Support A Democratic & Just New York
Workforce Security:
Our coalition urges the next mayor to develop a strategic plan to address the unprecedented, impending unemployment resulting from AI hegemony in the city’s economy. To date (2025), Microsoft, Amazon, Meta, and IBM have laid off more than 80,000 human workers by administering generative AI. Economists anticipate that AI will replace 2 million manufacturing jobs by the end of this year. In addition, 50 million U.S. jobs, especially entry-level white color jobs, will be eliminated, and African Diasporic workers will be the hardest hit. Given this impending crisis, we call on the next mayor to enact the following:
The Mayor must collaborate with federal and state officials to enact a local AI displacement Insurance Policy aligned with the existing Unemployment Insurance Act.
A.I. Displacement Insurance must be combined with relevant workforce development initiatives as a trampoline for social and economic mobility.
Restorative and Distributive Justice:
The mass incarceration of African Diasporic youth has incentivized a prison-industrial complex in which de facto slavery is orchestrated under a state-run monopoly entitled CorCraft. This scheme coerces New York City agencies and public authorities into purchasing products (e.g., furniture) produced from exploited human labor who are paid a maximum of 45 cents per hour. Our coalition urges the next mayor to call for an end to this modern slavery and enact reforms that uplift restorative and distributive justice for justice-involved humans.
The mayor must collaborate with the NYC City Council to enact a Home Rule Message urging the state legislature to repeal/amend the state finance law that coerces New York City to purchase products and goods from CorCraft. The next mayor should collaborate with the Governor to create a model work release program that incorporates formerly incarcerated individuals into a unionized worker cooperative. This economic democracy initiative will provide security for a living wage and generational wealth by accruing shared equity and asset compensation for the formerly incarcerated.
Closing Rikers Island, A Step Toward Human Justice:
The closure of Rikers Island would mark a significant milestone in dismantling the system of mass incarceration that has devastated African Diasporic and other Communities of Color for decades. It would symbolize the end of an era defined by pain and suffering, and the possibility of a new beginning grounded in justice and dignity.
As the primary gateway to the prison industrial complex in New York City, closing Rikers would open the way for reinvestment in community infrastructure—housing, education, healthcare, and economic opportunity—that restores stability and prosperity while allowing space for wellness and healing to emerge.
Finally, shuttering Rikers would elevate a national conversation on the root causes of mass incarceration and expose the lasting damage its operation has inflicted, while also pointing toward a path of democratic accountability and repair.
Commission on Racial Equity:
Members of our coalition advocated for the enactment of the Commission on Racial Equity during the De Blasio administration and are outraged that the incumbent Mayor has failed to implement this public policy initiative adopted by New York voters. We charge that the next mayor has a moral obligation to harness the full power of the city administration to implement the community equity priorities proposed by the Commission on Racial Equity.
Social Solidarity for Democracy and Justice
The Coalition for a Democratic and Just New York seeks to achieve a “Beloved Community” by building solidarity with all citizens and denizens who will advocate to enact a progressive public policy framework benefiting the following essential working class, working-poor, and poor constituencies:
Latina / Latino
South East Asian
Asian
European Ethnic
LGBBTQ
All Justice-Involved people
All Students
All Immigrants