The Coalition to Protect Chinatown & the Lower East Side has been a part of organizing against the new Chinatown mega-jail since it was proposed. Recently, Mayoral Candidate Zohran Mamdani told reporters: “Part of closing Rikers Island is following through on the contractual obligations that the city has with the construction of these new jails,” he said to reporters Sunday. “That doesn’t preclude me from meeting with New Yorkers who have immense concerns about them, but it does ensure that the focus has to be on following that law.”

The Coalition has sent Mamdani the following letter, which we will now share here:

Dear Assembly Member Zohran Mamdani,

We are the Coalition to Protect Chinatown and the Lower East Side, an association of community groups, elected officials, senior centers, small business, students, workers and families fighting displacement and taking control of our community. We are writing to you to express our concern about your support for building the new mega-jail in Chinatown.

The humanitarian crisis on Rikers Island won’t be resolved by building a new mega-jail in Chinatown. Worse, it would criminalize everyone in our community, as former Mayor de Blasio stigmatized immigrants and people of color by claiming the new jail would be “closer to home.” The preparation of its construction has already caused displacement of Chinatown businesses and damaged the structure of Chung Pak, the adjacent senior building.

Chinatown, Little Italy and the Lower East Side are already suffering because of the displacement of the people and small businesses that make up the fabric of our community. Building the mega-jail will only exacerbate this crisis. The only people who benefit from this mega-jail are big landlords and developers like Jonathan Chu who are glad to see our community gone. Chu displaced the beloved Jing Fong Restaurant and colluded with former Mayor de Blasio to upzone his properties for luxury high-rises. Chu’s own organization, the Museum of Chinese in America (MOCA), directly benefited from the mega-jail by taking $35 million from the City in exchange for providing support.

For years, our community has been vocal against the mega-jail and displacement. Our district’s Council Member Christopher Marte has stood firmly with the community against the jail. We’ve held a weekly picket line for four years in front of MOCA to call out Chu and the museum’s support for the new jail. Further, we collected over 10,000 petition signatures calling on the City to stop the new jail and pass the community-led Chinatown Working Group Plan to protect our neighborhood from displacement. We support building 100% truly affordable housing on the proposed jail site instead.

We urge you to respect our community’s voice and change your position on building the new mega-jail. Please stand with our community to stop the new jail and stop displacement!

We look forward to hearing from you and are happy to talk more.

Best,

The Coalition to Protect Chinatown and the Lower East Side