THE BRONX, New York—Vivian Young has lived in the Bronx her entire life, but now, at 65, she’s worried about what it would take to remain living there.
“I love it here,” Young said at a town hall at Monroe College in University Heights last Thursday night.
She said affordable housing for seniors is getting harder to come by.
Over 40 borough residents attended the town hall hosted by Bronx state senators. They expressed concern over health, housing and criminal justice.
Young is also concerned about public health, noting that the Bronx has high diabetes rates.
In the borough, 16% of adults have diabetes, according to New York City Health Department data. Only 11% of adults in the city as a whole have the disease. The department notes that around 164,000 adults have not been diagnosed.
Steven Pacheco, 29, a student at CUNY’s John Jay College of Criminal Justice, wanted to hear about how lawmakers were prepared to handle marijuana convictions, rehabilitation into society, and market access, concerns rooted in racial inequality.
“The culture is rich, the people are beautiful,” Mr. Pacheco said of the Bronx. “[But] it’s the last borough in everything.”
Sen. Luis Sepúlveda spoke on the legal system and its treatment of people of color. As the chair of the Crime and Corrections Committee, he said he had visited 13 facilities, which had conditions he described as “an abomination.”
Five state senators from the Bronx listened to residents’ concerns, but they also publicized their own accomplishments during the recent legislative session.
Sen. Gustavo Rivera said he was proud of legislation that “codified the ACA in law.”
As lawmakers touted accomplishments throughout their speeches, attendees applauded.
To get something done in the legislature, said Sen. Jamaal Bailey, “you have to go through the Bronx.” He is the Chairman of the Codes Committee. Each of the legislators at the town hall chair a committee.
In the 2018 Midterm elections, Democrats picked up eight seats in the New York Senate, gaining control of both branches of the legislature and ending the divided government. This allowed them to pass 248 laws, according to official counts.
While just over 40 people showed up, in addition, one in five were staffers for legislators or Monroe College. The moderator opened the panel over a half hour late.
Freshman Sen. Alessandra Biaggi, occasionally sipping from a jar of kombucha, explained how she reestablished the Ethics Committee after years of hiatus. She also held sexual assault hearings.
After the event, Ms. Young expressed disappointment that Sen. Serrano was late due to parent conferences at school.
“I think he could have just stayed home,” she said.
However, she was encouraged that by Sen. Rivera’s efforts at health care legislation.
According to Sen. Rivera, there’s more to do. “[We’re] just getting the training wheels off.”