Candidate Answers to JOLDC: David Alexis for NY Senate District 21
Candidate Name: David Alexis
Office Seeking Election for: New York State Senate District 21
Website: https://www.davidforbk.com/
1. Explain, based on life experiences and accomplishments, why you believe you are best qualified to represent your district.
I am the son of two hardworking Haitian immigrants, I am the father of two amazing little girls, I am a working-class New Yorker, and I’m running for State Senate in District 21.
For years, I have watched as our political leaders repeatedly choose to leave my family, neighbors, and neighborhood behind. We have been forced out of homes as gentrification crept in; we have been attacked by racist immigration policies and racist policing; we have been exploited as companies depress wages and force us into gig work; we have been endangered as repeated environmental disasters robbed us of power and flooded our homes; we have been left with subpar healthcare as environmental conditions create health hazards and COVID-19 ravaged our city.
After my first daughter was born, I knew I could not standby while our leaders ignored us. And so, for the past five years, I have organized my community to make sure we aren’t defenseless, even as crisis after crisis threatens our livelihoods, our safety, and our health. Now, I am running for State Senate to return this district back to the people so that we’re never again left to fend for ourselves.
People in this district have struggled. We’ve learned the hard way that if you’re Black or Brown in this city, you have to work twice as hard to get by. My wife has sickle-cell anemia and my children have similar health complications. Every time a hospital downsizes their sickle-cell care, every time we go to battle with our insurance, every time we ask family and friends to once again help with childcare as we navigate a health crisis, it is glaring obvious that our healthcare system does not value Black lives. So I joined the Sickle Cell Thalassemia Patient Network to
organize with others to force our leaders to value our lives. Corporate polluters have exacerbated environmental racism, creating “asthma alleys” throughout the district. This inequality was made personal for me when my daughters and I developed asthma at the same time. As a result my family and my neighborhood are even more vulnerable to COVID-19. So I began organizing with environmental activists to demand that our leaders, particularly Kevin Parker, stop ignoring climate change and act to make public, clean energy a reality in New York. Saddled with debt and declining employment prospects, many of my neighbors turned, as I did, to rideshare driving. We quickly found that we were exploited, unable to make a living wage. So I began organizing fellow drivers, eventually creating the largest employee-owned coop in the country: The Drivers Cooperative.
I’ve organized to take on Goliath before. I’m ready to fight Goliath again in Albany after having seen how the state’s systems—for healthcare, environmental justice, labor, housing—have failed us. Because I’ve lived, not just seen, the struggles common to so many people in our district, I will never leave working people here behind. I want to use the powers of the state government to do what I’ve been doing for the past four years—to organize my community so everyone can have a better future.
2. Please identify any openly LGBTQQ candidate for public office you have previously or presently endorsed?
I have endorsed and am running in a slate with Jabari Brisport (State Senate, District 25) and Samy Nemir Olivares (Assembly, District 54).
3. If applicable, what legislation directly affecting the LGBTQ community have you introduced or co-sponsored? (indicate accordingly)
I have not yet been elected to office. However, I believe in full equality for the LGBTQIA+ community, including non-discrimination policies for employment, housing, public accommodation, and health access, and will legislate according to those values once elected.
4. What LGBTQ organizations have you been involved with, either on a volunteer basis or professionally?
I am an active DSA member, an organization which has many LGBTQ members and vehemently advocates for LGBTQ rights.
5. If applicable, what LGBTQ organizations have you allocated funds to?
N/A
6. Do you consider yourself a member of the LGBTQ community?
No but I am an ally and will continue to seek leadership on these issues from my friends, colleagues, slate running mates, and supporters who are members of the community.
7. Have you marched in Pride? Which marches and for approximately how many years?
I have not yet marched in a Pride parade.
8. Have you employed openly LGBTQ individuals previously? Do you employ any currently?
I have not yet been elected to office and so do not have a staff. I only have one paid staffer on the campaign at this time, but many of the volunteers that have critically shaped the campaign are members of the queer community. However, in my current position in the Drivers Cooperative, I proudly employ and work with several open LGBTQ invididuals.
9. If you receive the endorsement, do you agree to identify the club on all literature and electronic materials where you list endorsements?
Yes
10. What press conferences, demonstrations, rallies and protests in support of LGBTQ issues, pro choice legislation, criminal justice issues and the Resist Trump Movement have you attended?
I have attended multiple protests and demonstrations to create a more just world. In 2017, when I was a full-time rideshare driver, I participated in the anti-Trump Muslim Ban boycott of airport pickups. Because I’m a parent of young children, it has been difficult for me to attend many protests in the last four years. However, I have donated to BLM protests and many other social justice causes over the last several years. I’ve also donated in support of LGBTQ political candidates.
11. Have you ever been arrested fighting in pursuit of legislation or for the purpose of protesting? Please elaborate.
I have not. As the parent of young children and primary income-earner in my household, I have a family that depends on me and am unable to risk arrest at this time.
12. If you are an incumbent, what have you accomplished in your most recent term?
N/A
13. For the following pieces of legislation, please answer if you are currently a sponsor or co-sponsor (if you are an incumbent), or if you will co-sponsor (if you are not an incumbent):
a. Fair and Timely Parole (S.1415A / A.4231A): A bill pending in Albany that would ensure the parole release process for incarcerated people in New York State is based on incarcerated peoples’ rehabilitation and current risk to public safety.
b. Elder Parole (S.15A / A.3475A): A bill pending in Albany that would allow incarcerated people defined by the state prison as older adults, and who have served at least 15 years, an opportunity to appear before the Parole Board for an individualized review of their case and chance at release.
I will proudly co-sponsor both pieces of legislation.
14. If you will not co-sponsor any of the above legislation, why not?
N/A
15. Do you oppose the efforts of law and order conservatives to weaken bail reform as written?
Yes
16. Do you commit to visiting constituents who are incarcerated in state prisons and city jails?
Yes
17. When was the last time you were inside a correctional facility?
In 2013, I was pulled over at a traffic stop and arrested for alleged failure to have a registered drivers license. I did, in fact, have a registered drivers license, and was released several hours later when the police admitted their mistake. However, at that point, I had spent many hours of the night in a holding cell. Having seen how broken our carceral system is while in handcuffs, I am all the more committed to transformative change.
18. Do you believe sincere remorse and actions taken while incarcerated should be considered over the original crime in determinations of parole?
Yes
19. What do you believe should be done to ensure more clemencies are granted every year?
All elected officials must urge the Governor to maximize her clemency power. But beyond urging the Governor to grant more clemencies, we need to push for decarceration at every level of the system. In office, I will fight for anti-carceral solutions to crime and violence—priorities demanded by movements for justice across race and ethnicity—to ensure less people face
prison in the first place. I will also fight to pass the entire Justice Roadmap package, including Fair and Timely Parole, Elder Parole, and Treatment-Not-Jails.
20. Will you publicly call on the governor to use her clemency power to the many incarcerated New Yorkers who can safely return home? Will you tweet out your support for this or issue a public statement? Would you be willing to be critical of a governor who does not exercise their power to grant clemencies and commutations to those worthy of release? Have you ever spoken out in such a way?
Yes, yes, and yes. As an organizer, I am not shy about speaking truth to power. I believe that setting aside the tools of grassroots organizing, including speaking out assertively, just because I’m an elected official—even if viewed as “too aggressive” or “inappropriate” by those in power—would be leaving valuable tools for change on the table. In fact, I believe those tools can be even more effective when deployed by an elected official, and can help impress upon other elected officials the importance of the fight at stake.
21. Have you participated in any demonstrations or protests in relation to the issues of clemency and parole?
Yes, I’ve participated in several rallies for clemency over the years, especially with my church community. For example, at the end of last year, I attended a rally for clemency for the Brooklyn Six.
22. Will you affirmatively seek to hire formerly incarcerated individuals?
Yes
23. Do you support legislation to prohibit discrimination against formerly incarcerated people in housing and employment?
Yes
24. Do you believe in the decriminalization of sex work? Are you or will you
co-sponsor the bill introduced by Julia Salazar (S.6419 / A. 8230), which fully decriminalizes and decarcerates sex work?
Yes and yes
25. Will you actively oppose legislation (S.6040 / A.7069) that would implement the dangerous Nordic model instead of decriminalization of prostitution? Explain in detail your views on full decriminalization, the Nordic model, legalization, and the existing criminalization approach.
Yes. Sex work is work, and sex workers deserve a full decriminilization that will keep them safe in the course of their labor. Data show that the Nordic model fails because it is too simplistic in its attempt to eliminate demand for sex worker’s services. In fact, the Nordic model can put sex workers in additional danger by making buying sex a crime; it is just partial criminalization.
There is a reason sex work is known as the world’s oldest profession; it is not going away. Instead, we should listen to sex workers and decriminlize the profession to keep everyone safe. That is why instead of supporting S.6040/A/7069, I support S3075/A849 which would decriminalize prostitution and vacate previous judgments for same.
26. Do you support ending qualified immunity for police officers?
Yes
27. What proposals will you advocate for to protect immigrants and the further New York as a “Sanctuary State”?
I will fight for New York to give immigrants universal access to public services, housing and work. The goal will be to obstruct employers ability to exploit vulnerable workers by: limiting employers ability to threaten workers with deportation; ending loopholes in state policies; ending state cooperation with ICE; and removing immigration status from NYS driver's licenses. I will coordinate my efforts with grassroots immigrant advocacy groups to pass legislation that fights wage theft and expands immigrant rights. I will also leverage my office to provide resources to free immigration & law services, make resources to aid in naturalization and citizenship process, provide resources and aid in the process of petitioning for relatives to immigrate, connect immigrants to immigrant justice movements to find roles they can play in the expansion of immigrant rights, support immigrant workers affected by wage theft and discrimination and bring public enforcement action to stop labor violations, and fight to extend labor rights to domestic workers.
In addition, as the child of immigrants, I have deep roots in the immigrant community. I have done extensive work within the For Hire Vehicle (FHV) driver community, the municipal designation given to drivers who drive Uber / Lyft / Black car & Limo services. It is a population made up of 85,000+ workers, 91% who are immigrants. Many are new immigrants or first generation Americans who navigate a city that can be hostile. I have worked on everything from helping them navigate the endless city bureaucracy to organizing them to build power and take action. Right now I work for the Drivers Cooperative, the first worker cooperative ride-hailing platform. The vast majority of worker-owners are immigrants. I helped Haitian community members get access to immigration legal support.
28. Do you support the establishment of supervised drug consumption spaces?
Yes
29. Have you ever endorsed any member of the IDC or any candidates who challenged IDC members? Please identify all candidates
No
30. Will you commit to ensuring diverse LGBTQQ representation among your staff?
Yes
31. Who did you support for office in the following primaries or special elections: A) Mayor in 2021 B) President in 2016 and 2020 C) Governor and Attorney General in 2018?
A) Dianne Morales and Maya Wiley
B) Bernie Sanders
C) Cynthia Nixon and Zephyr Teachout
32. Have you made an endorsement in the current bid for Governor? If so, who?
No, I have not yet made an endorsement.
33. Describe any legislation and policy changes that you support in order to address the ongoing effects of slavery, racism, colonialism, and discrimination.
I support a suite of anti-racist and anti-white supremacist bills in a variety of areas, including but not limited to the following:
Criminal Justice
I support the full Justice Roadmap decarceral platform, which includes bills to shift funding from policing to community care, end the criminalization of mental illness, end the war on drugs, and more
Education
In K-12, police should play no role in public schools. Their presence strengthens the school-to-prison pipeline and represents the wrong approach to making schools safer.
We need a massive increase in funding for public schools beyond Foundation Aid guidelines. We need to target more funding at struggling schools to dismantle the school-to-prison pipeline.
Employment
I would fight to ban the box (i.e., require employers to remove criminal-history questions from employment applications)
We should increase funding for jobs programs in public schools (both high schools and higher education) that create a pipeline to high-quality union jobs.
Environment
Reduce the urban pollution from fossil fuel consumption in urban areas that lead to the development of “asthma alleys” that many people of color, myself included, have suffered from.
Housing
I would fight to increase public regulation and ownership of the rental market so that Black and Brown people, who are disproportionately renters, don’t have their wealth stolen by unscrupulous landlords and aren’t forced to live in unsafe buildings.
34. What legislation or other policy changes do you support in order to make college and graduate school affordable for poor, working-class, and middle-class Americans and to alleviate the crushing loan debt that many students and alumni are facing?
Higher education is failing too many students, especially Black and Brown students, who face stark tuition burdens. We must make all New York state public colleges tuition-free and forgive all student debt. I also support the New Deal for CUNY legislation, which eliminates tuition at CUNY and fully funds CUNY's capital needs, eliminating burdens on countless students.
35. Do you support a single-payer universal health care system? Do you or will you co-sponsor the New York Health Act? Please elaborate.
Yes. I totally and unequivocally support the New York Health Act. My wife suffers from sickle cell disease, and watching the profit-driven closure of our local hospital devastated my family and propelled me into healthcare activism. So many people in our district cannot access the healthcare they deserve. I believe it is vital that everyone have access to free, high quality medical care that puts residents’ health and well-being first even if it’s not profitable for wealthy shareholders. To push the bill forward, I will work with grassroots organizations to power map the legislature, identify what groups and issues are important to various colleagues, build strategic relationships and identify pressure points, and deploy an inside-outside strategy. I also intend to advocate for it in the same way that I advocated for mandating coverage of sickle cell treatment in 2018: by making the personal political and raising the harm lack of healthcare causes on an individual level. I will note that Kevin Parker, despite cosponsoring the NY Health Act, has not shown the same level of commitment to supporting this issue that I intend to bring to the office. We need a fighter to make this bill a reality—not a passive supporter.
36. Discuss your stance on reproductive rights, including access to contraceptives and abortion services.
I resolutely support the right of people to choose whether or not to become and stay pregnant. I am fully in support of mandating that insurance companies that operate in the state cover
abortion care, as per S7002/A7573, and banning so-called “crisis pregnancy centers,” deceptive institutions that disguise themsevles as abotion clinics and prevent people from obtaining real reproductive healthcare. I would also consider additional measures to fund abortion procedures for pregnant people who come to New York from states that ban abortion and would also immediately work to pass any legislation necessary to counter efforts from Republican-led states to retaliate against New York residents or visitors who seek abortions in our state. I will also fight for the New York Health Act and companion legislation which will ensure that all reproductive care—including abortion care, maternal care, and other reproductive care—is free and accessible for all New Yorkers.
37. Will you refuse money from individuals or Political Action Committees representing the real estate industry or law enforcement unions/associations?
Yes. Our campaign rejects all donations from corporate, real estate, carceral (including police union), fossil fuel, and real estate sources. Accepting donations from those sources would be antithetical to our mission to uplift working people.
38. Will you refuse and refund any contributions from executives at corporations complicit in the Trump agenda?
Yes
39. Will you cosponsor the legislation to prohibit evictions without good cause (S.3082 / A.5573)?
I wholeheartedly support and would immediately cosponsor legislation banning evictions without good cause. I am hoping that this will be resolved by the time I’m in office, but the eviction moratorium just expired and thousands of New Yorkers are at risk of losing their homes. Good Cause Eviction is not only urgent, it lays the foundations for a universal right to housing in New York.
40. Will you push for the passage of Home Stability Support (HSS) to bridge the difference between the public assistance shelter allowance and fair market rents for NY's 95,000 homeless? Will you co-sponsor S.856 / A.6032, which amend the Social Services Law to create a statewide rent supplement for families and individuals who are eligible for public assistance benefits and who face eviction, homelessness, or loss of housing due to domestic violence or hazardous living conditions?
Yes and yes
41. What should happen to 421-a? Would you end it, mend it, continue it?
I support funding housing solutions by eliminating wasteful giveaways to developers, such as the 421a and 485a tax abatements, that have allowed them to get richer without creating meaningful amounts of affordable housing. In the event that there is not enough support for ending it outright, I would push for significant requirements for developers to receive these abatements, such as minimum conditions on salaries for construction workers and the presence of affordable housing.
42. Do you support legalizing accessory dwelling units?
Yes
43. Do you support more state funding for NYCHA? If so, how much?
I support fully funding NYCHA’s capital and repair needs. I support the NYCHA trust plan. Public housing is a public good, and so should be controlled by the public—not private developers.
There is so much potential to make NYCHA serve both its residents and the public better. NYCHA needs additional capital funds, and NYCHA projects also need to be required to be completed with all-union labor. As state senator, I will do everything in my power to strengthen NYCHA and to work with unions to ensure that any Trust regulations include requirements that maximize the use of union labor. Beyond the trust, I will push to retrofit NYCHA buildings with modern weatherization, solar panels, and other “green” retrofits. Both installing and manufacturing the products necessary for these retrofits can be a source of additional New York union jobs.
Additionally, I will fight for higher taxes on the rich. We should never be forced to cut public housing or service when there is so much wealth in our state.
44. Do you, or will you, co-sponsor the Climate and Community Investment Act? (S.4264A / A.6967) If you are an incumbent and do not currently co-sponsor this bill, why not?
Yes
45. Do you support the New York Public Banking Act (S.1762A / A. 8290? If you are an incumbent and do not currently co-sponsor this bill, why not?
Yes
46. Do you support the New Deal for CUNY (S.4461 / A.5843)? If you are an incumbent and do not currently co-sponsor this bill, why not?
Yes
47. In view of the fact that Ed Koch has been documented to have caused the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people with AIDS, and was blatantly racist, would you support a city bill to rename the former Queensboro Bridge? Do you authorize the use of your name for such a purpose?
Yes
48. What is your position on removing the Christopher Columbus statue in Columbus Circle and if so, what should replace it?
It should be removed. I would support replacing the statue with a woman leader (we have a documented lack of statues depicting women in this city!), and would hope this decision could be made in conjunction with interested community groups.
49. Do you support reducing the budget of the law enforcement throughout the state, and if so, by how much?
I support redistributing enough funds from law enforcement budgets to ensure funding for true public safety. We cannot solve violence through carceral approaches. Instead of investing even more money in jails and police, which we know does not work, we must rather invest in violence prevention and interruption. By investing in our neighborhoods, education, and healthcare systems (including mental health care), we can prevent the desperation that turns people towards violence. We must also invest in restorative justice approaches that repair and defuse violence.
50. Are you in favor of removing police from any of the following? a) Schools; b) Mental health response calls; c) Homeless outreach and social services; or d) Traffic enforcement.
All of the above
51. Should law enforcements "Vice Squads" be eliminated?
Yes. “Vice Squads” have a proven history of abusing Black and Brown communities.
52. How would you recommend law enforcement officers be penalized for refusing to wear masks in public while on duty, in defiance of city and state rules?
Law enforcement officers are not above the law. They should face the same penalties that regular citizens do when they break mask laws.
53. What reforms would you make to the Civilian Complaint Review Board? Would you support state legislation to make CCRB disciplinary determinations binding?
I believe in full civilian control of the police department. I would support state legislation to make CCRB discipline binding (S5252/A6012). The fact that CCRB discipline is not binding right now renders it toothless. I would also increase its staff and budget so it is empowered to investigate misconduct in an efficient and timely manner. In the interim, I would bring public attention and pressure to police noncompliance with CCRB investigations and would urge the mayor, who has command authority over the police, to hold police captains and their subordinate officers accountable for failures to produce documents and officers for CCRB investigations.
54. What will you do to support nightlife in New York State?
Nightlife has been hard-hit during the pandemic. I will support bars and restaurants’ expansion into outdoor dining continuing post-COVID, as well as the to-go drinks program. I also know that red tape has often been used to discriminate against nightlife institutions operated by and serving people of color and the LGBTQ community. I will support investigations into these practices and support efforts to end them, including legislation to make things like liquor licenses easier to access.
55. Do you commit to speak with restaurant and nightlife industry representatives before taking a position on any policies that affect their businesses?
Yes
56. Do you commit to speak personally with liquor license applicants and license holders before opposing any bid for a liquor license? Likewise for an applicant seeking your support?
Yes
57. What are the top 3 issues you aim to address locally and legislatively?
Housing: People in our district are drowning from out-of-control rising rents, struggle to find safe and affordable housing, and face harassment from their landlords when they advocate for their rights. I plan to: Give every renter the right to renew their lease by passing the Good Cause Eviction bill in Albany; Pass legislation to hold landlords accountable for repairs and upkeep without passing the costs on to tenants; give tenants the right to make the first offer when their building is up for sale, putting properties in the hands of the people and not luxury developers; end tax breaks for luxury developers and ensure mortgage relief for small property owners; and fully fund NYCHA and provide rental assistance to homeless people so that every New Yorker is guaranteed a safe, dignified home.
Healthcare: My wife suffers from a chronic illness, and watching the profit-driven closure of our local hospital devastated my family and propelled me into healthcare activism. So many people in our district cannot access the healthcare they deserve. I believe it is vital that everyone have
access to free, high quality medical care that puts residents’ health and well-being first even if it’s not profitable for wealthy shareholders. In Albany, I will: pass and implement the New York Health Act, which will provide comprehensive healthcare free at the point of service to everyone living or working in NY; place a moratorium on hospital closures; guarantee fair pay and dignified working conditions for home care workers; prohibit new for-profit nursing homes that put profits over patients’ health and safety.
Climate: The same corporate interests that pollute our neighborhoods with asthma-inducing dirty air and plastic trash are fueling the climate crisis. Our community has suffered multiple devastating storms in the last few years; it is urgent that we transition to renewable energy. In Albany I will: Clean up the trash in our streets by funding sanitation services and driving initiatives to reduce waste; protect against floods, build environmentally-friendly energy plants, and create tens of thousands of good, union jobs by passing the Green New Deal for New York; end New York’s addiction to fossil fuels and create thousands of good, union jobs by building publicly-controlled renewable energy sources like wind and solar farms; clean up the air our children breathe and put an end to “asthma alleys” by transitioning to renewable energy.
58. What additional information would you like Jim Owles to consider when we are making our endorsements decisions?
I believe social change occurs when working and vulnerable people organize and put pressure on the levers of power to hold elected officials and the wealthy accountable. Our campaign for State Senate will be one geared toward turning the seat into a platform for organizing. Electoral politics should have concrete goals that people can rally around. As an organizer who has been involved in movements fighting for working people in the district, I will continue to use my campaign and my position as an elected official to advance movements for change.
I plan to operate my office in co-governance with my constituents, taking every opportunity to reach out to my constituents to ensure that they are involved in the decision-making process. I plan to follow the example of fellow progressive office-holders, like Assemblymember Phara Souffrant Forrest and Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who canvass their neighborhoods even in non-election years to inform their working-class constituents about resources they have access to and fights they can join. I also plan to use my office’s resources to support community and state-level organizing, such as by opening my office to groups’ meetings, boosting causes through my platforms, and strategically organizing (and at times, pressuring) my colleagues in the legislature to get behind legislation that will empower working and poor New Yorkers. By coordinating my office in an inside-outside strategy, we’ll be in a powerful position to create change in New York.