Assembly Member Ron Kim and Andrew Yang in Flushing (Andrew Yang)
Jan. 18, 2021 By Allie Griffin
Flushing Assembly Member Ron Kim has endorsed Andrew Yang for New York City mayor.
The progressive state lawmaker officially backed Yang — who recently ran for the Democratic nominee for president — on Friday after the pair toured Queens’ largest food pantry together.
The two men visited La Jornada food pantry in Flushing and witnessed firsthand the long line of people waiting for food. The pantry has fed roughly 10,000 families each week since the start of the pandemic.
“It pains me that right outside these doors, New Yorkers have been forming a mile-long line just to have enough food to feed themselves and their families,” Yang said at La Jornada. “As Mayor, I plan on giving struggling New Yorkers a guaranteed basic income and small businesses the resources they need to thrive in this City.”
Yang’s signature policy during the presidential election was universal basic income — a platform he is bringing to the city hall race as well. This basic income program would start with providing New Yorkers who are living in extreme poverty with an average of $2,000 per year.
.@rontkim and I walking a food pantry line in Flushing in Queens yesterday – the line goes on for blocks. There is a lot more poverty and deprivation in the Asian American community in NYC than most people realize. pic.twitter.com/Nne8Xox9rn
— Andrew Yang???? (@AndrewYang) January 16, 2021
Kim said it has been painful to watch as blocks of people line up to receive food since COVID-19 began.
“The pandemic has laid bare the policy failures that have further dehumanized the most vulnerable New Yorkers,” he said in a statement. “Too many of my neighbors are suffering and it’s all the more egregious when so much wealth resides in this City.”
Kim believes Yang will help bring New Yorkers out of poverty if elected mayor.
“I am proud to endorse Andrew Yang because he champions bold policies that will lift countless New Yorkers out of poverty,” he said. “From cash relief, to a People’s Bank, to Borough Bucks, to supporting a caring economy, I know he’ll be standing with workers every step of the way.”
