 |
The economy is foremost in the minds of New Yorkers, advocates for minority groups say. In many respects, the story is a tale of two states. While New York City remains a global economic hub, the increasing cost of housing in the city has significantly affected middle income and poor residents.
Gentrification has displaced residents in diverse locales such as Brooklyn, Harlem and Chinatown, and Section 8 apartments are decreasing in number. Affordability is hotly debated. City regulations are often faulted for not taking into account discrepancies in income and home prices between neighborhoods. "It may be affordable to New Yorkers in general. The question becomes affordable for whom?" said Elbert Garcia, a spokesman for Congressman Charlie Rangel (D-N.Y.). Housing for seniors is a paramount issue, say Asian American advocates.
 |
 |
 |
 |
The erosion of manufacturing jobs in cities such as Rochester and Buffalo continues to concern voters there. Advocates from the New York Urban League say joblessness accounts for increasing crime. Fifty percent of the state's prison population is black, while African Americans constitute only 16 percent of the general population, the group says. A study by the Community Service Society of New York found that the 7.4 percent unemployment rate among New York City's black males is more than twice that of whites (3.4 percent), while the unemployment rate among Latinos is also proportionately high at 6.1 percent. The Community Service Society contends that "the recovery has completely bypassed New York's youth." Unemployment among youth in New York City stood at 28.4 percent in 2006. In 2000, that number was 18.6 percent.
A 2008 poll released by the Hispanic Federation stated that the "economy and jobs" are the top priority for Latino voters in the state. "Latinos are disproportionately represented in factories and workplaces (such as the tourism and service industry) that often bear the brunt of layoffs and wage cuts that result from an economic slowdown," said federation spokesman Frankie Miranda in an e-mail to the Maynard Institute.
Low to middle-income homeowners and borrowers are also being affected by the national mortgage crisis. Latino and African American leaders say their communities are disproportionately affected by the collapse of the subprime loan industry, which has caused many residents to default. Asian community leaders say their small, family-owned businesses are being affected by the loan market and rising rents.
Problems in public education remain entrenched in New York, with extremely high dropout rates for black and Latino groups, advocates say.
The immigration debate has been especially thorny in New York state. Gov. Eliot Spitzer (D) proposed legislation that would allow the state's undocumented population, estimated at 1 million, to receive special driver's licenses. The deal ultimately collapsed, but the debate angered many in the Asian American and Latino communities. Immigration issues, including reunification of family members and the processing of applications, have been key voting issues for these communities since the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.
American Community Survey, Demographics for New York State 2006
Key interests:
African Americans
- Affordable housing, gentrification
- Unemployment, job training
- Failing public schools
- Access to financing, subprime loans
Asian Americans
- Gentrification, affordable housing, increasing rents, senior housing
- Support for small businesses, job training
- Immigration reform, family reunification
- Health care
- War in Iraq
Latinos
- Worsening economy, layoffs
- Health care and Medicare
- Education, high dropout rates
- Immigration
- War in Iraq
Sources: Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund, Asian Americans for Equality, Buffalo (N.Y.) Challenger newspaper, Hispanic Federation, NAACP New York office, New York Civil Rights Coalition, Urban League of New York, U.S. Census, and local and state elected officials and religious leaders.
The Asian American Vote in the 2006 Midterm Elections, Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund
State of Black New York City 2007, New York Urban League
to top of page