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| Zohran Mamdani speaking at the Islamic Cultural Center of the Bronx mosque, New York, October 24, 2025 |
After engaging someone in an online discussion regarding Policy (Law), I realized something that hit me like a ton of bricks. It wasn't a new revelation, it was an "Ah ha!" moment about something that I have witnessed since 2017 with the election of Donald Trump. Everything instantly clicked and I found the words to articulate it: citizens generally lack a basic understanding of the political process and the relationship between Policy (Law) and Procedure. It is political financial illiteracy, and this is how I came to that conclusion.
One of my Facebook friends shared a status about requiring I.D. to vote here in New York State. If you didn't know, here in New York State citizens are not required to present government-issued I.D. in order to vote. It is against the law. Because of this law, some New Yorkers, usually Republicans or Conservatives, have promoted the idea of voter fraud and undocumented citizens being allowed to participate in the political process. My Facebook friend's argument was that since people need I.D. to buy cigarettes, alcohol, medication, get a loan, cash a check or travel by bus, train, or airplane that people should be required to have a valid government I.D. to vote. What this person did not consider is the relationship between any government Policy (Law) and the Procedures required to implement. It costs money. It was also obvious that they lacked an understanding of how government works when it comes to its financial and legal responsibility to create, amend or repeal any Policy (Law).
Regardless of where someone stands on a political spectrum, if there is a Policy (Law) that they believe needs to be created, amended or repealed, the local, state, or federal government that creates, amends, or repeals that Policy (Law) assumes the primary financial and legal responsibility for implementing that Policy (Law). That. Costs. Money. If that Policy (Law) is to require citizens to show I.D. in order to vote, New York State (NYS) is financially and legally responsible for ensuring that eligible voters can obtain the necessary government issued I.D. without incurring significant costs or undue burdens. By law, NYS cannot simply say to citizens, “Get a damn I.D. to vote!” or "You got money and can pay for an I.D. to vote." The procedure of creating, amending, or repealing a Policy (Law) include financial and legal obligations, in perpetuity. For example, some of the financial and legal obligations that NYS would be responsible for to implement a new Voter I.D. Policy (Law) are: NYS government administration costs, training for board of election staff and machine inspectors across the state, multilingual/visually impaired voter education outreach materials to inform citizens about the law, covering associated costs for acquiring the "6 points" of documentation to obtain a valid NYS government I.D., insuring accessibility (elders/citizens with mobility issues, etc.), updating voting technology/machines, material/digital signage, and etc. If financial and legal responsibilities like these are not met, state and federal courts are there to ensure that this Policy (Law) is upheld. This is just a basic example of associated costs and the legal obligations that come along with creating, amending or repealing a Policy (Law). So… take a guess who would be required to pay some of these associated costs and legal obligations to make this Voter I.D. Policy (Law) happen? The same folks who believed that people simply need to, “Get a damn I.D. to vote!” or "You got money and can pay for an I.D. to vote." Sometimes the associated costs and legal obligations for the Policy (Law) is not the grass that people think is greener on the other side. They may find out that this "grass" was actually non-sustainable artificial turf that needs to be constantly replaced, and they're going to be paying the big, beautiful, bill. We saw the financial and legal responsibility during Covid when federal, state and local governments created, amended, and repealed Policies (Laws) around closures, public services, PPE (Personal Protective Equipment), social distancing and etc. We also saw people get rich because of it and people become poor, if we were paying attention.
With all eyes on the recent election of Zohran Mamdani as New York City's next Mayor, this transition will provide an excellent opportunity to see the primary financial and legal responsibilities that comes along with creating, amending, or repealing any NYC Policies (Laws) that mayor-elect Mamdani would like to implement. There is always a cost. Folks on both sides of the political spectrum have already begun to weigh-in regarding his campaign promises of a rent freeze, city-owned grocery stores, fare-free buses, free universal childcare, the creation of a new Department of Community Safety, affordable housing construction and other ideas. While some see these things as unattainable pie in the sky delusions, others see practical possibilities. All of them, whether they realize it or not, are indirectly assessing what this will cost; what primary financial and legal responsibilities will come along with these campaign promises? Some folks believe that the cost is too high, others believe that it is not. While most folks see this as a binary argument, either we cannot or we can, the reality is there will be a combination of both. As a government body consisting of two branches, Executive and Legislative, mayor-elect Mamdani will have to work with these branches of government, city departments, county government, and the state government to create, amend, or repeal any NYC Policies (Laws) and determine his city government's financial and legal responsibilities. This is not a unilateral decision, and all of these entities do not always agree. In other words, just like any mayor elected to office, they will get some things done in their first term and other things they will not get done. Sometimes things simply don't get done because it is a multi-year project or initiative beyond the term that someone was elected to serve. That brings up another important point; sometimes the ribbon-cut project or initiative that folks are crediting to a current mayor, current members of city council, or current county legislators started a decade ago when none of these folks were in office. Many times, the political architects of these projects and initiatives are not acknowledged or given any credit for it. Of the many reasons that history is important, this is one of them. It enables you to chart the trajectory of change that happens in any given environment, how those changes shape the legal landscape, who are the folks responsible, who does/doesn't benefit from these changes, and what can be done to create, amend, or repeal any Policies (Laws) to make the environment better and legal landscape more equitable. While this is how I see the value of history, there are others who have used the exact same thought process to make the environment worst and the legal landscape inequitable. American Apartheid or Segregation is one of the most obvious examples where races were legally and inequitably separated for almost a century in all aspects of public and private life (anti-miscegenation laws), even in death (cemeteries were segregated). These were the same Policies (Laws) that deputized the KKK to enforce them, which included murdering Black folks for voting. Yes, some Black people literally died to vote. Consider the story of Maceo Snipes.
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| WWII Veteran Maceo Snipes Shot for Voting. Died July 20th, 1946. |
Maceo Snipes was a WWII Veteran who had recently returned home to a segregated Georgia after serving overseas. On Jully 17th, 1946 Snipes cast the first vote in the Primary Election for Governor of Georgia, despite threats from the local KKK that Black citizens didn't have the right to vote. The next day four white men came to Snipe's grandfather’s farmhouse where Snipes and his mother Lula were having dinner. One of those men who came to the house was a military acquaintance of Snipes, WWII veteran Edward Williamson. According to a Department of Justice memo, Snipes was called to come outside. Lula said that she heard Snipes speak to the men and then three gunshots ring out. When the men left the scene Snipes lay shot, bleeding profusely, on the porch. A wounded Snipes and his mother Lula walked almost 3 miles to the home of Homer Chapman for help. Chapman owned the land where Snipes and his mother worked as sharecroppers. Snipes was then driven to the Montgomery Hospital in Butler. After addressing his wounds, Snipes was refused a blood transfusion because doctors stated that there was no "Black blood" in the hospital. Snipes died two days later on July 20th. Edward Williamson eventually admitted to shooting Snipes but claimed that it was over a $10 debt dispute and in self-defense because Snipes approached their car with a knife. While all obvious signs lead to Snipes being murdered for voting, the local coroner acquitted Williamson days later. In 2008 the FBI reviewed the case and determined that the shooting arose from a personal dispute. The case was officially closed on April 10th, 2010, yet not for the family members of Maceo Snipes who are still seeking justice. At the time of Snipe's murder, the family owned 202 acres of land yet were forced to leave their land because of threats to their lives.
While some things have changed since ending the legalization of Segregation, some segments of the American population are still fighting hard to maintain or reinstate Policies (Laws) that would make these American Apartheidists proud. In fact, many of these Baby Boomers who were in the pictures holding racist signs outside of public schools, spitting on and throwing bricks at marchers, smiling in front of lynched Black bodies, and burning down homes, businesses, and churches are still here today. They didn't disappear and they still serve as judges, lawyers, CEOs, board members, wardens, managers, police chiefs, teachers, business owners, politicians, and in other influential positions today. Many of them voted for the current POTUS; they are in the same peer group! At the same time, there is a new guard of progressive folks across the nation who are bringing a fresh perspective on what local, state, and federal government can be for everybody. Like him or not, mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani is one of those folks. As a Five Percenter in New York, yet not NYC, I think it is also important for those of us within Now Why Cee (NYC), especially near our national Harlem (Mecca) headquarters, to position ourselves to prepare for this new Administration and what that can mean to the future of our nation and our headquarters. One of Mayor-elect Mamdani's biggest criticism was his lack of connection with the Black community. There are many who have even gone as far as to coin the phrase "Mamdani Gentrification", claiming that his primarily non-Black campaign team, policies and backing by younger, wealthier white and white-adjacent residents have contributed to rising costs that price out and displace longtime residents in historically Black communities. Taking points like this from everyday New Yorkers and the voting statistics in the 2025 NYC Mayoral Election Exit Polls also appear to corroborate that apprehension, where nearly half (44%) of Black women voted for disgraced former governor Andrew Cuomo instead of Zohran Mamdani, even though Cuomo resigned as governor after NYS Attorney General Letitia Jame's report found him guilty of sexually harassing eleven women while serving as governor.
In my April, 2024 article Anchor Institutions and the Fate of Allah School in Mecca, I highlighted the fact that our Five Percent Nation's national headquarters at 2122 Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Blvd. is a parcel that is owned and classified as a miscellaneous religious facility by the New York City Department of Citywide Administrative Services [NYC DCAS]. This is important to note because many Five Percenters were under the impression that this property is Defacto ours because of our historical use and a belief that we possessed a 99-year lease signed by the Lindsay Administration in the 1960s. As of today, there is no legal documentation, no lease agreement, or no property deed that we possess to substantiate the claim that "we own" this property. With this being the case, along with the gentrification criticisms of mayor-elect Mamdani and the sociopolitical unpredictability that comes along with any Administration change, I again echo the sentiment that we need to protect and preserve Allah Youth Center in Mecca. While some of us may assume that as a practicing Muslim, mayor-elect Mamdani may be more relatable to our nation, that is no guarantee. Building relationships with any Administration is the key to collaboration and maintaining cultural assets. Being prepared to show and prove our value as a community asset, cultural resource, and historic site will always be the difference between what we build or destroy. We have to ask ourselves, where do we stand regarding the Policies (Laws) that will be created, amended, or repealed during Mamdani's Administration? What will this cost our nation, and the community of Harlem, where we call our headquarters home? Are we at the table or positioning ourselves to be at the table to help create, amend, or repeal these Policies (Laws) to help better serve our nation and community? If we are not at the table, that is evidence that we are on the menu, either as an appetizer, entrée or a dessert. I am unaware if any Five Percenters were actively involved in Mamdani's campaign or if any Five Percenters saw the election result signs in advance and made contact with his campaign to begin building those relationships. Are any Five Percenters striving to be a part of his new Department of Community Safety? Politicians use Politics to create, amend, or repeal Policies that are ultimately enforced by the Police. There are always financial and legal costs to this, which in many historically instances, have cost us our lives. Today is no different, and if we continue to be politically apathetic and unengaged, sitting back debating on social media and participating in empty monthly vent sessions instead of doing the actual work, we will find ourselves, and our legacy, displaced and erased.
Peace,
Saladin
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