Maxime Kakhidze is an 8-year-old Brooklynite who’s figured out a way to get Mayor Zohran Mamdani to solve a problem: go viral.
“My parents always told me that my voice matters,” said Kakhidze, who joined Mamdani last week at a press conference announcing a plan to fast track repairs at city parks. “If you see something that needs to be changed, never be afraid to speak up.”
Kakhidze’s journey to becoming a pint-sized power broker began in April, when his parents posted an Instagram video of him imploring Mamdani to reopen a playground at McKinley Park in Bay Ridge that had been closed for nearly two years. One month and 2 million views later, park officials responded with a message on his account: “We hear you loud and clear, Max. Enjoy the playground!”
Mamdani is being inundated with online requests for IRL fixes. The videos, which have become a meme on TikTok, show people begging Mamdani to take action on everything from mundane nuisances — like potholes and leaky subway stations — to more existential challenges like finding love. The requests have become so popular that the mayor of Los Angeles has embraced the trend, as have users everywhere from Manila to London.
“This generation grew up in the social media era,” said Rahim Diallo, the owner of Ginjan Cafe in East Harlem.
Diallo, 40, and his brother recently filmed videos of themselves asking Mamdani to help them stave off crippling fines from the city.
Diallo called Mamdani the “poster boy” for leveraging social media. “He rode that to the mayor’s mansion,” he said.
Tagging elected officials on social media is hardly new. But the format took off under Mamdani in July after a resident posted a video of two potholes and found them paved hours later. “That quick? I said this sh– literally in the morning, and it’s gone already,” the man said.
Since that time, the idea of summoning the mayor online has become a running joke. Earlier this month, a Los Angeles comedian filmed herself asking Mayor Karen Bass to “Mamdani” her pothole. Bass responded with two videos, the first showing her at the scene finding a parked car blocking the pothole, followed by another showing crews filling the pothole.
The trend has turned international. Last week, a London resident posted a video on Instagram asking Mamdani to relieve crowding on the underground Tube. “We need more trains,” he deadpanned. The post has over 1 million views.
It’s unclear whether Mamdani watches the videos and directs city officials to respond.
“Whether it’s 311 or social media posts, this administration takes every constituent concern seriously, works to address each one as quickly as possible, and is always there to help NYC residents and businesses navigate city regulations as needed.” Mamdani spokesperson Jeremy Edwards said.
Kakhidze’s mother, Jane Kakhidze, said that the mayor told her son that he was one of the inspirations for his plan to assign a team to make quick improvements to city parks.
“It was really powerful for him,” she said, of her son. “And he kept saying, ‘Oh, I can change anything I want if I really put my heart into it.’”
But some problems are more complicated. Last Thursday, Diallo, the café owner, and his brother Mohammed, 42, sat inside their darkened cafe, which health inspectors had shut down for operating without a permit. The Diallos said they had racked up $12,000 in unpaid fines. Permit renewals require businesses to have no unpaid outstanding fines or penalties.
According to the city health department, inspectors had cited the café for multiple food safety violations over the last two years. They included keeping food at unsafe temperatures, a moldy ice machine, and evidence of pests.
Mohammed made no excuses for the violations, but he could not understand the city’s logic. “How can a business pay you fines if they’re completely shut down?” he said.
Days earlier, Rahim made a video in which he told Mamdani that small business owners like himself needed help navigating “the impossible business landscape in New York City.” Mamdani recently announced a plan to increase support for small business owners.
The brothers opened the Ginjan Café in late 2019 after graduating from a small business mentorship program at Columbia University. Housed in a historic brick and copper building on the corner of 125th Street and Park Avenue, the shop served coffee, sandwiches, and specialized in a traditional ginger drink that’s popular in their home country of Guinea. The space has been used for film screenings and a wedding. Propped up on one of the shelves is a sign that says, “NYC Africans for Zohran.”
They said their problems stem from debt that began accumulating during the pandemic. In a stroke of bad luck, they recently had to close their Brooklyn outpost after a car rammed through the shop.
Although they were unable to avoid closure, the two credited their social media videos with getting the attention of a local councilmember, member of congress, and a representative from the mayor’s office. The city’s Small Business Services also reached out.
“They’re listening to us,” Mohammed said. “They are generally trying to help, and that gives me hope.”