From Rolling Stone · Juan J. Arroyo · · 1m 50s
Zohran Mamdani and Chuwi Discuss Gentrification
Mayor Zohran Mamdani meets Puerto Rican band Chuwi to address gentrification and community issues.
In brief
Mayor Zohran Mamdani meets Puerto Rican band Chuwi to address gentrification and community issues. Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Puerto Rican band Chuwi discuss gentrification, displacement, and political collaboration in San Juan. Originally reported by Rolling Stone.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Chuwi Meet
Mayor Zohran Mamdani met with Puerto Rican band Chuwi in San Juan to discuss gentrification and community issues.
“I look forward to listening to Puerto Ricans to hear about what the struggles are they’re facing and how New York City can be a partner in fighting for working people wherever they may call home”
Annual Somos Conference
The annual Somos Conference brings New York State lawmakers and Latino advocates together in Puerto Rico for four days.
“This year marks the 40th anniversary of the event”
Mayor's Focus on Puerto Ricans
Mayor Mamdani targets issues affecting Puerto Ricans in New York City and Puerto Rico, including displacement and gentrification.
“What I’ve heard from Puerto Rican New Yorkers is a concern about displacement and gentrification”
Chuwi's Music and Message
Chuwi, a band with siblings Lorén, Willy, and Wester and friend Adrián, uses music to address Puerto Rico’s struggles through their album Libertad.
“They’ve addressed some of these themes on the album since their earliest EPs”
Mayor's Campaign Connection
Chuwi praised Mayor Mamdani’s campaign enthusiasm, noting his inspiring approach to connecting with Puerto Ricans.
“What you guys are doing is inspiring”
Mayor's Leadership Challenges
Mayor Mamdani explained that leaders get disconnected after elections and must stay connected through actions like biking around the city.
“When you get elected you get disconnected”
Cynicism in Puerto Rico
Chuwi highlighted economic skepticism among Puerto Ricans, especially after two decades of economic struggles and Hurricane María.
“Chuwi pointed out how skeptical many citizens are about politicians”
Mayor's Response to Cynicism
Mayor Mamdani acknowledged Puerto Ricans’ historical awareness and emphasized inspiration over disillusionment in politics.
“How do you collapse that separation? I feel inspiration is a stronger force than disillusionment”
Handling Political Criticism
Mayor Mamdani stressed the importance of speaking to people who aren’t comfortable with him to avoid political winners and losers.
“Treating people who disagree with him harshly leads to both sides feeling like there has to be a winner or loser”
Chuwi's Future Plans
Chuwi plans to return to cities they visited over the summer and potentially tour internationally.
“They’ll be returning to cities they visited over the summer”
Mayor's Past as Artist
Mayor Mamdani recalled his past as an indie rapper under the alias Mr. Cardamom, performing as an opener.
“I was the opener to the opener to the opener”
Chuwi's Grandparents in NYC
Chuwi’s Lorén shared that her grandparents moved to New York City during post-WWII migration and married there.
“Lorén thanked the mayor for meeting with them, sharing that their grandparents were one of the families that moved to New York City during the post-WWII migration wave”
The one thing
Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Puerto Rican band Chuwi discuss gentrification, displacement, and political collaboration in San Juan.
