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Samir

@samir.nyc
413 followers 140 following 74 posts

Transit enthusiast and housing activist · he/him Previously at Google, Twitter, and @opennewyork.org.

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Reposted by Samir
Liz Denys @liz.nyc · 10/09/2026
It's incredible to see people who are lucky to not have to regularly use hospitals and at least semi-regularly use emergency rooms in NYC talk about how unnecessary more hospital facilities are. typed from my laptop in the er
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Mikhail Gorbaechev @mikhailgorbaechev.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
If you want there to be a movie theater there, have the city purchase it to operate a theater. Or raise money to build a theater. But "neighborhood busybodies micromanage commercial property transactions" is the most untenable form of governance imaginable.
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Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani @mayor.nyc.gov · 23/04/2026
I don’t want NYC to become a museum. It should be a living, breathing testament to the working people of our city.
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Sam @samd.bsky.social · 22/04/2026
it’s pretty cool how left-NIMBYs suddenly become all “republicans deserve representation too” when you point out that they are pushing MAGA policies counterpoint: NIMBY republicans do not deserve representation in a deep blue district in Manhattan
think about someone other than yourself and i think youll realize layla is not an fO
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westside_for_all 14m • Author
She just posted about opposing an 100% affordable housing proposal and rallied with
MAGA Republicans against the affordable housing ballot measures
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@westside_for_all like it or not republicans are new yorkers who deserve representation too... also in what fantasy world is that housing plan 100% affordable? If you dont care about the well being of your more right wing neighbors and you dont care about the displacement of lower income new yorkers what exactly do you stand for other than yourself???? (Probably related and open ny)
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Stephen Jacob Smith @stephenjacobsmith.com · 14/04/2026
Terrible idea. Business owners – capitalists! – don’t need rent control. Giving it to them is a great way to ensure our streets are full of a bunch of past-their-prime businesses stocking a bunch of crap that nobody wants.
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Elizabeth Warren @elizabeth-warren.bsky.social · 07/04/2026
Trump is threatening war crimes to annihilate "a whole civilization". Republicans in Congress repeatedly voted for Trump’s war and still won't do their job to end this madness. Enough. Bring Congress back into session. Republicans must grow a spine and stop this catastrophe.
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Nicholas Grossman @nicholasgrossman.bsky.social · 07/04/2026
Millions of American voters wanted to be villains. They came to believe it’s the key to success, while goodness is weak, woke, loser stuff, done only to signal. Offered the option of unvarnished villainy, they enthusiastically took it. Seeing others suffer more made them feel big. And here we are.
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jamelle @jamellebouie.net · 18/03/2026
oh look at that www.pew.org/en/research-...
pew.org
Austin’s Surge of New Housing Construction Drove Down Rents
After decades of explosive growth, Austin, Texas, in the 2010s was a victim of its own success. Lured by high-tech jobs and the city’s hip reputation, too many people were competing for too few homes....
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August J. Pollak @augustjpollak.bsky.social · 24/02/2026
They paid a lot of people good wages to do the job effectively, thank you for coming to my socialism talk
I'm not entirely sure how they did it, but they've completely cleared the streets around my office in Midtown #NYC.
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David Roberts @volts.wtf · 23/02/2026
This is abundance, in practice. Nothing fancy, no grand ideological disputes, just ... get the fucking snow off the sidewalks in a reasonable amount of time.
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Ryder Kessler @ryderkessler.bsky.social · 18/02/2026
I’m so proud to be endorsed by @nywfp.bsky.social! As costs rise and Trump attacks our communities, we need bold leadership—to deliver homes we can afford, universal healthcare and childcare, and protections for immigrant New Yorkers. WFP is leading that fight. Together, we’ll win it. 💪
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derek guy @dieworkwear.bsky.social · 25/01/2026
The Washington Post published a clear video of federal agents removing Alex Pretti's handgun moments before he was fatally shot. There's nothing in the video to suggest Pretti even reached for his weapon. wapo.st/49Zqv1L
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Max Dubler 🏳️‍🌈 @maxdubler.com · 16/01/2026
There are only 2 real policy responses to a housing shortage. You can either get to work building enough housing for everyone or start making a list of the types of people you want to exclude. I know which side I’m on.
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Mike Hixenbaugh @mikehixenbaugh.com · 08/01/2026
Forensic analysis of objective video evidence. This is how you serve readers searching for clarity.
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Peter Sagal @petersagal.bsky.social · 08/01/2026
Excellent, damning analysis of the video of the killing of Ms Good, from the NYT, including a quick debunking of the “evidence” the President showed other Times reporters last night. www.nytimes.com/video/us/100...
nytimes.com
Video: Videos Contradict Trump Administration Account of ICE Shooting in Minneapolis
An analysis of footage from three camera angles shows that the motorist was driving away from — not toward — a federal officer when he opened fire.
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sarah jeong @sarahjeong.bsky.social · 08/01/2026
i think it is ok to reiterate that the victim as a us citizen. yes, noncitizens are equally entitled to human rights. but also, it's important to illustrate how ice isn't about immigration at all
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Samir @samir.nyc · 05/01/2026
Made it onto the paper of record!
Quote that says "the number of blocked crosswalks have gone down significantly" due to congestion pricing
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William B. Fuckley @opinionhaver.bsky.social · 03/01/2026
I wish for the proper procedures of federal law to be carried out regarding the president.
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Faine Greenwood @faineg.com · 03/01/2026
The world must boycott the World Cup and the Olympics. It is both the only moral choice and will actually get the attention of these dead-eyed clout demons.
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Ben K. @benjaminkabak.com · 16/12/2025
Menin has completely failed the “would your reaction have been as weak if Paladino had said ‘Jews,’ ‘Hispanics’ or ‘Black people’ instead?” test. It’s disqualifying really.
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Zohran Kwame Mamdani @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social · 15/12/2025
A million Muslims live in New York City. We belong here, as does every other New Yorker. This is vile Islamophobia from the Councilwoman and it has no place in our city.
A Quote Tweet from NYC Councilmember Vickie Paladino @VickieForNYC stating:

“We’re in the midst of a global jihad the likes of which the world has never seen, and we cannot ignore it.

“We need to take every seriously the need to begin the expulsion of Muslims from western nations, or at the very least the severe sanction of them within western borders.

“The administration needs to begin developing a formal legal framework for the denaturalization process and get it over with before we end up with another 9/11 or worse. Enough is enough.”

The quoted tweet from @DrewPavlu stating:
“AUSTRALIAN HERO TOOK GUN OFF SHOOTER

“TERROR ATTACK SYDNEY AT LEAST 10 DEAD

“AUSTRALIAN HERO TOOK DOWN GUNMAN”
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Hank Green @hankgreen.bsky.social · 06/12/2025
One of the biggest drivers of high housing costs is that a small, highly motivated group of incumbent homeowners block new housing in their neighborhoods and almost no one is organized to push back. Young people bear the brunt of that imbalance. Be a housing fan.
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Nicholas Grossman @nicholasgrossman.bsky.social · 03/12/2025
Congressman Henry Cuellar was indicted for money laundering, bribery, and conspiracy, allegedly taking about $600,000, mostly from Azerbaijan, to influence U.S. policy. President Donald Trump pardoned Cuellar, because Trump supports money laundering, bribery, and conspiracy.
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The Fig Economy @figgityfigs.bsky.social · 28/11/2025
This is fundamentally Nazism. The idea that different peoples than the favored races carry degradation in their very genes, that they cannot strive to become better because biology compels them to be worse. It’s not just repugnant, it’s a bald faced lie.
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Azraël (עזראל) 🐉 @emilia.bsky.social · 26/11/2025
I think it's shameful that during a second Trump administration, and after NYC voters rejected a return to moderate, conciliatory governance, that a Democrat would tout the entirety of the Council's Republican caucus as her supporters.
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Will Stancil @whstancil.bsky.social · 20/11/2025
Parts of this almost meet the standard of being newsworthy (the president is saying it; the thing he’s saying is that the opposition should be killed). However we must remember that there is a key countervailing fact (the president is Donald Trump, and he’s just a big ol’ joker, you silly goose).
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Sam @samd.bsky.social · 13/11/2025
a lot of poor urban governance is because local politicians and powerful stakeholders like unions are simply incapable of grasping the concept of second-order effects of any policy (in this case, a ton of 99 unit affordable housing projects)
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nic❄️le @nicoleamurray.bsky.social · 28/10/2025
let's take a moment to appreciate what this goofy city council mailer is really saying: we can't get transit upgrades, parks, school upgrades etc unless a condo developer is involved.
Mailer from the NYC City Council that says "Your neighborhood essentials are at stake this election". the words "transit upgrades, better parks, affordable homes, and school upgrades" are crossed out.
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Chris Hayes @chrislhayes.bsky.social · 05/11/2025
The last month of the anti-Mamdani campaign was an absolutely shameful undertaking, an attempt to rip the city and Democratic coalition apart and I'm very happy to see it failed.
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Ben K. @benjaminkabak.com · 04/11/2025
This to me is the game. I don’t care if Schumer doesn’t like Mamdani, but for him to stand silently by while sex pest Cuomo leans into gutter racism and Islamophobia while accepting endorsements from Trump, Musk and Miller is outrageous from the Senate Minority Leader.
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Howard Slatkin @hslatkin.bsky.social · 29/10/2025
As you prepare to vote, NYC, please read my op-ed about the importance of NYC voting yes on questions 2 through 5: www.vitalcitynyc.org/articles/fli... These changes aren’t about the needs of politicians. They’re about the needs of New Yorkers. /1
vitalcitynyc.org
Vital City | Flip the Script, and the Ballot, for Housing
City Charter changes would help produce the affordable apartments New York desperately needs.
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GB Metz @notthegiraffe.bsky.social · 17/10/2025
@drichardsqns.bsky.social is right and the council is being duplicitous: Props 2-5 are the housing reforms we need, and the public will still have a voice. Vote yes. www.nydailynews.com/2025/10/17/w...
nydailynews.com
We must vote YES on affordable housing
Every New Yorker — from a renter in Crown Heights to a homeowner in Cambria Heights — knows that the rent (or mortgage) is too damn high.
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Sam @samd.bsky.social · 26/10/2025
shout out to the “Hot Girls 4 Zohran” page for a great ballot question explainer and endorsement of voting YES on ballot measures 2-4
OUR THOUGHTS
This isn't a power-grab, it's an attempt to expedite an unnecessarily slow process.
Opposition claims that taking power away from city council is undemocratic - however city council is still present at several points throughout this process. These props just grant the ability to overturn a veto to a board that consists of 3 democratically elected officials - the mayor, the borough president, and the speaker of City Council.
For too long, we have relied on a process in which a minority can veto and overturn decisions on affordable housing projects that impact hundreds of thousands of people - resulting in a system in which nothing ever gets done. It's slow, it's painful, it's not progressive.
Shifting this power isn't undemocratic, it's efficient. In a time where the housing crisis is reaching a boiling point, it's necessary to remove any and all roadblocks to progress.DON'T JUST TAKE IT FROM US.
Props 2-4 are supported by:
NYC Comptroller
Brad Lander
Cea Weaver
(Z's Housing Advisor)
• Homeless Services United
• Habitat for Humanity New York City and Westchester County
• Housing Rights Initiative
• New York Housing Conference
• Citizens' Housing and Planning Council
• LiveOn NY
• Ali Forney center
• NYC Housing Partnership
• Services for the Underserved
• The Bronx Neighborhood Housing Services CDC Inc
• Low Income Investment Fund
• SAGE Advocacy Services for LGBTO Elders
• And many more!
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derek guy @dieworkwear.bsky.social · 26/10/2025
who creates the lively art and music scenes if the rent is too high? who makes cultural life? who serves you food or washes your dishes? who creates the fancy little restaurants that draw you to urban living? affordable housing is at the heart of what makes city life worthwhile.
I tweet: "people who see 50% of their monthly paycheck go to rent don't care if a candidate eats with their hands. they want to hear what your candidate is going to do about housing."

John Galt 2025 replies: "Move if the cost of living is too high."
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Samir @samir.nyc · 26/10/2025
Another year, another NYC Mayoral costume! This was by far the most I've ever been stopped on the street or had people recognize my costume. So many "do you ride cabs?" "do you smoke cannabis?" and "who likes to slap fannies and kill grannies?" Make sure to go to findmypollsite.vote.nyc and vote!
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Zohran Kwame Mamdani @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social · 23/10/2025
So who’s the hater and who’s the waiter?
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Mark D. Levine @marklevinenyc.bsky.social · 23/10/2025
This is reprehensible. It's blatant Islamophobia that is an afront to NYC's entire Muslim community. This hatred has no place in our city, our politics, or our party.
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Sam @samd.bsky.social · 23/10/2025
it’s honestly crazy how the New York City council, at the behest of speaker Adrienne Adams, is illegally spending millions of your taxpayer dollars on an unhinged NIMBY propaganda campaign if you live in NYC vote YES on measures 2-5 to make it easier to build affordable housing
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Vishnu Reddy @vishnu.red · 23/10/2025
my kink. getting my mouth taped shut by Vickie Paladino and Bob Holden when I try to build affordable housing in Queens
Facebook ad paid for by NYC City Council that says “Mayor Adams' Ballot Proposals 2, 3 and 4 would leave us with less affordable housing and more gentrification. Get the facts!”

There is a picture of someone’s mouth taped shut, and the tape says “Ballot Proposals 2, 3, and 4”

There is a link to whatsonmyballot.nyc
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Liz Denys @liz.nyc · 13/10/2025
Gross that Council is spending public money on illegal electioneering. Ballot proposals 2-4 push every neighborhood to add new affordable housing, and I'm disgusted to see Council waste money breaking the law instead of ensuring New Yorkers have the housing we desperately need.
City Council electioneering mailer that says in multiple languages. Here is the first side's English text (Haitian Creole won't fit in alt text, too.):

Your power could be taken away by Mayor Adams' misleading ballot proposals.

Less Affordability: Mayor Adams' Proposals 2, 3 and 4 eliminate New Yorkers' power to fight for more affordable housing in neighborhood development.

Less Investment: Mayor Adams' Proposals 2, 3 and 4 weaken communities' power, giving developers and the City even more power to ignore our neighborhood needs.

More Gentrification: Mayor Adams' Proposals 2, 3 and 4 take away the public's power, leaving our communities weaker to fight irresponsible development and gentrification.

Learn more at: whatsonmyballot.nycCity Council electioneering mailer that says in multiple languages. Here is the other side's English text (Haitian Creole won't fit in alt text, too.):

The return address is from New York City Council, City Hall 250 Broadway 14th Floor, New York, NY 10007, to me and my partner, Elizabeth & Matthew Denys, Brooklyn, NY (additional address detail redacted)

Don't be misled by Mayor Adam's so-called housing proposals. Get the facts: whatsonmyballot.nyc.

Your neighborhood is on the ballot.

Mayor Adams' misleading ballot proposals 2, 3 + 4 hide that they take away your power. We need more housing, but giving away our power to developers leads to less affordable housing and more gentrificiation.

Early Voting: October 25 - November 2. 

Election Day: November 4
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Samir @samir.nyc · 17/10/2025
Fuck this executive overreach. It's a BUS WAY. Calm tf down. The DOT should not give into this pressure. Just ignore it and it'll go away, a la the congestion pricing threats.
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Open New York @opennewyork.org · 17/10/2025
We're in an unprecedented housing shortage. We need more affordable housing in every neighborhood of NYC. If you're not voting for Curtis Sliwa, you should vote @YesOnAffHousing.bsky.social Props 2-5!
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Second Ave. Sagas @2avesag.as · 17/10/2025
You couldn't ask for a better endorsement of Ballot Props 2-5 than Sliwa going on an unhinged rant about them. Is Adrienne Adams still sure she wants to hitch her wagon to that sinking ship?
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Samir @samir.nyc · 17/10/2025
Not a really tough choice on the ballot propositions... Vote YES on 2-5! I do not want to be aligned with the Republican Candidate, Curtis Sliwa, and neither should you!
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Samir @samir.nyc · 21/09/2025
Perfection.
Photo of a sign saying "bikes use sidewalk" right next to a sign saying "cyclists stay off the sidewalk"
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Second Ave. Sagas @2avesag.as · 17/09/2025
Finally. Hopefully the city can do the sidewalk extensions in concrete rather than paint and planters. The planters usually end up hogging all of the added pedestrian space. bsky.app/profile/vinb...
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Sean's News Network @seanchai313.bsky.social · 09/09/2025
This is so easy and sensible. Somehow @schumer.senate.gov and @hakeem-jeffries.bsky.social will find reasons not to even try. Why would they want to get Republicans on record in support of racial profiling?
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Open New York @opennewyork.org · 05/09/2025
This is undemocratic and brazenly illegal. This Board of Elections coup could deny NYC voters the chance to help end our housing crisis.
NYT headline:
N.Y.C. Elections Board May Block Ballot Proposals on Housing

The City Council opposes the measures, which would curtail its power. The Board of Elections, appointed by the Council, could prevent voters from weighing in.
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New Kings Democrats @newkingsdems.bsky.social · 05/09/2025
This would be an outrageous abuse of the Board of Elections role in order to override the democratic process.
nytimes.com
N.Y.C. Elections Board May Block Ballot Proposals on Housing
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3underscores.bsky.social @3underscores.bsky.social · 15/08/2025
Here you have a developer arguing against a broad upzoning. Politically connected and deep-pocketed developers actually benefit from strict zoning, because it puts up barriers to competition for small fry who could compete with them. YIMBY is anti-monopoly.
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