Assembly Member Zohran Mamdani was arrested for disorderly conduct during a protest in Brooklyn Thursday (Assembly Member Zohran Mamdani via Twitter)
Aug. 19, 2021 By Allie Griffin
Astoria Assembly Member Zohran Mamdani was arrested while protesting in Brooklyn Tuesday to demand the state extend the eviction moratorium.
Mamdani was one of 17 protesters arrested for disorderly conduct at around 11 a.m. following a rally held at Cadman Plaza.
Videos posted to Twitter show officers cuff Mamdani and Brooklyn Assembly Member Marcela Mitaynes with plastic zip ties before walking them away towards a prisoner transport vehicle.
The pair were sitting in the street alongside organizers from Housing Justice for All, blocking traffic, the videos show. The protesters sat in front of moving boxes — with “stop evictions, save lives” written on them — and suitcases that stretched across the roadway.
Officers at the scene played a recording that stated, “Since you have refused to leave the roadway you will be placed under arrest on a charge of disorderly conduct.”
Protesters, meanwhile, chanted “All evictions got to stop, no landlords, no cops.”
Democratic primary winners of two Brooklyn council seats — Sandy Nurse and Alexa Avilés — were arrested as well.
A spokesperson for the NYPD confirmed that 17 people including four elected officials had been arrested at the protest, but didn’t immediately have the names of the officials.
The group was calling on Albany to go back in session in order to extend the state’s eviction moratorium, which is set to expire at the end of the month.
They were also protesting a recent decision by the U.S. Supreme Court that declared that a key provision of the eviction moratorium was unconstitutional.
The court ruled that the a form tenants submit to self-certify that they had experienced economic hardship due to the pandemic violated due process. It’s unclear how the decision with affect tenants struggling to pay their rent, but experts expect that people will get evicted.
Meanwhile, a federal eviction moratorium that runs through Oct. 3 is also being challenged in court.
A spokesperson for Mamdani’s office didn’t immediately return a request for comment.
NOW: 17 community leaders w/ @housing4allNY, including Assemblymembers @ZohranKMamdani & @marcelaforny, are risking arrest in Brooklyn to demand NYS extend the eviction moratorium now. #EvictionFreeNY pic.twitter.com/3dZWyDJlRM
— Make the Road NY ? (@MaketheRoadNY) August 19, 2021
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13 Comments
I think Sunnyside Post has big crush on Mamdani, the big hater.
Free Mamdani!!
Hi: I’m Jim. I represent New York Freeloaders Association. We want unemployment extended indefinitely. And don’t ask us to get a job. It is racist and hurts our feelings.? We want the non eviction moratorium to be extended forever. As long as covid exists we don’t want to be evicted. When covid is wiped off the face of the earth it can end. We want all student debt eliminated. If we can waste 83 billion in Afghanistan we can wipe out student debt. Also raise the minimum wage to $20 and illegal aliens are eligible for all benefits. Mike Gianaris for President.
2 of my 3 tenants are not paying rent. I still have to make mortgage payments. This isn’t right. I am a person that worked hard and bought a 4 family home so I could comfortably maintain my home, pay taxes and mortgage. Now I could potentially lose my life’s savings because of slackers who live hand to mouth and refuse to pay rent. I never saw a penny from their stimulus money and I know they got it because I saw it in the mail!! I have a family to feed to, why shouldn’t I get paid? Why should I subsidize other people’s shelter from my own pocket? When are property owners getting OUR bailout? It’s NOT FAIR!!!
Why was not Assembly Member Zohran Mamdani attending the nyc protests for Afghanistan and against the Taliban? Is this excuse for not leading a march in Astoria like he did for Palestine! I am sure he was released with no bail and could of attended a rally/protest. I thought he was all for Woman’s rights and speaking out against mistreatment of Muslims.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez joined members of “The Squad” in Washington Dc protesting and the next day Biden extended the eviction moratorium.
I pray that Zohran Mamdani and others can begin the work to bring Afghan refugees safely to Queens.
The nerve to demand free housing just because they say so…. get a job, pay your rent, or move somewhere cheaper. No one owes you anything.
So many people in Astoria are facing eviction. Zohran Mamdani is doing the right thing.
Yes, let’s let them live there free forever. These people want to extend the eviction moratorium and unemployment insurance forever.
You don’t mess with the Zohran
Lock them all up !
Nice virtue signallers who do not care about small business owners
Mamdani in particular is obnoxious and hateful
Will he volunteer to be an aid worker in Afghanistan?
Did not think so
He hates on Israel the only country in Middle East that gives full
Rights to women
They should send him and Gianaris to Afghanistan.