Candidate Answers to JOLDC: Yusef Salaam for City Council District 9
Candidate Name: Yusef Salaam
Office Seeking Election for: New York City Council District 9
Campaign Website: https://www.harlemforyusef.com
Campaign Social Media Handles: Twitter: @dr_yusefsalaam // @ys4thepeople; Instagram: @dr.yusefsalaam // @ys4thepeople; Facebook: @YusefForThePeople
1. Do you consider yourself a member of the LGBTQ community?
No, but I consider myself an ally of the LGBTQ+ community.
2. If you answered “yes” to the first question, do you believe members of hate groups should be permitted to join the City Council LGBTQIA+ caucus? Do you believe the Republican party is a hate group? If you answered yes to both questions, do you support ejecting Republicans from the caucus?
N/A
3. What work have you done on behalf of the LGBTQ community? This can include endorsing LGBTQ candidates, drafting or advocating for legislation directly benefiting the LGBTQ community, working with LGBTQ organizations, allocating funds to LGBTQ organizations, marching in Pride parades, attending rallies/protests/press conferences in support of LGBTQ issues, and/or employing openly LGBTQ individuals.
I am not an elected official and this is the first time I have run for office, and so I have not previously had an opportunity to endorse LGBTQ candidates for office, draft legislation to benefit the LGBTQ community, allocate funding to LGBTQ organizations, etc. That said, as noted above I consider myself to be a strong ally of the LGBTQ community, and I fully support the rights of LGBTQ individuals to live openly without discrimination, and to enjoy equal rights, personal autonomy, and freedom of expression and association. This includes the right to have access to gender-affirming medical treatment, and to utilize facilities that match their gender identity.
4. Has Mayor Eric Adams met the needs of the LGBTQ community? Please include “yes” or “no” in your answer, and explain your answer.
No. Although Mayor Adams states his support for the LGBTQ community, and has taken some strides to address the community’s needs, a number of his other actions – from his early appointments of LGBTQ opponents as advisers, to his failure to ensure the safety of LGBTQ inmates at Rikers – show that he still has more work to do.
5. Would you demand that the Mayor re-institute its office of LGBTQ affairs, with its leader being a member of the LGBTQ community chosen in consultation with the City Council LGBTQIA+ Caucus?
Yes.
6. Have you made requests to the Office of the Mayor to demand inclusion of LGBTQ community in city administration and on city boards? Can you give examples?
No. As noted above, I am not an elected official and this is the first time I have run for office, and so I have not previously demanded that the Mayor include members of the LGBTQ community in city administration and on city boards, but I certainly would do so in the future.
7. Do you support reparations for slavery?
Yes.
8. Do you oppose all efforts to weaken bail reform?
Yes and no. I do not think the reforms should be weakened, but they may need to be clarified.
Prior to the 2019 bail reforms, we had a two-tiered system of justice, with poor Black and Brown New Yorkers languishing in Rikers before trial because they could not afford bail, while wealthier (and predominantly White) residents posted bail and were released while awaiting trial.
This system was unjust, unfair, and blatantly discriminatory, and I therefore strongly support the bail reforms that were enacted, which eliminated bail for low-level crimes, so that individuals could remain home, keep their jobs, and continue to support their families while preparing to defend themselves in court.
Nevertheless, many community residents, judges, lawyers and victims’ rights groups have asserted that the new laws have resulted in the release of career violent criminals who pose a clear danger to the residents of Harlem and other communities.
The City Council does not have the power to change the current law – only the State Legislature can do that – but as with all issues, I will sit down with the interested parties, hear everyone’s views, and advocate for changes – if any – that are deemed necessary.
9. Do you support closing Rikers Island? Do you support the administration’s plan to open borough-based jails?
Rikers Island is one of the worst penal institutions in the country, with a long history of violence and deaths behind its walls. The City is required by law to close Rikers by 2027, and I fully support that law.
I also support the creation of borough-based jails, because they make it easier for family members to visit their loved ones in jail. That said, it does not appear that the Adams administration is moving quickly enough to create those borough facilities, which may place the timetable for the closure plan in jeopardy.
10. Do you support legislation outlawing solitary confinement in all jails and prisons, including city jails, and do you support Intro 549 (regarding solitary confinement)?
Yes.
11. Will you publicly call on the governor to use her clemency power for 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?
I definitely support the greater use of clemency powers, and will not hesitate to publicly urge the Governor to grant clemencies more frequently.
12. If elected, will you include in your office’s newsletter instructions for your constituents on how their loved ones can apply for clemency?
Yes.
13. Do you commit to visiting constituents who are incarcerated in state prisons and city jails? When did you do so last?
I was incarcerated for almost 7 years for a crime I did not commit, and from that experience have a greater understanding of the impact of incarceration on individuals than any other candidate for office.
14. Do you believe in the decriminalization of sex work? If so, do you support full decriminalization, including decriminalizing purchase and facilitation? Will you commit to opposing the Nordic model, which continues criminalizing purchase and facilitation while decriminalizing sale?
I have not yet taken a position on the decriminalization of sex work.
15. What proposals will you advocate for to protect immigrants and further New York as a “Sanctuary City”?
There is a wide variety of actions that I support, including working to ensure that immigrants have competent legal counsel to represent them in their immigration cases, expanding utilization of IDNYC, hosting immigrant rights workshops, ensuring proper housing and services for migrants transported here from the southern border, etc.
16. Did you support legislation, which passed, to allow non-citizen New Yorkers to vote? Do you support the appeal of the case in which the law was held unconstitutional?
Yes, I support both allowing non-citizens to vote, and appealing any lower-court decisions striking down those laws. This issue needs to be decided by the New York Court of Appeals.
17. Do you support the establishment of supervised drug consumption spaces in your district?
I absolutely support the establishment of supervised drug consumption spaces. About 3,000 New York City residents die from drug overdoses every year – which is more than the number of individuals killed on September 11. Safe injection sites save lives – by providing clean needles, allowing users to test their drugs for fentanyl and other contaminants, having staff available to administer naloxone in the case of overdose, and referring individuals who want to quit to available treatment.
However, we also must recognize that Harlem historically has been treated as a dumping ground for these types of facilities – methadone clinics, substance abuse treatment facilities, homeless shelters, SROs, etc. There are only two safe injection sites in New York City, one of which is in Council District 9, and we need other communities to accept their “fair share” of these types of programs. In addition, the City must dedicate more resources (counselors, outreach teams, sanitation pick-ups, etc.) to addressing the adverse collateral effects that the oversaturation of these facilities has had on our community.
18. Do you support ending qualified immunity for police and other law enforcement individuals?
Yes.
19. 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.
Yes.
20. Should law enforcement "Vice Squads" be eliminated?
I have not yet had an opportunity to review the scope and impact of the activities of the Vice Squads, and so have not yet formulated a position on this issue.
21. Should the Gangs Database be abolished and do you / will you co-sponsor Intro 360 on the subject?
I have not yet had an opportunity to review the type and extent of information contained in the gangs database, and so have not yet formulated a position on this issue.
22. Do you support the Progressive Caucus’s requirement that members support cutting funding to NYPD in favor of alternative safety infrastructure?
The NYPD has a very large budget, and if elected, I will work with my colleagues in the City Council to examine that budget carefully, and see if there is a way to find savings. For example, when I speak with police officers, they tell me that they spend a huge amount of time responding to situations that are better handled by trained outreach workers – like complaints about homeless individuals, street drug use, and individuals facing a mental health crisis. If we relieve police officers of those duties, they can focus on serious crimes, while simultaneously freeing up funds to spend on things like afterschool programs, job training, and community-based activities that keep individuals engaged and reduce the number of crimes being committed.
23. What concretely have you done to improve access to reproductive healthcare? If elected, what more will you do? Be specific.
As noted above, I am not an elected official and this is the first time I have run for office, and so I have not previously had an opportunity to work to improve access to reproductive healthcare, but I fully intend to work with my colleagues to protect a woman’s right to choose, and in particular to address the current disparities in reproductive health care outcomes among women of color.
24. Do you approve of Mayor Adams’ approach to sweeping homeless encampments?
The Mayor’s plan has gotten a lot of media attention, but that attention is on the wrong issues. The real issues are the lack of affordable housing, lack of services for the unhoused, and the lack of mental health treatment options.
When you have a large number of individuals who cannot afford housing, and a significant number of individuals with untreated mental health issues, the inevitable result is lots living on the streets, including many individuals suffering from mental health issues.
The City has always had the power to pick up homeless individuals for assessment and treatment if they pose a threat to themselves or others, and every prior Mayor has used that power to some extent. Our real focus instead needs to be on increasing the availability of affordable housing and mental health treatment, and also expanding outreach services to the unhoused, so that we can address these root problems before individuals end up on the street and posing a danger to themselves and others.
25. Do you commit to speaking with restaurant and nightlife industry representatives before taking a position on any policies that affect their businesses?
Yes.
26. Do you commit to speaking personally with liquor license applicants and license holders before opposing any bid for a liquor license? Likewise for an applicant seeking your support?
Yes.
27. 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.
28. Do you commit to removing the Christopher Columbus statue in Columbus Circle?
My understanding is that the City Council does not have the power to remove the statue on its own, because it is on the NYS historic registry, but certainly will work with my colleagues on this issue if the Council is granted the power to take some action.
29. Who did you support for Mayor in the 2021 Democratic primary? Did you make an endorsement in the general election?
I did not make any public endorsements in either the 2021 Democratic primary or the 2021 general election.
30. Are you currently a member of the Progressive Caucus? If you are not currently an incumbent, will you join if elected?
I am a progressive, and I support progressive causes. I am not currently a member of the Progressive Caucus because I am not yet an elected member of the Council. I know that the Progressive Caucus has had some recent discussions regarding their guiding principles, and if elected I will review the principles in place at that time, and decide then if I wish to join the caucus based on that review.
31. Do you believe the Progressive Caucus should have qualifications to ensure that its members are actually progressive? Please explain.
Yes. Any group of Council members who wish to create a caucus for like-minded members should be free to establish the standards necessary to qualify for membership.
32. If you are a sitting Councilmember, name three votes you took in the City Council that differed from the position of the Speaker.
N/A
33. The rules of the City Council often make it difficult to get a hearing and/or vote on bills of which the Speaker does not approve. Would you support, and introduce if necessary, legislation that could force the City Council to print, introduce, hold hearings on, and hold votes on legislation.
No. The City Council is a deliberative body, and in order to operate efficiently, it needs mutual respect and cooperation among its members. Requiring the City Council to hold hearings and votes on every piece of legislation introduced would create a flood of additional work, including on bills that have little support among the members. The result would be institutional paralysis, preventing the Council from focusing on the most important issues facing the City.
Nonetheless, while I oppose efforts to force hearings and votes on all bills, I would support a requirement for hearings and votes on any bills that have been co-sponsored by a veto-proof majority of Council members, because that would be a clear demonstration of support, and blocking those bills would undercut the clear will of the Council.
34. Will you refuse money from individuals or Political Action Committees representing the real estate industry or law enforcement unions/associations?
I fundamentally believe that people-power needs to be primary, as opposed to corporate power that has always enjoyed outsized political access and influence. Thus I will take principled stances on rejecting donations from individual donors and PACs that fail to align with my values.
For this reason, I will refuse donations from individuals representing law enforcement unions. With respect to the real estate industry, in contrast, there are many progressive entities working hard to develop deeply affordable housing throughout New York City, and so I would not refuse donations from individuals who share my position on this issue.
35. Will you refuse and refund any contributions from executives at corporations who donated funds to any of Donald Trump’s campaigns?
I doubt that any corporate executives who donated to Donald Trump will donate to me. If they do, whether I accept the donation will depend on whether they have subsequently and currently disavowed their support for him.
36. With the continued boycott of Equinox fitness on the basis of owner Steve Ross’ support of Donald Trump and institution of “Don’t Say Gay” policies in his residential buildings, do you commit to opposing his application for a casino?
I have not yet had an opportunity to review the activities of Steve Ross, or any of the other individuals connected with casino applications, and therefore do not have a position on any of the applications that may have been submitted.
37. If you receive the Jim Owles endorsement, do you agree to identify the club on all literature and electronic materials where you list endorsements?
Yes.