Are we letting high-profile racism slide now?<\/p>\n
Brooklyn: I am writing about the op-ed \u201cKeeping Black and Brown N.Y.ers here<\/a>\u201d (Oct. 30). The ad that authors Al Sharpton, W. Franklyn Richardson and Malcolm Byrd rightfully questioned was also condemned by the Tenants Not Tourists coalition and taken down two weeks ago, as it should have been. But there is a much more troubling situation that remains unanswered.<\/p>\n Airbnb and its leaders have contributed millions of dollars to MAGA Republicans, including $100,000 to President Trump, as well as exorbitant funding for officials who are actively working to dismantle DEI, which is one of the most pressing threats faced by Americans of color nationwide. I respectfully ask why the authors have spoken out about a web ad while remaining entirely silent about this multi-billion-dollar tech corporation and its lavish funding for officials who are not only unaligned with our values but are actively working to harm us.<\/p>\n Airbnb\u2019s cofounder and current board member, Joe Gebbia \u2014 whose position at Airbnb was extended by the company after he joined the Trump administration this year \u2014 has been actively tweeting blatantly racist content, including during the two weeks since the ad in question was taken down. These tweets have been widely circulated and were even publicly highlighted by the Democratic nominee for mayor.<\/p>\n It is disturbing that there has not been enough public comment about this dangerous and divisive rhetoric by Airbnb\u2019s cofounder. I hope that this correspondence will spur a more productive public dialogue about this situation. Kevin McCall<\/p>\n A rising tide<\/p>\n Bronx: On Tuesday, the American public learned the power of the vote. We no longer were subjects to be used and cast about like loose cargo in a tempest sea. Instead, millions learned that we are citizens, our needs will not be ignored without consequences, and the true antagonists can no longer defer the blame. It has been a painful, and remains a painful, journey for Americans, especially individuals and families suffering the second-longest government shutdown under the same presidential figure. The party that provides a plan for concrete, positive, measurable results will prevail in 2026 and win the majority. Swords have been crossed. Pamela Butler<\/p>\n Sore losers?<\/p>\n Staten Island: So, 7 million people participated in the No Kings protests. Wow. So does that mean that 10% of Kamala Harris voters still haven\u2019t gotten over the election results and are still crying and stomping their feet? Rich Buttermark<\/p>\n Start small<\/p>\n Brooklyn: While Zohran Mamdani may arrive at City Hall in January on a magic carpet, free bus rides would be a fantasy. However, free weekend bus rides may be more of a reality. Marie Walsh<\/p>\n Free-wheeling<\/p>\n Massapequa Park, L.I.: Picture this: NYC, Jan. 1, 2026. Mamdani is sworn in as New York City\u2019s mayor. His big promise of free buses goes into effect. You will now have rolling homeless shelters traveling the streets of New York. They will bring their cardboard boxes and garbage bags of belongings with them and sleep the days away. Now won\u2019t that be a pretty sight. Raymond P. Moran<\/p>\n Divergent visions<\/p>\n Brooklyn: Mamdani\u2019s focus on affordability includes lowering energy costs: bringing efficient electric heat pumps to NYC residents (as was successfully done in public housing), making green upgrades to public schools, lobbying Albany to extend a tax break for middle-income co-ops and condos to meet Local Law 97 energy-efficiency mandates, and staffing the office that walks owners through the LL97 process. Gov. Hochul claims that affordability means keeping New Yorkers hooked on gas. She may delay implementation of the All-Electric Building Act that would make new housing cheaper to build and live in, or direct her agencies to approve the billion-dollar NESE gas pipeline off the coast of Staten Island \u2014 which isn\u2019t even needed \u2014 inflating our utility bills for decades. Mamdani takes the opposite view: electrification and energy efficiency will lower energy costs. If ratepayers get stuck paying for unnecessary pipelines, New Yorkers will see that Hochul is wrong and Mamdani is right. Stephanie Doba<\/p>\n A steady drip<\/p>\n Lake Ariel, Pa.: Looks like Nikita Khrushchev\u2019s vision of the late 1950s has come true in NYC and a couple of other radical, liberal blue states. Let the radical-left liberal politicians feed the people a little socialism each day and one morning, they\u2019ll wake up as communists. And that\u2019s what they have been doing the last 20 years. So, when do the \u201cI Love NY\u201d signs come down to be replaced by \u201cWelcome to the People\u2019s Socialist Republic of New York, Comrade\u201d? Joseph Beyhl<\/p>\n Catastrophizing critics<\/p>\n Manhattan: I have to cringe when two of your readers, neither of whom are from NYC, call Mamdani a communist. Just because a malignant narcissist and felon named Trump uses that c-word, they think that accusation is true and they parrot it. How brainwashed by Trump are Voicers Thomas Sarc and Robert W. Lobenstein? Do they believe every single Trump lie? Yes, Mamdani is liberal. Yes, some of his ideas could be branded as socialist, but some socialism mixed with democracy and capitalism works wonderfully in many countries in the world. Just ask those living in Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Great Britain, Switzerland, Canada and Norway. Mamdani is not a communist. Richard Simon<\/p>\n Digging in<\/p>\n Bronx: Well, Democrats, are you satisfied with the results of the election? Your party has been taken over by extremists, and in the case of New York City, radical Islamist extremists. How many of you will pack up and leave? As for me, I\u2019ll stick around, and with fist raised, will \u201cfight, fight, fight.\u201d Bob Pascarella<\/p>\n To have and to hold<\/p>\n