Q&A With Yuh-Line Niou: NY-10 Democratic Congressional Candidate Isn’t Afraid To Combat For Development

NEW YORK — New York State Assemblywoman Yuh-Line Niou (D) is used to creating robust enemies — even in her personal birthday party. Niou gained her state legislative seat via ousting an status quo incumbent in 2016, and has now not hesitated to tackle fellow Democrats when she felt they have been betraying the birthday party’s innovative beliefs. She has had high-profile disputes with then-New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) and then-New York Town Mayor Invoice de Blasio (D), and already had variations with their respective successors.

Because of her outspokenness, the decrease New york lawmaker even elicited a self-funded centrist number one challenger in 2020, whom she simply defeated.

Niou ― whose complete title is pronounced “You Lean New” ― is hoping to proceed her successful streak within the Democratic number one for New York’s new tenth Congressional District on Aug. 23. The predominantly liberal seat encompasses decrease New york and a cluster of contiguous neighborhoods in central and South Brooklyn.

Niou, who immigrated to the USA from Taiwan as a kid, will be the first overtly autistic member of Congress and the second-ever Asian American to constitute New York in Washington. She could also be a former bartender, an enthusiastic karaoke player, and an avid reader of science fiction-themed graphic novels.

Niou’s standing as a innovative famous person has already helped her land endorsements from the crowd New York Communities for Alternate, the New York Town bankruptcy of the local weather action-focused Dawn Motion, and democratic socialist state Sen. Julia Salazar (D).

However she is competing in a box of a minimum of 15 Democrats that incorporates de Blasio, New York Town Councilwoman Carlina Rivera, and Rep. Mondaire Jones (D), who had $2.9 million available on the finish of March.

HuffPost interviewed Niou previous this month over ice cream and dumplings in New york’s Chinatown group. We requested her about her causes for working, housing coverage and the significance of Asian American illustration.

The interview has been edited for readability and duration.

This can be a once-in-a-generation alternative to constitute an open congressional seat in New York.

We’re looking to constitute other people who’ve by no means been represented at the congressional stage earlier than. There’s a loss of illustration at the federal stage, in relation to variety, in relation to lens, and in relation to standpoint. We want to have numerous other sorts of lenses in order that we will have higher coverage. That’s how we make just right coverage.

I’m hoping that we will have this chance for all of our communities to have illustration.

I’ve clearly served for 6 years within the Meeting. And I believe love it used to be one thing that used to be missing at the Meeting stage.

Now clearly, we want to battle greater than ever at the congressional stage. We’re seeing that we’re dropping now not simply our physically autonomy, but in addition such a lot of our rights. We want to be sure that we now have people who find themselves brave on this second, to battle for us. My district, my neighborhood requested me to battle and so I’m preventing.

You appear to be you can be a herbal addition to the “Squad,” since you’re roughly part of the state Capitol “Squad” in Albany. Do you aspire to be a part of that ultra-progressive bloc of combatants?

I want to constitute my other folks. My district could be very, very innovative. There’s numerous stances that we need to take to be sure that we now have the voices of our constituents represented. I will be able to say that over and over and over.

But it surely’s now not as simple as in, “Oh, that is going to be the standpoint of this team, or that team.” And if truth be told, each unmarried particular person that you simply communicate to may have other views, and other lenses that they’re seeing issues thru.

It’s a must to keep in mind that there’s no mistaken or proper, or “that is the easiest way” or “that is the worst approach.” It’s about attempting to determine what are probably the most issues that make the ones problems so necessary to other folks, after which working out how you can easiest problem-solve.

Everyone’s standpoint is necessary. Everyone’s standpoint is legitimate. And that’s why it’s so amusing in an effort to perceive the place issues are turning, in order that we will have higher solutions.

Let’s take Chinatown for instance. What is a matter for which you suppose the group wishes higher advocacy at the federal stage?

As an example, language get entry to is humongous, however other folks don’t ever take into consideration it.

The government may just do so much on all of our bureaucracy, on its internet sites. I nonetheless take into account seeing the indicators for how you can get entry to assist after 9/11 — none of it used to be translated, and our neighborhood used to be all affected up right here. They didn’t know that they may move and get the sufferer repayment or they didn’t know that they may move and ask for clinical assist. It’s now not in the market.

It used to be actually necessary for us to cross that language get entry to invoice offering translation for all state company internet sites. At the state stage, that used to be one of the most largest issues that I labored on. Language get entry to could be very, quite common sense stuff, however other folks don’t notice that as a result of there’s no lens to look that it will get left at the desk.

It is helping everybody. After we are speaking about each factor, we must be speaking about it as a incapacity factor, as a result of each factor is a incapacity factor, whether or not it’s housing, schooling — it all. Everyone must have get entry to, really. If we’re development a ramp to be sure that we will get in to onerous puts, isn’t that more straightforward for [people without disabilities too]?

One in 4 Asian American citizens right here in our town live in poverty, and other folks don’t notice that. That makes it probably the most impoverished ethnic team in all of the town. It’s additionally simply actually, actually unhappy as a result of we even have the least quantity of get entry to to advantages. No longer as a result of they don’t already qualify. It’s as a result of they don’t have language get entry to. They don’t know the way to use. They don’t know the way to get it.

What Area committees do you want to be on you probably have the danger?

I’ve all the time been an anti-poverty recommend. I labored so much on preventing predatory lending. I if truth be told helped to keep an eye on the payday lending trade in Washington State when I used to be a lot more youthful. After which over right here, clearly, we limit payday lending as a complete. However we even have noticed that there are individuals who have attempted to legalize payday lending in the course of the again door with test cashing companies. We attempted to place in combination some other legislative part into how they lend.

So I might most likely wish to be on committees that care for monetary products and services, banking and housing problems. I’m this sort of large proponent of public housing.

In particular at the factor of housing, what do you suppose the government can do higher?

Absolutely investment our public housing and ensuring that our public housing isn’t dilapidated. There have been actually a long time of disinvestment to our public housing and sadly that devastated our housing inventory in some way that’s exponential. So in the event you’re now not caring for something, then each thing more gets worse and worse — lead paint, loss of sizzling water, loss of skill to care for the mould remediation scenario. We want round $70 billion simply to fill the outlet in public housing for our state.

What do you bring to mind anyone coming in from the suburbs to run?

I really like Mondaire [Jones] so much. I fought for him in his election. I made requires him with [the] Dawn [Movement].

It’s a democracy. Any individual can run. However I do suppose that’s going to be as much as the citizens.

What about Invoice de Blasio?

He’s a pleasing man. I’ve met him a pair instances. We have now a few issues that we disagree on — numerous the issues he attempted to do in my neighborhood. My neighborhood is oversaturated — all communities of colour are oversaturated — with shelters, jails, products and services that the entire town is taking advantage of.

You additionally see the bodily loss of funding whilst you’re strolling round right here. We needed to stroll virtually 5 blocks [just now] to get to a trash can.

Is that why you antagonistic the Haven Inexperienced housing building, which claims to provide inexpensive housing?

I antagonistic it as a result of they introduced a plan that didn’t have any inexpensive housing — that used to be really inexpensive, deeply inexpensive. The unique plan additionally didn’t have numerous longevity to the proposal — like only a few years. So we needed to ward off.

And on best of that, in the event you’re removing a public just right, you must get a public just right in go back — an enduring public just right in go back. And this housing isn’t everlasting. It’s 60 years after which it’s opened as much as privatization. It’s actually necessary that we if truth be told have everlasting affordability.

We have already got a loss of inexperienced house down right here. Other people have a troublesome time. Other people mentioned, “Oh, my God! The place are the children going to play?” Sure, we’re a concrete jungle and we don’t hate density. We have now density. It’s all about ensuring that we’re if truth be told balancing the entire wishes of our constituents, the people who find themselves residing down right here.

I will be able to say that the plans have got higher because of the truth that we driven again. I believe that it will nonetheless recover. If the town actually sought after it to be inexpensive, they may say that it is going to stay inexpensive for 99 years and that signifies an purpose to make it everlasting.

Would you could have voted for the newest town price range — or joined the six innovative council participants who voted in opposition to it?

I completely would have voted in opposition to it.

The federal price range gave us extra schooling investment because of COVID. The state after all fulfilled its investment tasks. That’s billions of bucks. And I don’t perceive why the town then lower schooling. I don’t are aware of it.

I’ve voted “no” on budgets earlier than. However I’m now not balloting “no” flippantly. I do it as a result of now and again we want to take a stand to sort things.

You’ve spoken out so much about acts of violence in opposition to participants of the Asian American and Pacific Islander neighborhood. Why has there been an building up in anti-Asian violence? What do you suppose may also be carried out to opposite it?

At the federal stage, our leaders have been completely OK with demonizing Asian American citizens, blaming the pandemic on us, the usage of stereotypes which were regurgitated over and over and over after a long time to hurt us. It’s simple to make use of the ones issues as a result of Asian American citizens have traditionally been demonized. That’s the type of stuff that Trump used to be doing and numerous our Congress participants have been pronouncing.

That’s why it’s so necessary that we’ve got people who find themselves talking out in opposition to it, and preventing in opposition to it.

There’s a lovely numerous array of perspectives throughout the Asian American neighborhood about regulation enforcement. What’s your perspective about it? Is there a regulation enforcement part to addressing this factor?

Once more, it’s about illustration. We best have two high-ranking officials of Asian descent in all of the NYPD. And considered one of them, Thomas Chan, retired.

How are we serving our neighborhood? Are they if truth be told policing in some way that’s useful or destructive?

There’s a loss of illustration there and till there’s a machine that’s going to assist us in an effort to have issues in standpoint, then it’s now not one who’s servicing our neighborhood.

What do you are making of conservatives’ argument that the 2019 bail reform law has contributed to an uptick in violent crime?

There’s a functional tale that they wish to make about bail reform, which isn’t true. Bail reform is ready ensuring that there’s now not two prison justice techniques — one for the wealthy, and one for the deficient. It doesn’t imply that they’re now not then nonetheless having to visit courtroom and nonetheless may just get charged or any of the ones issues. It simply way the adaptation between sitting on Rikers Island looking forward to trial as opposed to staying house and looking forward to trial.

Something you listen now and again is that possibly judges must have extra equipment to disclaim other folks bail, comparable to figuring out whether or not any individual is “bad.”

The phrase “bad” in a bail choice context has racist roots. “Dangerousness” and the choice of “dangerousness” is racist, as a result of now and again a pass judgement on will see one thing that could be a subjective feeling of, “That is extra bad.” That’s why it’s now not criminal language.

Judges have judicial discretion, simply as they all the time have. Other people must most likely take into consideration what it’s that judges are doing, now not the regulation itself being the problem.

Are you interested by getting the beef up of the Operating Households Birthday party?

Completely. I’ve all the time embodied the values and ideas of the Operating Households Birthday party.

Do you suppose that there’s any room for commonplace floor with Republicans in Congress?

Shall we most likely come to a few commonplace floor with regards to client coverage problems, even some banking or hard work practices.

However I believe that that’s most likely now not going to be the similar standpoint with regards to abortion rights, or well being care. There’s an excessively distinct distinction in what we expect is necessary.

After we have been speaking concerning the Grownup Survivors Act [enabling more adults to pursue justice for sexual abuse endured as children], we noticed numerous pushback from Republicans. They mentioned we have been looking to bankrupt the church. I needed to step up and say, “None of that is about bankrupting church buildings or establishments. It’s about protective children.” My sharing my very own enjoy of abuse made it in order that numerous other folks ended up balloting for it that wouldn’t have in a different way.

Something that you simply’ll get a possibility to paintings on in Congress that you simply didn’t care for in Albany is overseas coverage. The US not too long ago gave $40 billion in support to Ukraine and the one other folks to vote in opposition to it have been Republicans. However some other folks at the left are interested by extra army spending, and escalated American involvement in conflicts. What are your ideas?

I’m by no means anyone who says, “We must be going to conflict.” However I do suppose that the U.S. does have sure quantities of energy that it must workout when there are unhealthy issues which are going down internationally.

Our executive does must make those onerous choices so much. And I believe that there’s most likely knowledge that I actually don’t know in how other folks made sure choices. It’s actually necessary to have that knowledge for making the ones choices.

Does that imply you’re now not positive whether or not you’d beef up the help bundle with out additional info?

An unlawful invasion of some other nation via an international superpower, during which there are civilians killed, blameless other folks — there must be one thing for the arena to mention about that. But it surely’s actually necessary that we see the results and perceive the results that we’ve got each time we intervene with one thing in another country or insert our energy. It must all the time be for humanitarian causes and now not only for ourselves.