v Speaker 3>criticism here is that folks who are shoplifting out of poverty,

44
00:03:11.159 --> 00:03:17.479
<v Speaker 3>out of desperation, they should be treated with some different

45
00:03:17.599 --> 00:03:22.560
<v Speaker 3>kinds of interventions than prison and jail. And we actually

46
00:03:22.599 --> 00:03:25.599
<v Speaker 3>have a lot of data that backs that up. So

47
00:03:25.800 --> 00:03:29.560
<v Speaker 3>I'm fighting to change the way that we handle this,

48
00:03:30.080 --> 00:03:33.879
<v Speaker 3>not to say that shoplifting is something that we should encourage,

49
00:03:34.000 --> 00:03:37.159
<v Speaker 3>but rather that shoplifting is a symptom and there are

50
00:03:37.199 --> 00:03:38.280
<v Speaker 3>different ways to cure it.

51
00:03:38.680 --> 00:03:42.560
<v Speaker 2>Okay, you know, Emily, I like you had a program

52
00:03:42.639 --> 00:03:45.199
<v Speaker 2>at Rikers Island many years ago, eighty nine to ninety

53
00:03:45.240 --> 00:03:49.840
<v Speaker 2>and ninety one, three years where I invested my own

54
00:03:49.919 --> 00:03:53.719
<v Speaker 2>money about one hundred thousand dollars a year back then

55
00:03:55.159 --> 00:04:00.759
<v Speaker 2>to allow non violent inmates to learn of skills so

56
00:04:00.759 --> 00:04:03.280
<v Speaker 2>that they wouldn't go back to jail. Okay, but they

57
00:04:03.280 --> 00:04:06.520
<v Speaker 2>were already in jail, and they were in jail probably

58
00:04:06.560 --> 00:04:09.759
<v Speaker 2>for things like shoplifting, looting, and all of these things.

59
00:04:10.199 --> 00:04:14.680
<v Speaker 2>But my question to you was is shoplifting right or wrong?

60
00:04:14.840 --> 00:04:16.120
<v Speaker 2>There's a yes or no question.

61
00:04:16.839 --> 00:04:18.680
<v Speaker 3>I would say shoplifting is not right.

62
00:04:18.920 --> 00:04:22.079
<v Speaker 2>It's not okay, good, you know what you see guys,

63
00:04:22.079 --> 00:04:25.120
<v Speaker 2>That's why you've got to give people an opportunity to

64
00:04:25.720 --> 00:04:30.240
<v Speaker 2>be heard. Right. Emily doesn't believe that shoplifting is a

65
00:04:30.279 --> 00:04:32.879
<v Speaker 2>good thing. So you know, she said shoplifting is no

66
00:04:33.360 --> 00:04:37.079
<v Speaker 2>So Emily, you say, some people still out of necessity.

67
00:04:37.560 --> 00:04:42.040
<v Speaker 2>But everybody needs something. We all need something. If I

68
00:04:42.120 --> 00:04:44.800
<v Speaker 2>need something, I'm not going to go into CVS or

69
00:04:44.839 --> 00:04:48.399
<v Speaker 2>Walmart or any and just take it because I want it.

70
00:04:50.160 --> 00:04:52.639
<v Speaker 2>You know, there's got to be some What kind of

71
00:04:52.680 --> 00:04:56.160
<v Speaker 2>penalty would you if you were the mayor of this city,

72
00:04:56.160 --> 00:04:57.959
<v Speaker 2>if you were the police commission, if you were the

73
00:04:57.959 --> 00:05:00.560
<v Speaker 2>attorney general, or if you were the a or the

74
00:05:00.600 --> 00:05:05.040
<v Speaker 2>district attorney? What solutions? What punishment would you give to

75
00:05:05.120 --> 00:05:08.759
<v Speaker 2>someone that goes into a bodega? I represent bodegas, yeah,

76
00:05:08.920 --> 00:05:11.560
<v Speaker 2>I represent cab drivers. Yeah. And you know a lot

77
00:05:11.600 --> 00:05:14.279
<v Speaker 2>of people get in a cab and they get out

78
00:05:14.319 --> 00:05:17.399
<v Speaker 2>the car at a red light and they run and

79
00:05:17.439 --> 00:05:20.480
<v Speaker 2>they don't pay the fare. So cab drivers get stuck

80
00:05:20.560 --> 00:05:24.639
<v Speaker 2>losing fifty dollars, ride seventy dollars, ride thirty dollars. It

81
00:05:24.680 --> 00:05:28.839
<v Speaker 2>is devastating to them. Mentor bodega, it's even more devastating

82
00:05:28.879 --> 00:05:31.639
<v Speaker 2>because these are small businesses that pay a lot of rent.

83
00:05:31.680 --> 00:05:33.920
<v Speaker 2>A lot of taxes, a lot of things. What would

84
00:05:33.959 --> 00:05:38.600
<v Speaker 2>you tell these small businesses, because let's say listen CBS

85
00:05:38.600 --> 00:05:42.480
<v Speaker 2>and Walmart, it's not acceptable for I don't think people

86
00:05:42.519 --> 00:05:44.800
<v Speaker 2>to loot them because then they leave the city and

87
00:05:44.839 --> 00:05:46.759
<v Speaker 2>a lot of them have closed. That's why you see

88
00:05:46.759 --> 00:05:49.240
<v Speaker 2>a lot of empty stores in New York because you're

89
00:05:49.279 --> 00:05:52.920
<v Speaker 2>in COVID, and even past COVID, a lot of looting

90
00:05:52.959 --> 00:05:55.920
<v Speaker 2>took place and these businesses had to shut down, right,

91
00:05:56.279 --> 00:05:59.879
<v Speaker 2>So who are the losers? Communities lost, right because now

92
00:06:00.000 --> 00:06:02.040
<v Speaker 2>we don't have a place where to going shop. But

93
00:06:02.160 --> 00:06:07.040
<v Speaker 2>to the small businesses, what would you tell Ravametz Rodriguez,

94
00:06:07.079 --> 00:06:11.160
<v Speaker 2>for example, Hey, somebody came in here looted you. They

95
00:06:11.240 --> 00:06:15.560
<v Speaker 2>robbed you for toothpaste and toilet paper and stuff, And

96
00:06:16.279 --> 00:06:20.759
<v Speaker 2>what kind of penalty would you recommend for someone like this?

97
00:06:20.920 --> 00:06:22.920
<v Speaker 3>Well, you know, I really think that there's a big

98
00:06:22.959 --> 00:06:27.519
<v Speaker 3>difference between the crimes that happened at like a CVS

99
00:06:27.560 --> 00:06:31.920
<v Speaker 3>or Walgreens billion dollar companies that actually are doing a

100
00:06:31.920 --> 00:06:36.199
<v Speaker 3>lot of leveraging that are actually impacting their own crime rates.

101
00:06:36.279 --> 00:06:38.519
<v Speaker 3>Like there were studies in twenty twenty three that really

102
00:06:38.600 --> 00:06:42.199
<v Speaker 3>dug into this retail theft story and what they found

103
00:06:42.279 --> 00:06:45.399
<v Speaker 3>was that the main cause was that they had really

104
00:06:45.439 --> 00:06:47.639
<v Speaker 3>got rid of a lot of their employees and they

105
00:06:47.680 --> 00:06:50.680
<v Speaker 3>had all those self checkouts things like that, and actually,

106
00:06:50.800 --> 00:06:56.319
<v Speaker 3>and in a shareholder call, the CEO of Walgreens said, like,

107
00:06:56.439 --> 00:07:01.279
<v Speaker 3>maybe we have actually exaggerated our losses. Losses at those

108
00:07:01.319 --> 00:07:06.879
<v Speaker 3>big companies to shoplifting are actually zero point zero seven percent.

109
00:07:07.240 --> 00:07:10.879
<v Speaker 3>Most of what they experience is like over buying or fraud.

110
00:07:11.279 --> 00:07:14.319
<v Speaker 3>It's a totally different kind of thing. I am for

111
00:07:14.720 --> 00:07:17.319
<v Speaker 3>small businesses because I think those are the ones that

112
00:07:17.399 --> 00:07:21.040
<v Speaker 3>really provide community support. Those are the kind of guys

113
00:07:21.120 --> 00:07:22.959
<v Speaker 3>like I had a bodega across the street from my

114
00:07:23.000 --> 00:07:25.680
<v Speaker 3>house for ten years where they were like family to me,

115
00:07:25.839 --> 00:07:27.480
<v Speaker 3>Like hold your thought, yes.

116
00:07:27.439 --> 00:07:29.839
<v Speaker 1>Hold your thought, because you've got to get a commercial

117
00:07:29.920 --> 00:07:34.920
<v Speaker 1>break and we'll be right back. Okay, okay, okay, okay,

118
00:07:34.959 --> 00:07:37.519
<v Speaker 1>you all know me, but listen, I just want for

119
00:07:37.600 --> 00:07:41.000
<v Speaker 1>those of you that are just tuning in now, okay,

120
00:07:41.040 --> 00:07:43.120
<v Speaker 1>that tuned in late.

121
00:07:43.240 --> 00:07:46.519
<v Speaker 2>You know, there's no excuses for being late to my show. Okay,

122
00:07:46.920 --> 00:07:49.240
<v Speaker 2>no excuses for that. But for those of you that

123
00:07:49.279 --> 00:07:53.279
<v Speaker 2>are late, I have here the great Emily Gallagher Assemblymen

124
00:07:53.399 --> 00:07:57.519
<v Speaker 2>from Williamsburg and Greenpoint, and you know, those neighborhoods are kicking.

125
00:07:58.240 --> 00:08:01.480
<v Speaker 2>They are clean, they are great, they are nice. So

126
00:08:01.519 --> 00:08:04.959
<v Speaker 2>she's doing she's doing her part, okay, And I'm sure

127
00:08:05.000 --> 00:08:07.279
<v Speaker 2>she's uh, she's doing the best that she can. But

128
00:08:07.600 --> 00:08:11.759
<v Speaker 2>she said something very controversial this week, man, and it

129
00:08:11.879 --> 00:08:14.360
<v Speaker 2>got her all over. She wasn't even on Fox News.

130
00:08:14.959 --> 00:08:17.720
<v Speaker 2>She was on Fox News. Man, you made it to

131
00:08:17.759 --> 00:08:18.560
<v Speaker 2>the big league.

132
00:08:20.000 --> 00:08:21.160
<v Speaker 3>It was really impressive.

133
00:08:21.279 --> 00:08:24.639
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, and listen, although she has said here on this

134
00:08:24.759 --> 00:08:29.920
<v Speaker 2>show that she does not agree with chopliftings. She thinks

135
00:08:29.920 --> 00:08:33.879
<v Speaker 2>it's wrong, she also believes that there's, uh has to

136
00:08:33.919 --> 00:08:39.879
<v Speaker 2>be other other things other than sending these people to jail. Okay,

137
00:08:40.080 --> 00:08:43.159
<v Speaker 2>So Emily continue. You said you had a bodega in

138
00:08:43.200 --> 00:08:45.320
<v Speaker 2>front of your house, right.

139
00:08:45.399 --> 00:08:48.320
<v Speaker 3>I think everybody in New York City has has like

140
00:08:48.440 --> 00:08:51.399
<v Speaker 3>a relationship with the bodega near their house. And and

141
00:08:51.480 --> 00:08:54.799
<v Speaker 3>one thing that I know is true about small businesses

142
00:08:55.000 --> 00:08:58.360
<v Speaker 3>is that they usually have community connections. They know the

143
00:08:58.399 --> 00:09:01.080
<v Speaker 3>people in their neighborhood, They know who needs a little help,

144
00:09:01.360 --> 00:09:03.799
<v Speaker 3>and they usually work it out with them. Like I

145
00:09:03.919 --> 00:09:06.679
<v Speaker 3>know that the guys that had the Delhi across the

146
00:09:06.720 --> 00:09:10.120
<v Speaker 3>street from mine, and they've been so successful. They've had

147
00:09:10.200 --> 00:09:12.120
<v Speaker 3>two more delis. One of them even went in and

148
00:09:12.120 --> 00:09:16.320
<v Speaker 3>started his own HVAC company. They they would help people

149
00:09:16.399 --> 00:09:18.840
<v Speaker 3>who needed a little help. So I know that there

150
00:09:18.840 --> 00:09:20.399
<v Speaker 3>were people that would go in there and they would

151
00:09:20.399 --> 00:09:22.519
<v Speaker 3>say like, hey, man, like I don't get paid till

152
00:09:22.559 --> 00:09:25.120
<v Speaker 3>next week, and they'd be like, hey, you take what

153
00:09:25.159 --> 00:09:27.360
<v Speaker 3>you need and come back next week. And because they

154
00:09:27.360 --> 00:09:32.320
<v Speaker 3>had a relationship that was able to sustain like that

155
00:09:32.360 --> 00:09:36.240
<v Speaker 3>good connection. And what I'm seeing in my district is that,

156
00:09:36.559 --> 00:09:39.039
<v Speaker 3>you know, a lot of the buildings are being bought

157
00:09:39.080 --> 00:09:42.840
<v Speaker 3>up by private equity and the rents are becoming so

158
00:09:43.240 --> 00:09:46.480
<v Speaker 3>insane that these little mom and pop shops are not

159
00:09:46.639 --> 00:09:49.320
<v Speaker 3>able to survive. And I actually have a bill that

160
00:09:49.360 --> 00:09:53.039
<v Speaker 3>I've introduced called the Small Business Rent Stabilization Act, which

161
00:09:53.039 --> 00:09:58.840
<v Speaker 3>would allow for there to be some more conversation about

162
00:09:58.879 --> 00:10:02.120
<v Speaker 3>what mom and pop isessays should be paying in rent,

163
00:10:02.200 --> 00:10:04.879
<v Speaker 3>because I think they're a critical part of public safety.

164
00:10:05.279 --> 00:10:07.679
<v Speaker 3>And I think this is a big part of why

165
00:10:08.480 --> 00:10:11.759
<v Speaker 3>people end up shoplifting at these big stores because there's

166
00:10:11.799 --> 00:10:15.279
<v Speaker 3>no relationships there, because they're not building relationships because they're

167
00:10:15.320 --> 00:10:19.159
<v Speaker 3>not having employees anymore. They're having these automatics of checkout

168
00:10:19.200 --> 00:10:19.600
<v Speaker 3>kind of story.

169
00:10:19.799 --> 00:10:23.000
<v Speaker 2>But Emily, you have to, I'm going to give you

170
00:10:23.039 --> 00:10:26.480
<v Speaker 2>a suggestion. O. My father owned the bodega. I'm a

171
00:10:26.519 --> 00:10:31.080
<v Speaker 2>small business owner. I've worked very hard, you know, my

172
00:10:31.279 --> 00:10:33.720
<v Speaker 2>entire life in New York City to get where I'm

173
00:10:33.759 --> 00:10:37.759
<v Speaker 2>at today. But one of the things, and one of

174
00:10:37.759 --> 00:10:42.080
<v Speaker 2>the reasons why rents are so high, and retail rents

175
00:10:42.120 --> 00:10:45.919
<v Speaker 2>are high, is because of all the taxes that these

176
00:10:46.159 --> 00:10:50.200
<v Speaker 2>buildings have to pay the city and the state and

177
00:10:50.240 --> 00:10:55.519
<v Speaker 2>everyone else. So if the taxes were lowered, then the

178
00:10:55.600 --> 00:10:59.000
<v Speaker 2>landlords wouldn't have to charge so much rent. See. So

179
00:10:59.480 --> 00:11:03.840
<v Speaker 2>it's like, if I have a small building with five apartments,

180
00:11:04.320 --> 00:11:07.600
<v Speaker 2>and my taxes are one hundred thousand dollars a year,

181
00:11:08.440 --> 00:11:13.840
<v Speaker 2>that's what nine thousand dollars a month just in taxes

182
00:11:14.320 --> 00:11:17.679
<v Speaker 2>for the building. That's before I start collecting rent from

183
00:11:17.720 --> 00:11:20.720
<v Speaker 2>the four tenants that I have, Right, it's one hundred

184
00:11:20.720 --> 00:11:24.039
<v Speaker 2>grand a year. So if I had if my rent,

185
00:11:24.159 --> 00:11:27.480
<v Speaker 2>if my taxes were twenty five thousand, that means that

186
00:11:27.519 --> 00:11:30.679
<v Speaker 2>the savings that I get there I can pass along

187
00:11:30.919 --> 00:11:34.200
<v Speaker 2>to the tenants. So it's not as simple as saying,

188
00:11:34.440 --> 00:11:38.480
<v Speaker 2>you know what, these funds buy these properties, these buildings

189
00:11:38.840 --> 00:11:41.399
<v Speaker 2>and they're charging an arm and a leg. You've got

190
00:11:41.399 --> 00:11:45.440
<v Speaker 2>to look at the reason why. Okay, if you have boilers,

191
00:11:45.799 --> 00:11:49.720
<v Speaker 2>oil is going through the roof. Roofers cost a lot

192
00:11:49.720 --> 00:11:52.879
<v Speaker 2>of money. Maintaining a building costs a lot of money,

193
00:11:53.039 --> 00:11:56.000
<v Speaker 2>so all that has to be part of the rent.

194
00:11:56.240 --> 00:11:59.960
<v Speaker 2>So if your total cost for that building is too

195
00:12:00.080 --> 00:12:04.039
<v Speaker 2>undred thousand dollars a year, that means that every apartment

196
00:12:04.399 --> 00:12:06.879
<v Speaker 2>their rent is going to be about four thousand dollars

197
00:12:06.919 --> 00:12:09.639
<v Speaker 2>a year, just so that you can break even. So

198
00:12:09.759 --> 00:12:14.200
<v Speaker 2>there's you know, as a legislator, I would love to

199
00:12:14.440 --> 00:12:18.840
<v Speaker 2>for you to do an analysis where you really understand

200
00:12:19.039 --> 00:12:21.960
<v Speaker 2>why the rent is so high. You know, I've asked

201
00:12:22.120 --> 00:12:26.879
<v Speaker 2>Mayor Mondami, why don't you lower the rents, I mean

202
00:12:26.919 --> 00:12:31.120
<v Speaker 2>the taxes, so that then the landlords could give credit

203
00:12:31.679 --> 00:12:34.720
<v Speaker 2>for the taxes that you've lowered to the tenants. That's

204
00:12:34.799 --> 00:12:38.480
<v Speaker 2>a lot easier than telling people rent control, which I'm

205
00:12:38.519 --> 00:12:40.559
<v Speaker 2>sure he's going to lose in court because a lot

206
00:12:40.600 --> 00:12:43.759
<v Speaker 2>of these I have building owners that say, Fernando, I'm

207
00:12:43.799 --> 00:12:47.440
<v Speaker 2>breaking even at the end of the month. Now I'm

208
00:12:47.440 --> 00:12:49.960
<v Speaker 2>going to lose money at the end of the month.

209
00:12:51.039 --> 00:12:54.039
<v Speaker 2>Wealthy people can do right, can write off right, so

210
00:12:54.080 --> 00:12:56.440
<v Speaker 2>they write it off in their taxes, it doesn't matter.

211
00:12:56.480 --> 00:12:58.480
<v Speaker 2>But not the small mom and pop guy.

212
00:12:58.639 --> 00:13:01.120
<v Speaker 3>Well, well, and the research for this bill, what we've

213
00:13:01.159 --> 00:13:03.879
<v Speaker 3>really found is that a lot of these buildings have

214
00:13:04.039 --> 00:13:08.639
<v Speaker 3>been overleveraged by international private equity, and so it's not

215
00:13:08.799 --> 00:13:11.480
<v Speaker 3>even like a person that you know anymore that you're

216
00:13:11.519 --> 00:13:15.279
<v Speaker 3>working with. And I've seen many small businesses that have

217
00:13:15.360 --> 00:13:17.639
<v Speaker 3>come to me and said that they're having all of

218
00:13:17.679 --> 00:13:20.559
<v Speaker 3>the property taxes passed on to them. So the goal

219
00:13:20.720 --> 00:13:24.720
<v Speaker 3>of this bill is to actually have a discussion about

220
00:13:24.759 --> 00:13:27.440
<v Speaker 3>it with all of the stakeholders. So there would be

221
00:13:27.519 --> 00:13:31.200
<v Speaker 3>landlords involved, there would be small business owners involved, and

222
00:13:31.240 --> 00:13:34.840
<v Speaker 3>there would be experts in things like you know, insurance,

223
00:13:35.039 --> 00:13:37.440
<v Speaker 3>in like what the roofing would cost, all of that

224
00:13:37.480 --> 00:13:39.720
<v Speaker 3>sort of thing, so we can have a conversation and

225
00:13:39.759 --> 00:13:43.159
<v Speaker 3>we can make sure that small businesses are able to thrive,

226
00:13:43.240 --> 00:13:45.919
<v Speaker 3>so that we have those community eyes on the ground,

227
00:13:46.200 --> 00:13:48.799
<v Speaker 3>because I'm sure you've seen in some of these neighborhoods

228
00:13:49.080 --> 00:13:52.480
<v Speaker 3>there's almost all vacant storefronts now and it's being told

229
00:13:52.519 --> 00:13:56.799
<v Speaker 3>to us that this is because of shoplifting things like that.

230
00:13:56.840 --> 00:13:58.960
<v Speaker 3>When there was a study done in twenty twenty three.

231
00:13:59.000 --> 00:14:01.840
<v Speaker 3>What they found with Tart was that they actually were

232
00:14:01.879 --> 00:14:04.639
<v Speaker 3>just leaving places where their sales weren't that high. I

233
00:14:04.720 --> 00:14:07.519
<v Speaker 3>had nothing to do as shoplifting. And so I think

234
00:14:07.559 --> 00:14:10.240
<v Speaker 3>that we're being told some things that just are not

235
00:14:10.519 --> 00:14:13.360
<v Speaker 3>factually true. And it's really important to think about, like

236
00:14:13.639 --> 00:14:17.080
<v Speaker 3>how an anecdote tells us what is possible, but data

237
00:14:17.120 --> 00:14:19.120
<v Speaker 3>tells us what's probable. And that's why I really try

238
00:14:19.159 --> 00:14:22.279
<v Speaker 3>to be a data driven legislator. I really try to

239
00:14:22.279 --> 00:14:24.960
<v Speaker 3>get to the core of the issue, and I'm really

240
00:14:25.000 --> 00:14:30.399
<v Speaker 3>looking for the answers that will allow people to have work, entrepreneurship,

241
00:14:30.440 --> 00:14:35.200
<v Speaker 3>individual responsibility, and reward success, you know. But we have

242
00:14:35.279 --> 00:14:38.000
<v Speaker 3>to do that without exploiting people. And I think that's

243
00:14:38.080 --> 00:14:41.039
<v Speaker 3>really where where we're seeing a problem right now.

244
00:14:41.159 --> 00:14:44.879
<v Speaker 2>Listen, representing bodega owners, I know the core of their problem.

245
00:14:45.039 --> 00:14:47.159
<v Speaker 2>Yeare of their problems are high rent?

246
00:14:47.799 --> 00:14:48.559
<v Speaker 3>Why exactly?

247
00:14:48.639 --> 00:14:51.799
<v Speaker 2>But a lot of them own the properties they're in.

248
00:14:52.519 --> 00:14:56.679
<v Speaker 2>So interesting, Yes, But what they're saying is the reason

249
00:14:56.799 --> 00:14:59.679
<v Speaker 2>why we have to sell products at a certain price

250
00:14:59.759 --> 00:15:03.919
<v Speaker 2>is because not only is our rent high, the taxes

251
00:15:04.200 --> 00:15:09.679
<v Speaker 2>are extremely high. And I think that that's a city situation.

252
00:15:09.840 --> 00:15:12.399
<v Speaker 2>If you want to create affordability. You have to look

253
00:15:12.440 --> 00:15:14.960
<v Speaker 2>at how much are you taking, how much is the city?

254
00:15:15.039 --> 00:15:17.440
<v Speaker 3>How much is that I'm going to bring it back

255
00:15:17.480 --> 00:15:20.759
<v Speaker 3>to what you've been saying, because my belief is if

256
00:15:20.879 --> 00:15:23.080
<v Speaker 3>we are taking taxes, they should be used in a

257
00:15:23.080 --> 00:15:27.360
<v Speaker 3>way that is provably successful. And that is why I'm

258
00:15:27.399 --> 00:15:33.279
<v Speaker 3>speaking out against using jail as an answer for when shops.

259
00:15:33.360 --> 00:15:35.919
<v Speaker 2>I asked you that question, what kind of punishment?

260
00:15:35.960 --> 00:15:39.000
<v Speaker 3>What I want to tell you is that one night,

261
00:15:39.639 --> 00:15:43.240
<v Speaker 3>one night in Rikers is one year in Rikers for

262
00:15:43.279 --> 00:15:46.320
<v Speaker 3>one person is five hundred thousand dollars of our tax

263
00:15:46.360 --> 00:15:48.799
<v Speaker 3>payer money. I don't think that's right. I think we

264
00:15:48.840 --> 00:15:51.519
<v Speaker 3>should be spending that on things that are proven successful,

265
00:15:51.840 --> 00:15:54.840
<v Speaker 3>like housing. If we have paid for housing with that

266
00:15:54.879 --> 00:15:58.320
<v Speaker 3>five hundred thousand dollars, we will get twenty people housed

267
00:15:58.519 --> 00:16:00.679
<v Speaker 3>for the price of one person. And in jail.

268
00:16:00.759 --> 00:16:03.440
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, but you know what, back in ninety and eighty nine,

269
00:16:03.559 --> 00:16:06.000
<v Speaker 2>ninety ninety one, it was fifty eight thousand. I still

270
00:16:06.000 --> 00:16:08.639
<v Speaker 2>remember the number because I went to Mayor Dinkins at

271
00:16:08.639 --> 00:16:10.919
<v Speaker 2>the time and I said, you know what, I'm saving

272
00:16:10.960 --> 00:16:15.159
<v Speaker 2>the city fifty eight thousand dollars per inmate. Huh, that

273
00:16:15.200 --> 00:16:19.200
<v Speaker 2>doesn't come back to jail. But the truth theory is, listen,

274
00:16:19.720 --> 00:16:24.039
<v Speaker 2>where do you draw the line. My bodegas are being loaded, Uh,

275
00:16:25.519 --> 00:16:28.360
<v Speaker 2>small businesses are being loaded. They need to these people

276
00:16:28.440 --> 00:16:33.240
<v Speaker 2>need to know that there's consequences. It's not just program that.

277
00:16:33.240 --> 00:16:34.360
<v Speaker 2>It's not just go away.

278
00:16:34.559 --> 00:16:37.320
<v Speaker 3>Right. So I think the program is one of these.

279
00:16:37.480 --> 00:16:40.200
<v Speaker 3>There was a program that they did in a twenty

280
00:16:40.240 --> 00:16:43.559
<v Speaker 3>twenty two study, uh, and they found a fifty three

281
00:16:43.600 --> 00:16:47.159
<v Speaker 3>percent reduction in the likelihood of a new criminal complaint.

282
00:16:47.399 --> 00:16:50.799
<v Speaker 3>And they actually found that the crime rate, crime rate

283
00:16:50.879 --> 00:16:54.120
<v Speaker 3>went down and recidivism was only at four percent with

284
00:16:54.200 --> 00:16:57.279
<v Speaker 3>this program. Right. So we can create programs like that,

285
00:16:57.399 --> 00:17:00.440
<v Speaker 3>and I've been talking to the administration about that. We

286
00:17:00.519 --> 00:17:03.039
<v Speaker 3>want to see different kinds of programs that have people

287
00:17:03.080 --> 00:17:06.279
<v Speaker 3>come in and have classes, they do a needs assessment,

288
00:17:06.319 --> 00:17:08.240
<v Speaker 3>they say like what are you needing? Like you can't

289
00:17:08.279 --> 00:17:11.480
<v Speaker 3>pay for hygienic products with food stamps, Emily.

290
00:17:11.480 --> 00:17:16.359
<v Speaker 2>We are running out of time. We would I'm going

291
00:17:16.440 --> 00:17:19.160
<v Speaker 2>to have you back, But I just want you to

292
00:17:19.240 --> 00:17:24.000
<v Speaker 2>know that as a legislator, do what other legislators don't do.

293
00:17:24.000 --> 00:17:26.039
<v Speaker 2>Don't look at the rich and say, Okay, they have

294
00:17:26.200 --> 00:17:30.599
<v Speaker 2>enough and they're charging more. Look at what they have,

295
00:17:31.039 --> 00:17:35.720
<v Speaker 2>what the expenses are, and why they are charging what

296
00:17:35.759 --> 00:17:38.720
<v Speaker 2>they're charging per apartment. So if you see a small

297
00:17:38.759 --> 00:17:41.319
<v Speaker 2>building and you people are paying five thousand dollars of

298
00:17:41.359 --> 00:17:45.640
<v Speaker 2>rent in your district, these are people that took that building,

299
00:17:45.920 --> 00:17:49.119
<v Speaker 2>renovated the building, borrowed money to do that, so now

300
00:17:49.119 --> 00:17:51.640
<v Speaker 2>they have to pay the bank off. Then the taxes

301
00:17:51.680 --> 00:17:55.000
<v Speaker 2>on that building is extremely high, so you've got to

302
00:17:55.000 --> 00:17:57.039
<v Speaker 2>look at and the oil is very high, and the

303
00:17:57.079 --> 00:17:59.960
<v Speaker 2>maintenance of the building. Once you take all of the expenses,

304
00:18:01.039 --> 00:18:05.079
<v Speaker 2>now you see what they're charging. If the landlord is

305
00:18:05.119 --> 00:18:08.759
<v Speaker 2>making a ton of money on top of that, okay,

306
00:18:08.920 --> 00:18:11.440
<v Speaker 2>you know what, come on, guys. But if they're just

307
00:18:11.559 --> 00:18:15.319
<v Speaker 2>breaking even or making a little money, hey, you've got

308
00:18:15.440 --> 00:18:17.640
<v Speaker 2>to you gotta look at it. You've got to look

309
00:18:17.680 --> 00:18:19.680
<v Speaker 2>at their point of view as well. But it was

310
00:18:19.720 --> 00:18:21.200
<v Speaker 2>really nice having you, Emily.

311
00:18:21.400 --> 00:18:24.759
<v Speaker 3>Nice nice being here. You know, I'm a systems thinker,

312
00:18:24.880 --> 00:18:27.160
<v Speaker 3>so I'm always looking at what is the best way

313
00:18:27.200 --> 00:18:29.400
<v Speaker 3>that we can spend our money, and I think that

314
00:18:29.880 --> 00:18:32.119
<v Speaker 3>you know, that is the kind of solutions that I'm

315
00:18:32.160 --> 00:18:33.440
<v Speaker 3>trying to You will make so.

316
00:18:33.480 --> 00:18:36.559
<v Speaker 2>Much sense when you go to Albany and you tell

317
00:18:36.599 --> 00:18:39.759
<v Speaker 2>the governor and you tell you the legislators. Hey guys,

318
00:18:40.039 --> 00:18:44.759
<v Speaker 2>let's not just fight for one sector. Let's look at both.

319
00:18:44.839 --> 00:18:48.599
<v Speaker 2>Let's discuss, let's analyze, let's figure this out for the

320
00:18:49.440 --> 00:18:51.680
<v Speaker 2>which is what I always say, Let's figure this out.

321
00:18:52.079 --> 00:18:53.079
<v Speaker 2>Thank you, Ellie, you