For City Council Candidate Tahirah Moore, who is running for term-limited Councilmember Robert E. Cornegy, Jr. (D-Bedford-Stuyvesant, Northern Crown Heights) 36th Council District Seat, the job calls for navigating both the community and the halls of power at City Hall.
Moore said she believes that people closest to the problems are much closer to the solutions and that her lived experiences in the district will make her a better fit than other dyed in the wool politicians. She said if elected she will deliver on her promises and will prioritize community needs.
“When you stay true to who you are, you don’t buckle or bend. Even if you have to bump up against the Mayor, or those that you’re working with that say no, they respect you because you’re real and they know you’re for the people,” said Moore. “I’m not having any other conversation. I’m beholden to the people in this district.”
She is widely known for her community leadership and work in Cornegy’s and Mayor Bill de Blasio’s offices. Last November, with support from Cornegy, de Blasio, and Borough President Eric Adams, she was at the unveiling of her lifelong dream project, the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) Marcy Houses Community Center at 492 Marcy Avenue in Bed-Stuy. The community center replaced an abandoned police precinct in the building.
Moore said completing the project through COVID stirred up a level of hope and confidence that she hadn’t anticipated in the community. She said the space is even more important now to have as an extra site for food giveaways, testing, and vaccinations with the ongoing pandemic.
“To be able to serve them that way was an honor,” said Moore.
Because she needed to see the community center project through, she entered the city council race late and only had about four weeks to raise funds where others had months, she said. Moore said she was humbled that people chose to support her as she was racing to make deadlines.
Moore was born and raised at Marcy Houses. Both her parents struggled with drug addiction, she said. While her mother was able to get and stay clean, her father passed. Moore said as a child losing the recreational center at Marcy really devastated her and her friends, and eventually sparked the beginning of her life as an activist.
“When I saw the kids in there it brought tears to my eyes, because what was taken away from me–what we’re supposed to do for the next generation so they don’t have to experience it, is work hard,” said Moore about the new center.
Her platform includes police reforms, building mental health and rehabilitation services, cancelling rent and housing advocacy, supporting community nonprofits through capital, and working closely with the Bedford Stuyvesant Gateway BID and Department of Small Business Services (SBS) to bolster business owners in the district.
“When we talk about gun violence,” said Moore, “My friends and family have died in these streets. I know that pain. And when talking about how to eradicate that disease then you need to have someone that’s been directly impacted.”
She said in combating gun violence over-policing doesn’t work and would fully fund more crisis team management groups, community involvement, and violence interrupters. As far as reallocating police resources for the community and youth, she said she’s already done that with the center and plans to do more or the same.
