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Queens Daily Eagle: Redistricting Commission holds second hearing in Queens
By Jacob Kaye/Queens Daily Eagle
For over five hours, Queens residents told the New York State Independent Redistricting Commission how they felt the initial proposed redistricting maps held up to their expectations earlier this week.
Gathered at York College on Wednesday, the commission held its second public meeting in the World’s Borough, gathering input from Queens residents about what they want to see in their new electoral lines.
The first public meeting, which was held virtually in July, saw groups from Central, Eastern and South Queens speak about the ways in which their communities have been historically disassembled among Assembly and Senate Districts, dulling their political power by breaking apart voting blocks.
Wednesday’s meeting saw much of the same testimony.
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A large portion of those giving testimony spoke in support of the Unity Map, a redistricting map created by The Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund that attempts to keep majority minority neighborhoods throughout Queens and the city whole.
“Without fair lines that preserve our communities of interest, it impacts our ability to build voting power and to elect representation that is responsive to our community’s needs and advances progress in issues that directly impact us,” said Sanra Choi, the civic participation manager at the MinKwon Center for Community Action in Flushing.