Harlem's New Rep Tells Eric Adams: Don't Ignore The Socialists

HARLEM, NY — The new year brought with it a slate of brand-new City Council members — including in Central Harlem, where Kristin Richardson Jordan has officially taken over in District 9 after unseating incumbent Bill Perkins in last year's Democratic primary.

Jordan, 35, describes herself as a "book printing poet, teaching artist, author, and activist." She is also a socialist, whose platform centered on "radical love" and included calls to cut NYPD funding, halt evictions and raise taxes on the wealthy.

Jordan spoke with Harlem Patch on Tuesday, her second day on the job, to discuss her goals for the coming year, her concerns about Mayor Eric Adams, and her opposition to the new One45 development on Lenox Avenue.

How have your first couple of days in office been?

I campaigned for over two years so it definitely feels a bit surreal to actually be here. There are definitely mornings when I wake up and I’m still saying, “Oh wow, I actually won this thing.”

It’s very busy too. I’m very comfortable with busy — I’ve always been an overachiever and someone who juggles 20 different things at the same time, so that part is pretty normal.

I feel a big sense of responsibility. I’m coming in on the heels of an incumbent who was in local office for several decades. Despite what you may feel about him personally, there’s a lot to that — there’s things left in terms of his legacy that were really good. There’s also things left that really need to change and be improved upon.

There’s a lot of need in the space of constituent service. I think the sad truth is that the Councilman’s office was closed for a good chunk of COVID and the community is still impacted and still in need in a lot of ways. One of the things I’m focusing on in this first week is getting strong constituent services up and running.

What kinds of constituent complaints have you been fielding so far?

Some of the stuff we’ve done so far is helping people who have housing repairs and have NYCHA tickets that haven’t been addressed — to be able to make that call or send that note that gets that ticket addressed.

We also are just helping direct people to the right services. One of the things we were doing as recently as a few weeks back was the ERAP process, helping people with that application.

We also started up a jobs program, so we are helping people with their resumes and in applying for jobs, and helping with some job coaching. That’s a huge issue in the district — when we were doing outreach and offering constituent services, one of the number one things that came up was the need for employment and for work.

You're one of several self-identified socialists in the new Council, but most members are more mainstream Democrats — or even Republicans. How do you anticipate working with members who aren't in the same place as you, ideologically?

I do identify as a Black socialist and abolitionist that is ideologically different from much of the Council. I do feel a kindred spirit with [Brooklyn Councilmember] Charles Barron, however, and we’ve had some great [conversations]. We’ve even joked about starting up a Black socialist caucus with just the two of us. [Laughs]

I think ultimately it’s about serving people. I’m really hoping that some of my future colleagues will make space for those who have different opinions and be able to come together in the interest of serving people. I certainly will do that. I don’t think we need to agree completely ideologically to take one step in the right direction together.

Have you had any dealings with Mayor Eric Adams or his administration?

I’m concerned about the extent to which Eric Adams is willing to work collaboratively, after I and some of my colleagues sent a letter [in December] around solitary confinement. He had some really harsh words that basically involved just ignoring the body.

We had 29 of us signed on that letter, so we actually had a City Council majority on that note. I’m a bit concerned that Eric Adams is trying to be a one-man show.

My office attempted to reach out to him so that we could meet and connect, and it was not reciprocated.

I want to ask about affordable housing, which is a big part of your platform. Fundamentally, do you think Harlem needs more new housing to be built, or do you see housing construction as a cause of displacement?

Both. I think Harlem needs more actually affordable housing and low-income housing, and housing for long-time residents, and housing for residents who were displaced from Harlem to actually be able to return to Harlem.

We need housing in a framework that is going to help preserve the Black plurality of Harlem as well. As we saw in the last census, we lost 10,000 Black residents of Harlem and that was not by choice — these were people who were displaced.

We definitely do need housing, but which housing and how much? It depends on who we’re housing. I would rather have lots sit empty than have them filled with further gentrification.

There's a vocal "YIMBY" contingent who argue that all new housing is good, even market-rate, because it reduces demand across the board, which lowers rents for everyone. Do you disagree with that analysis?

I completely disagree that all housing is good housing.

Looking at the particulars matters. I think the particulars of this particular project on 145 are incredibly damaging to the community in any sort of concrete way, in terms of the housing, and I think someone would be hard-pressed to make an argument that this is going to be for the community.

Can you elaborate on your objections to it?

I’m concerned that we’re using [mandatory inclusionary housing] as an affordability metric because that’s not tailored to the median income of Harlem. I’m concerned that we don’t have enough affordable units, and I’m concerned about the over 600 market-rate units and what that does to property values in the surrounding area.

There’s space for development that can really be for the community. Charles Barron has shown it possible in East New York. People are going to make the argument that Harlem is prime real estate, but it’s hard for me to see these arguments as anything other than greed.

Have you met or spoken to the One45 developer, Bruce Teitelbaum?

Yes, I had a meeting with him about it. He talked to me about us going to HPD and seeing if there was a way to be actual affordability in the project — even up to 100 percent affordable units.

But as he was having this conversation with me and my team and some community members, he then at the same time started the ball rolling on the ULURP process. Once you start the clock on that, there isn’t room for us to make these changes. So in my opinion it’s talking out of both sides of your mouth.

The thing with these projects is that there’s always something that’s offered up to the community as a breadcrumb or a carrot. What’s being offered up in this one is the civil rights museum. We need to be very cautious about selling out the community, the live people of our community, for a museum.

Can you point to one or two concrete things that you hope to accomplish in your first year in office?

Yes, one of the things I'm hoping to take a strong look at is the redistricting [process], and working to do my very best to keep the Black plurality of Harlem.

The second thing is sanitation. I think that should be an easy fix. There should be better trash cans, more trash cans in our neighborhood as well as better trash pickups and decreasing the rat population.

What kinds of steps need to be taken for that to happen?

We already started, but I think working with the Department of Sanitation to make sure that we continue to replace the trash cans, because the old wire cans are actually feeding the rat population. They’re open, the rats can climb into them. So we need the closed, rat-protected cans, getting more of that for our community is very doable.

Also, making the community undesirable for the rodents, having dumpsters instead of trash out on the streets. I know it sounds small but these are steps in the right direction and they raise the self-esteem of kids in the neighborhood and the psychology of things as well.

Councilmember Kristin Richardson Jordan's district office is now open at 181 West 135th St., between Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. and Malcolm X boulevards. It is open Monday-Friday from 9 a.m.-7 p.m., and Saturdays from 9 a.m.-noon.