DSA Rally Celebrates Mamdani Victory and Pushes Child Care Agenda

UNION SQUARE, November 15th

New York City elected its first Democratic Socialist mayor, Zorhan Mamdani and support for his campaign swept across the country, But what happens now? “November Fourth was only the beginning,” City Councilmember Alexa Avilés said. That sentiment was shared among rally goers in Union Square on a Sunday afternoon after the election.

Protestors gathered from all around the city for the Democratic Socialists of America (NYC-DSA) “Tax The Rich; Seize Our Future” rally. The organizers’ central message focused on Mamdani’s proposed tax plan that would put a 2% tax on individuals and companies making more than 1 million dollars to fund universal child care. 

“It would definitely make me more comfortable having more kids,” said Rachel. She, like others we spoke with, did not want to give their last name. Rachel recently moved to New York and thinks that with the proposed plan she would be, “able to put money away for my son’s future.” 

Others, even those without kids, agree. “ It would make day-to-day amenities far more accessible,” Fiona, an NYU student studying journalism, said. Marcus, an Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapist, recalled a client who was forced to move out of New York City he said, “It was just too expensive for her.”

Former Mayor Bill De Blasio created a universal pre-K program that guaranteed free pre-K education to all four-year-olds in the city. He also began a plan to reach all three-year-olds. “These programs have fundamentally changed how the city approaches early education,”  according to testimony given to a City Council committee by Halley Potter of The Century Foundation. 

Long time New York resident Bruce thinks Mamdani’s plan will build on what De Blasio did. “My granddaughter took advantage of Bill De Blasio’s child care plan.  I think that it’s good that things like this trickle down from administrations.” 

Those who support Mamdani’s plans dismiss the idea of big corporations, and rich people leaving New York for lower taxes. “I don’t want to lose any more people to Palm Beach,” “We’ve lost enough,” New York Governor Kathy Hochul said in an interview with the New York Post,  Average New Yorkers don’t seem concerned, 

“They always say that they’ll move out of New York but they never do.” Bruce said. Marcus agrees, “No absolutely not, the city is one of the biggest hubs for profit, New York isn’t gonna become a third world country. They’re not gonna move out to f…g Utah.”