Panelists discuss a progressive vision for New York City at the CUNY Graduate Center.

Short on bombast and long on analysis, left-leaning academics and the co-chair of the City Council's Progressive Caucus took to the stage at the CUNY Graduate Center last night to outline their alternative vision for a city in the twilight of the Bloomberg era.

"We've been in a kind of sitting in the laboratory, mixing the chemicals phase in the past nine months and we hope to go out and cause a few explosions in the coming months and after the elections," said John Mollenkopf, a CUNY political science professor and co-organizer of the panel discussion, "Progressive Policies for the Future of New York City," which the New York Times' Michael Powell moderated.

Rather than simply hammer away the 12-year reign of Mayor Michael Bloomberg like some of the candidates hoping to succeed him, the panel at the CUNY Graduate Center, including Brooklyn Councilman Brad Lander, sought to soberly critique the Bloomberg administration on the educational, criminal justice and economic development front. In particular, they offered solutions to what they ultimately viewed as the most glaring social ill of the last decade: rising income inequality.

"There's a sense put forward in many spaces that there is some sort of contradiction between, or opposition between, the pragmatic needs to run the city and the progressives goals of a more inclusive and more equal one," Mr. Lander said. "As though as if you really care about combating poverty ... you won't get the garbage picked up effectively. And we believe this is fundamentally false."

The panel discussion, organized by Mr. Lander and Mr. Mollenkopf, drew some of its rhetorical firepower from their 51-page progressive blueprint for the city. The report, titled, "Towards a 21st Century City for All," proclaimed that New York City has been governed by "relatively conservative" mayors, with the exception of Democrat David Dinkins, since 1977. Praising Mr. Bloomberg for hiring adroit deputy mayors, focusing on environmental sustainability and upholding the tenants of social liberalism, the report and the panelists nevertheless argued the city's billionaire mayor has failed to address a surging income inequality gap between the city's working class and top earners.

While calling some of Mr. Bloomberg's economic development policies "nothing short of magnificent," Laura Wolf-Powers, a city and regional planning professor at the University of Pennsylvania, said low income residents had missed out on much of the gains made under Mr. Bloomberg's mayoralty.

"Under Bloomberg, policies to promote growth and to activate the city's creative energies and celebrate entrepreneurship have taken place in a very different space from policies to help low income residents become less poor, have access to more opportunity and access to higher quality of life in their neighborhoods," she said, citing statistics like the city's 2011 poverty rate of 21 percent and nearly 50 percent of city households that are "near poor," meaning they are below 150 percent of the poverty line. Medium income, Ms. Wolf-Powers said, actually fell by 6 percent between 2008 and 2011.

Aaron Pallas, a professor of sociology and education at Columbia University, further critiqued the market-oriented approach to education that has been a hallmark of the Bloomberg administration.

"There's been a rhetorical shift from a great school system to a system of great schools," Mr. Pallas said. "And much of these reforms hinged on the invisible hand of the market as the key to fostering innovation and sustaining successful practices in the form of mandates, incentives ... the alternative metaphor I want to put forward is the helping hand. A vision of a system that is hell bent on capacity building, capacity building in the form of professional development and support for school leaders and teachers."

Weighing on any reforms, the panelists said, will be the city's still precarious fiscal health. With a fragile national economy, the potential damage that sequestration could inflict locally and unresolved union contracts, the next mayor will be inheriting a comparatively robust city that nevertheless remains on precarious financial footing.

"I don't think you can actually overstate the fiscal situation that New York's gonna be in, it will be in fact incredibly dire," Mark Jacobson, former director of the Vera Institute of Justice, said.

Whether or not the next mayor will take up their solutions, of course, remains to be seen.

The tree leaning against Councilman Brad Lander's house. (photo: @bradlander)

Demonstrating that Mother Nature goes about her work without fear or favor, several prominent New York political figures were among the thousands who had their homes damaged by Hurricane Sandy this week.

In the middle of an interview with the Queens Times Ledger, for example, Far Rockaway Councilman James Sanders exclaimed, “A tree has fallen on my wife’s car.” Asked whether he wished he had left his flooded neighborhood, which was in the mandatory evacuation Zone A, Mr. Sanders expressed only one regret.

“I expected this and worse,” he said. “I regret not moving my wife’s car.”

Mr. Sanders and his wife were among the lucky ones on the southern coast of Queens and Brooklyn. His district was particularly hard-hit, suffering flooding and fire damage that left many homes in the area leveled and charred in a scene many have described as looking like a war zone.

Other political types were hit far worse. At the tip of the Rockaway peninsula, for example, a good portion of the Breezy Point section burned down, including the homes of Congressman Bob Turner and State Conservative Party Chairman Mike Long. Both made it out safe.

Another lawmaker suffering hurricane-related damage was Park Slope Councilman Brad Lander, who, like many elected officials, was out and about during the storm, surveying damage and assisting constituents where he was able.

“Starting to get reports of trees down in the area,” Mr. Lander tweeted at one point, only to experience the reality for himself.

“Alas, this is our tree. Fallen on our house,” he later announced, attaching a photo of the uprooted lumber leaning into his home. “Everyone ok. Will be off Twitter a while. Can’t tweet own emergency.”

About 45 minutes later, Mr. Lander returned and revived his steady stream of updates, noting the storm-related chaos in Atlantic City, which was largely flooded.

“Horrible. Puts tree on our house in perspective, big time,” Mr. Lander wrote.

Mr. Lander and Mr. Sanders weren’t alone in their tree troubles. Carlo Scissura, a former chief of staff to Borough President Marty Markowitz, who gave up his own campaign for borough president to head the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, told us he suffered a similar fate.

“So I’m sitting my living room last night, and I have this tree that I put in when I started law school, so 1992. So, that was my thing, we’re putting the tree in, etc.,” Mr. Scissura said when we spoke with him Tuesday. “I’m looking at it yesterday, and 8 o’clock last night, the first part of it went down ... All that’s left now is the tree trunk and a few branches.”

Mr. Scissura described the damage to his Dyker Heights home as relatively extensive, although far less than that suffered by residents in low-lying areas.

“The gate is destroyed; the steps are pretty bad. It ripped the gate out of the outside of the house. So it’s pretty bad,” he said. “But you know what? No one got hurt, so we’ll fix it.”

We mentioned Mr. Lander’s situation, which Mr. Scissura said he saw unfold over Twitter.

“Brad and I have been commiserating over our house trees,” he jested. “I told Brad since his is just leaning, mine takes the cake so far.”

Brad Lander

One of the consequences of redistricting is that Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez picked up a larger swath of Brownstone Brooklyn and Park Slope, but Park Slope Councilman Brad Lander has her back. He's raising money for her next Sunday and again the Wednesday the week after, according to invitations he's sent out to his supporters.

"Nydia is in a tough reelection fight. We need Nydia in Washington fighting for us and she needs our support to win," Mr. Lander wrote. "So I hope you can join me and other Brooklyn progressives for a brunch to support her reelection campaign."

Ms. Velázquez, of course, is being challenged in the Democratic primary by multiple challengers, the most notable among them being Councilman Erik Dilan. As with everything in Brooklyn Democratic politics, there's always plenty of palace intrigue, and Mr. Dilan is not only Mr. Lander's colleague but also the candidate backed by the Kings County Democratic Party. In addition, Assemblyman Vito Lopez, the county's Democratic leader, is a stark political opponent of Ms. Velázquez.

It should be said that Mr. Lander's support doesn't necessarily come as a huge surprise. Ms. Velázquez backed Mr. Lander in his own competitive race for the City Council in 2009 and Mr. Lander joined Ms. Velázquez in backing the candidate opposed by the county organization in a special election for the State Assembly last summer. With his latest move, Mr. Lander, a possible candidate for Brooklyn Borough President in 2013, seems to be further allying himself with the reformers opposed to Mr. Lopez than with the establishment.

However, Mr. Lander isn't the only local council member who's weighed in on the race. Councilman Steve Levin, who represents a lot of the new territory Ms. Velázquez picked up in redistricting, has officially endorsed Mr. Dilan.

Read Mr. Lander's full fundraising note below:

Dear neighbor,

In Washington, D.C., Social Security, Medicare, and the safety net are under attack by politicians who put the interests of the wealthy ahead of the interests of the many. We need a representative who fights cuts and presses for progressive solutions to get our country back on track.

That’s why I’m glad to have Nydia Velazquez as my congressional representative. In her 20 years representing our diverse Brooklyn community, Nydia has been a voice for those who need it most, advancing civil rights, job opportunities, and workers’ rights.

But Nydia is in a tough reelection fight. We need Nydia in Washington fighting for us and she needs our support to win.

So I hope you can join me and other Brooklyn progressives for a brunch to support her reelection campaign.

I would like to invite you to a brunch at the home of neighbors Leah Archibald and Dave McBride in Park Slope in support of Nydia Velazquez for Congress.

Details:
Sunday, June 3rd 11 AM - 1 PM
The home of Leah Archibald and Dave McBride in Park Slope (RSVP for exact address)

Please email lander.volunteers@gmail.com to RSVP.

If you would like to support Nydia, but cannot make it on the 3rd, you can still contribute by going to her website: nydiamvelazquez.com.

Hope to see you at the brunch - and don't forget to vote in the primary on Tuesday, June 26th.

Brad

Brad Lander (photo: bradlander.com)

City Councilman Brad Lander is weighing his options and considering a run to replace Marty Markowitz as Brooklyn Borough President in 2013, according to multiple sources. Reached by phone this morning, Mr. Lander did not deny his interest but said it was "very flattering" to have his name be in the mix.

Currently, only State Senator Eric Adams has openly declared his intentions to run for the seat, although a few others, like Assemblyman Nick Perry and State Senator Kevin Parker, have let their names be dropped as potential contenders as well. However, as The Politicker contended last Friday, this leaves electoral oxygen for another candidate to leap into the race.

"It is true, I am very passionate about land use and zoning policies," Mr. Lander said in response to a roundabout question about why he might be interested in Mr. Markowitz's job. However, he declined to say more than this, simply adding, "It's very flattering."

If he pulls the trigger on his campaign, Mr. Lander wouldn't be the first person in his Park Slope-based City Council district to seek higher office. The official who held the seat previously, Bill de Blasio, was elected to the citywide position of Public Advocate in 2009. Mr. Lander has since carved out a fairly progressive political brand and might be able to form a formidable electoral coalition in Brooklyn.

Of course, with nobody else actually in the race, Mr. Adams remains the front runner for the job.

Liz McDougall, right, testifying at the City Council hearing. (Photo: Hunter Walker)

This afternoon, the Women's Issues Committee of the City Council held a hearing on a resolution proposed by Council members Brad Lander and Melissa Mark-Viverito that would call for Village Voice Media to shut down the "adult" section of its classified ad site Backpage.com. Village Voice Media, which publishes 13 alt-weeklies around the country including its the flagship Village Voice in New York, has faced mounting pressure over Backpage, which opponents claim encourages human trafficking. At today's hearing, the company's general counsel, Liz McDougall, spoke on behalf of Backpage and emotions ran high with tears, laughter and shouting all on display.

Prior to Ms. McDougall's testimony, a 16-year-old former victim of sex trafficking spoke about her experience with BackPage. To safeguard her identity, she was identified only as "Brianna" and gave her testimony from behind a white screen. "Brianna" said she got caught up in the sex trade at the age of 9 after she ran away from home and sought refuge with a friend's older brother.

"I found out he was a pimp and I tried to leave, but he didn't allow me," she said. "Although I've been exploited in several ways, the main way that he felt that he made the most money was through Backpage. At this time, I'm 12-years-old and Backpage sent me at least 35 dates a night. ... It was very painful for me because the dates I've gotten on Backpage have been the most violent. I just feel like this is something that needs to be taken down."

"Brianna" was several Backpage opponents who spoke at the hearing prior to Ms. McDougall and described how law enforcement agencies and youth organizations are seeing a growing number of trafficking cases that involve the site. When it was her turn to speak, Ms. McDougall, a cybercrime specialist with a background in fighting trafficking who joined the company in late February as the uproar over Backpage reached a fever pitch, acknowledged trafficking is a "social atrocity," but said the question surrounding Backpage are a "grossly complex issue." Ms. McDougall argued it's better to have ads for sex work appear on a site run by a company like Village Voice Media that is willing to work with law enforcement when requested rather than potentially moving to more shadowy corners of the internet.

"The reason that we take the position that taking the adult category on backpage is not an effective countermeasure to human trafficking is because ... the content and the advertising will migrate somewhere else," Ms. McDougall explained. "What terrifies me, is the notion that what is going to happen is that this content, this advertising is going to go to what is known as the 'black hat' web sites, the underground websites and, ultimately, the offshore websites."

Ms. McDougall highlighted her company's efforts to police the content on Backpage including sending about 2,600 reports of potential child exploitation to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, hiring 100 staffers to monitor content on the site, cooperating with police investigations, imposing an age limit of 21 for site users and having multiple warning pages reiterating the age limit and illegality of prostitution. By charging for the site, Ms. McDougall said Village Voice Media was able to obtain information that could create a "financial trail" in cases where investigators were looking for a trafficker or one of their victims.

"We're working to establish best practices. We already are the industry leaders in doing that, both through our three-tiered moderation, including automatic filtering two levels of manual review, and the additional research that we do voluntarily for law enforcement to make sure that they have the most solid case possible to convict the traffickers," Ms. McDougall said.

Ms. McDougall didn't seem to sway the Council members, who aggressively criticized and questioned her following her testimony.

"You said you know that there is key parts to this problem and I think what you're missing is, you are a key part of the problem," Councilwoman Julissa Ferreras, chair of the Women's Issues Committee said.

"I don't deny that Backpage is part of the problem, but the problem is the internet," Ms. McDougall said. "We are being abused by these criminals and we dont want to be abused by these criminals."

"I don't understand how you can be a victim when you're profiting," Ms. Ferreras responded. "I want to know what's the revenue that the Village Voice gets from their advertisements."

Ms. McDougall declined to reveal the revenues from the adult section of Backpage citing Village Voice Media's status as a private company. She also said she could not reveal the number of adult ads on the site each month and precisely how much that figure has grown in recent years.

"I'd like to have a dialogue with you, not a confrontation and not an argument," Ms. McDougall said to Ms. Ferreras, who was getting increasingly heated. "I don't appreciate being shouted at when I'm trying to have a conversation."

"I'm coming across a little loud, so lower my mic because I don't mean to shout," Ms. Ferreras said.

Things became even more contentious when Mr. Lander, who co-sponsored the resolution, got his chance to question Ms. McDougall. He asked her why, if Village Voice Media is proactive about rooting out trafficking on Backpage, the company has not made "one referral" to the Brooklyn District Attorney's office. Ms. McDougall began to answer, but Mr. Lander cut her off and accused her of avoiding his question.

"Are we here to have a sarcastic back and forth or would you like to exchange useful info?" she asked.

"Well, so far you haven't given us any information on the volume of what's happening on Backpage.com, you haven't given us any information on your profits," Mr. Lander said. "The way a hearing works is that we ask tough questions."

Mr. Lander then asked Ms. McDougall how her company could profess to be cooperating with law enforcement when they didn't heed a request from over 40 prosecutors in the National Association of Attorneys General to shut the adult section of Backpage.

"The only people that have asked us to stop taking the ads that you're deeming law enforcement were the Attorneys General," Ms. McDougall said. "The attorneys general, for all of their great wisdom, are not experts in cybercrime and they have had very political agendas in their demands."

Ms. McDougall's reply led to another contentious back-and-forth with Mr. Lander. She eventually attempted to stop taking his questions.

"I'm not going to answer questions if you just continue to interrupt me," Ms. McDougall said.

"I'm sorry, this is a City Council hearing and the Council member is asking questions," Ms. Ferreras replied. "I'm going to ask you to also be respectful of the Council member, he has not finished his questions, if you choose not to answer that question, you could say that for the testimony."

"I would appreciate if you would admonish him to stop interrupting me then," Ms. McDougall said.

"We don't admonish here, we are colleagues here," Ms. Ferreras responded incredulously. "He's going to ask every question that he needs to ask."

Mr. Lander's next question drew big laughs from the audience.

"Are you thinking about setting up a drug dealing section of the Backpage.com website? ... How about a gun trading or weapons trading section?" he asked. "By your logic, wouldn't they be extremely helpful in prosecuting drug dealing and weapons trading?"

Ms. McDougall said she wouldn't respond to "sarcasm or rhetorical questions like this."

"I'm here to talk about human trafficking online and I've explained to you how we can be a valuable tool for that," she said.

Mr. Lander concluded his questioning by saying he believes the increase in volume of trafficking cause by sites like Backpage negates any efforts the sites make to aid prosecutions.

"I do appreciate your being here," he said to Ms. McDougall. "You have made clear that, in your opinion, the issue is grossly complex. To me, I think it's pretty clear that it's just gross."

There were at least two other people at the hearing who were on Ms. McDougall's side. Representatives from the Sex Workers Outreach Project testified eliminating Backpage would simply increase the amounts of "marginalization" and "criminalization" sex workers currently face.

Though the Council members clearly seem predisposed to passing the resolution, it won't have much effect on Village Voice Media. Unlike bills, Council resolutions carry no legal weight and this would merely be an expression of support for shutting the site down.

"The demand to shut down this section on Backpage.com will simply drive such content to other Internet portals who will move their advertising websites into offshore entities and out of reach of US law enforcement -- and the ability to trace the traffickers and the children that they are trafficking for rescue and prosecution will be lost," Ms. McDougall said.

Ms. McDougall said Village Voice Media engages in "industry-leading site moderation" and "unparalleled cooperation with law enforcement" and argued the ads could move somewhere that doesn't take such stringent measures if Backpage's adult business is shut down.

"Adult services advertising existed on the Internet before Backpage.com and will continue on the Internet regardless of Backpage.com," she said.

Village Voice Media, which owns the Village Voice in New York along with several other alt-weeklies around the country, has faced increasing calls to shut Backpage in recent months. The online classified site Craigslist closed a similar section of their site in September 2010 in response to a substantial push from the public and law enforcement officials leading to large growth of the business on Backpage. Councilwoman Mark-Viverito and Councilman Lander's statement announcing the resolution calling for the adult section of Backpage to be closed cited a petition created by Groundswell, "a multi-faith social action network housed at Auburn Seminary," that received over 91,000 signatures from people eager to see the site closed.

Read Ms. McDougall's full statement below:

The Auburn Seminary's initiative may be well-intentioned, but it is misguided. Shutting down the Backpage.com adult service section would be ineffective and a step backwards in the fight against child sex trafficking. Backpage.com operates industry-leading site moderation to assist in the prevention and rescue of victims of trafficking and in the identification and prosecution of traffickers, and provides unparalleled cooperation with law enforcement and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), including creation of an "expedited" line to NCMEC to report potential child victims. And Backpage.com has remained committed to working with NCMEC, government and other willing interest groups to continue to develop and implement tools and strategies to combat child sex trafficking. Adult services advertising existed on the Internet before Backpage.com and will continue on the Internet regardless of Backpage.com. The demand to shut down this section on Backpage.com will simply drive such content to other Internet portals who will move their advertising websites into offshore entities and out of reach of US law enforcement -- and the ability to trace the traffickers and the children that they are trafficking for rescue and prosecution will be lost. All forms of human trafficking are heinous. Child sex trafficking is especially abhorrent. Online and offline communities must collaborate to combat these social atrocities. But a campaign against one website, Backpage.com, is not the answer.

"Whereas, Backpage.com’s adult section is facilitating sex trafficking and should alter its current practice; now, therefore, be it resolved, That the Council of the City of New York calls on Village Voice Media to shut down the adult section of its online classified site, Backpage.com, because it serves as a platform to traffic minors for sex."

According to a statement announcing the resolution, a "vast majority" of the sex trafficking cases prosecuted by the Brooklyn District Attorney's office involved Backpage. Both Councilman Lander and Councilwoman Mark-Viverito said that, by continuing to operate the "adult" section of the site VVM, which owns the Village Voice in New York and several other alt-weekly papers around the country, is profiting off the exploitation of children.

"I’m outraged that Village Voice Media is willing to make money off the exploitation of trafficking victims through Backpage.com’s adult services advertising," Mr. Lander said in the statement

"Village Voice Media must ensure that children and teenagers are not being abused in the commercial sex industry with help from their website," Ms. Mark Viverito said. "This resolution sends the message that we will not stand silent while this company profits from exploitation."

Anti-sex trafficking advocates claim Backpage is the mainonline site for prostitution and trafficking.

"Backpage is now the leading online facilitator of sex trafficking, operating in that least 10 other countries, generating an estimated $2 million per month-- all earned through a reckless disregard for human rights," Norma Ramos, Executive Director of the Coalition Against Trafficking in Women said in the statement.

The online classified site Craigslist closed its similar Adult Services section in September 2010 after substantial pressure from law enforcement officials and the public. In the absence of Craigslist, Backpage's market share for "adult" services has expanded.

In the fact of criticism over Backpage, Village Voice Media published an extensive series in their papers claiming anti-sex trafficking advocates exaggerate the extent of the sex trade in this country. As of this writing, Village Voice Media hasn't responded to a request for comment on this story.

Councilwoman Melissa Mark-Viverito

The City Council passed Resolution 1172 yesterday opposing the United States Supreme Court decision in Citizens United vs. Federal Election Commission, which declared corporations have the same first amendment rights as individuals, a concept that has come to be known as corporate personhood. This decision, which was made just shy of a year ago, prohibited the government from placing limits on individual contributions and has become a favored target of the Occupy Wall Street movement. Protesters affiliated with Occupy Wall Street supported the passage of the Council's anti-corporate personhood resolution and approximately twenty of them packed the observation balcony during the stated meeting yesterday where they applauded for the bill and booed dissenting members. In addition to expressing opposition for the Supreme Court decision, the resolution called for a Constitutional amendment "to provide that corporations are not entitled to the entirety of protections or 'rights' of natural persons, specifically so that the expenditure of corporate money to influence the electoral process is no longer a form of constitutionally protected speech."

Council members Brad Lander, Melissa Mark-Viverito and Steve Levin, all members of the Progressive Caucus, sponsored the bill. It was co-sponsored by the rest of the caucus membership. After the bill was passed, the Progressive Caucus released a statement saying the resolution showed "restoring confidence in government and strengthening democratic participation" are among the core principles of the caucus.

"We believe that corporations should not share the same rights as people, that unlimited and unreported corporate donations meant to sway the electoral process should not be considered freedom of speech, and that the government should regulate the raising and spending of money by corporations intended to influence elections," the statement said. "We cannot allow corporate money to manipulate our democracy."

With the passage of Resolution 1172, the City Council joins several other local government bodies who have passed similar resolutions. Los Angeles, Oakland, Albany and Boulder have also come out against corporate personhood in recent months.

City Council member Jumaane Williams

The City Council's progressive wing and their labor allies threw their support behind the Occupy Wall Street protesters, backing "the day of action" the movement has planned for Thursday.

“It is shameful to use the cover of darkness to trample on civil liberties without fear of media scrutiny or a public response,” the City Council’s Progressive Caucus said in a statement. “In the aftermath of the eviction, we reiterate our support and look toward the future. We know that the fight is far from over, and that last night’s events will only fuel the fire for change.”

Signatories include some of the earliest New York politicians to march with--not just express support for—Occupy Wall Street, including Jumaane Williams of Flatbush, who stood with the protesters during the raid last night. Unlike colleague Ydanis Rodriguez, however, he managed to escape arrest.

The council members will be marching to “hold the banks accountable and call for a fairer economy” this Thursday, Nov. 17, when OWS will mark its two-month anniversary by attempting to shut down the NYSE, “occupying the subway,” and having a “musical” march from Foley Square accompanied by a gospel choir and marching band. The other signatories were Gale Brewer, Daniel Dromm, Letitia James, Brad Lander, Steve Levin, Melissa Mark-Viverito, Rosie Mendez, Annabel Palma, James Sanders, and Jimmy Van Bramer.

Also weighing in are the Communications Workers of America (CWA), who have used the Occupy movement as a springboard to publicize their dispute with Verizon over cuts to their benefits package. A dozen CWA workers have been marching from Albany since last week, and plan to join the march by Thursday afternoon after protesting outside Verizon headquarters on West Street.

“Mayor Bloomberg may have cleared the park for now, but Occupy Wall Street's message cannot be silenced,” CWA District 1 vice president Chris Shelton said in a statement. “No one can evict an idea whose time has come. Now more than ever, CWA members will join the massive day of action on Thursday, November 17.”

The mayor took further flak from workers from the Retail, Wholesale, and Department Store Union, whose members have been particularly active in the Occupy protests against a propsed Walmart in East New York.

“Mayor Bloomberg should apologize to the media and to the protestors whose constitutional rights were trampled on by his militaristic misadventure. He has escalated tensions unnecessarily and shown an alarming lack of judgment and leadership,” RWDSU president Stuart Appelbaum said in a statement. “He has yet to learn a simple lesson: how to listen."

Grade schoolers protest in favor of the millionaire's tax. (Photo: Max Seddon)

They may not be able to count up to 99, but the children who picketed outside Governor Andrew Cuomo's Midtown office today were chanting "We are the 99 percent!" Approximately 300 protesters–-a good hundred of whom were between 5 and 10 years old--delivered the governor pro-"Millionaire's Tax" petitions with several thousand signatures from New Yorkers attending Occupy Wall Street.

Governor Cuomo has remained steadfastly opposed to extending the tax, which affects New Yorkers who make over $200,000 a year, despite its popularity with voters. He has faced several adult protests in support of the tax over the past few months. The "Millionaire's Tax" is currently set to expire December 31.

“We wanted a new set of voices to add to the chorus,” Adam Grumbach, a high school social studies teacher from Park Slope who organized the demonstration, said.

His daughter Isabel, 6, who attends P.S. 10, held a cardboard tray of Hostess cupcakes she was selling for a dollar each, as part of a symbolic drive to raise $1.4bn that would compensate for cuts to the education budget. A picture of Gov. Cuomo--whom Mr. Grumbach referred to as "Governor Cupcake" was attached to the tray, with the caption, “Gov. Cuomo says, ‘Let them sell cupcakes!’”

“As we saw her class size growing every year, we said, ‘We’ve got to do something,” Mr. Grumbach, said. His children handed out copies of an essay he wrote in which he claimed Governor Cuomo's supposed ambitions blinded him to the needs of ordinary New Yorkers.

With the day off from school thanks to Election Day, the found a way to engage in the political process despite being too young to vote. They drew dollar bills in colored chalk on the sidewalk and made signs with slogans like “Don’t Take Away Our Music Class,” “P.S. 29 Thinks Millionaire Rhymes With Fair And Share,” and “We Need Education More Than You Need Fancy Stuff.” Though unaware of the finer points of New York’s tax code, several of them were quick to voice their concerns about budget cuts to their schools.

“Some rooms are getting very, very big,” Stella Lapidus, 7, said of her second-grade class at P.S. 10. “The teacher has to yell a lot and say, ‘1,2,3, I want all eyes on me’ to get everyone’s attention. It’s nice and annoying at the same time.”

“I think kids are actually pretty smart,” said Democratic City Council member Brad Lander. “They know it doesn’t make any sense to give a nearly $5 billion tax break to millionaires and billionaires while defunding our schools. This is simple enough for elementary kids to understand – that everyone’s got to pay their fair share.”

Mr. Grumbach had succeeded in bringing families from all boroughs except Staten Island, though residents of Brooklyn’s gentrified areas heavily predominated.

The protesters marched around the block twice before parents delivered a series of speeches about the impact of cuts to their children’s schools. They bemoaned class sizes in the high 20s, cuts to gym classes and extracurricular programs, and a shortfall in school supplies.

“Our school is horribly overcrowded – we are about 200 students over the DOE number that’s written on the building,” Vicky Sell, was there with her six-year-old daughter Katherine, who attends P.S. 107 in Brooklyn and made a sign imploring Governor Cuomo not to “take any more money from my school.” “And we’re one of the lucky public schools. This is the 99 percent - the people trying to get an education through the public system – and the governor is not on their side. And I think people are going to remember that next time,” Ms. Sell said.

Supervised by a dozen policemen or so, the protesters made their way around the block once more before dropping yes/no ballots on renewing the millionaire’s tax into orange cardboard boxes. To loud cheers, Mr. Grumbach declared an overwhelming victory for the tax, at which point the protesters quickly dispersed.

“Look at these parents,” Noah Gotbaum, a father of three from the Upper West Side and member of Manhattan District 3’s Community Education Council, said. “Do you see any anarchists? Freaks? Anti-Semites? Ninety-five percent of them are from the brownstones and they’ve never been out to protest school cuts before. This is the start of something big.”