A WSR Conversation With Candidate Edafe Okporo in the Run-Up to the UWS, Morningside Heights Council Race

Election season is almost upon us in New York City, and West Side Rag is speaking with candidates running in the June primary for the City Council District 7 seat, which includes the Upper West Side north of West 92nd Street. The district also includes all of Morningside Heights and much of West Harlem; City Councilmember Shaun Abreu is the incumbent, and he is being challenged by multiple candidates.

The primary elections will take place on June 24 this year, with early voting starting on June 14.

Abreu, who took office in 2022, is being challenged by three fellow Democrats: Tiffany Khan, Jomo Williams, and Edafe Okporo. As of the beginning of June, there were no declared Republican candidates for the position.

West Side Rag is seeking to interview all four candidates and present their views before voting begins.

Below is our interview with Okporo, who grew up in Nigeria and currently heads an organization that helps refugees in America. He was the first challenger to announce his candidacy for the District 7 position. He spoke with us in May at our Upper West Side office.

Answers have been lightly edited for length and clarity.

WSR: I was hoping you would start with some personal and professional background about yourself.

Okporo: My first job out of college, I was working for a US AID [Agency for International Development] project that was helping provide access to maternal health for mothers in rural Nigeria. While I was doing that, I discovered a lot of pregnant moms who were HIV positive, and transferred HIV to their kids, and that could be prevented, so I was in charge of looking to help. During that time, I found that the presence of HIV in gay men was even way higher than in mothers – I am part of the LGBTQ community – and I became a lead for the program across northern Nigeria helping to provide access to treatment for members of the LGBTQ community. I won an award for that work. [But] it led to violent threats against my life, because there is a law in Nigeria that criminalizes same-sex relationships. So, I decided to come to the United States to seek protection.

When I came here, I was detained by immigration, and when I left the immigration detention center, I was homeless. I slept on the streets of this city. My first job was with an AIDS foundation in New Jersey. My passion changed at that point, though, because as an immigrant, I was seeing lots of other immigrants that come here and don’t have a place to stay, so that led me to starting the first organization of its kind to help LGBTQ asylum seekers have access to shelter and refuge. That work led me to writing plays, publishing a book, and my advocacy led me to working with the Biden administration.

Before he fled Nigeria for the United States in 2016, Okporo said he had been targeted by mob violence for his work. Upon his arrival in the U.S., he spent five months and 14 days in a detention facility in Elizabeth, New Jersey; after his release, he was homeless for three months.

In 2022, he received his United States citizenship and soon after founded Refuge America, which assists LGBTQ asylum-seekers. He currently serves as the organization’s executive director.

WSR: Why was this the right time to run for elected office for the first time?

Okporo: I didn’t grow up thinking I was going to be a politician, far from it. But, the Democratic Party has shown it is not meeting the moment. Many people feel frustrated by the party that continually elect candidates that are after their own pockets, rather than the safety and well being of all New Yorkers. I, for example, came here as an immigrant, and New York provided me with safety and welcome. That same New York now has been pitted against immigrants by Mayor Adams, who is saying immigrants destroyed New York City, which I know isn’t true. I live in a district that has lots of immigrants. So, I know this is the time that I had to rise up to the moment to show our leadership can look differently. That we can be more accountable. That is why I decided to run at this moment.

WSR: One issue in District 7 is the number of vacant storefronts in the 90s and 100s. How would you look to better support small business owners and also find ways to fill stores that sit empty?

Okporo: When I came to the West Side, I loved the fact that it felt like a neighborhood. If you look at West 103rd on Broadway, the stores that are there now weren’t there when I first came to the West Side, even on Columbus Avenue where Whole Foods is now. There was a bill that was introduced for commercial rent stabilization. If elected as a Council person, I’m going to support Intro No. 93, and ensure that these businesses have a break. If you are selling a bagel for a dollar in the year 2000, 10 years later when you want to renew your lease, you’re selling the bagel for a $1.25, but your rent goes up 30 percent. You’re being priced out by the action of the landlords. You must have the willpower to fight for our small businesses.

WSR: How would you look to create new housing in the neighborhood, but also find the balance of preserving historic elements?

Okporo: You have to start with the history. Since the 1980s, developers have been trying to deregulate rent-stabilized apartments. For us to be able to create affordable housing, building new developments is not going to entirely get us out of the issue because we have been building more, and still have a problem with housing availability — because the cost of rent is moving faster than income.

That’s why preserving the existing affordable housing is the first step in ensuring that New Yorkers can live in the city they love. Number two, when we build new housing, it needs to be strictly affordable, so people that live in this neighborhood are not displaced by our actions.

If we build new developments, the people that we are displacing from the land need to have an opportunity to afford new homes that are built. And when you are using AMI [area median income], it uses an entire region, including Westchester and lower Manhattan. The majority of our residents are making between $50 and $75,000, and that means they cannot afford the housing we are building. That is the argument I am making, let’s build housing, but let’s make it affordable for people who live here.

WSR: It’s difficult to talk about housing in Morningside Heights without talking about Columbia University. Is any development Columbia heads a positive force for the community?

Okporo: Columbia is a nonprofit, so they are not paying taxes to live on the land in New York City. Yet, they are one of the largest landlords in NYC. That means they have a responsibility to New York City. Columbia receives $180 million in tax breaks every year. That money is not going to New York City, it is not helping us subsidize housing for folks. The school recognizes they are responsible to the neighborhood by doing things like giving $5 million to the West Harlem community through the community benefit agreement, but it is not enough.

No. 1, I used to run the food pantry at a shelter on 126th Street between Amsterdam and Broadway. And on the food pantry line people you see from NYCHA and Morningside Gardens are older folks, who can no longer afford the cost of rent because when Columbia builds more luxury development, the rent across the neighborhood goes up. That means the school is contributing to the affordability crisis. And we are asking them to do three simple things: When you build new housing, give a portion, less than 20 percent, to the community you displaced to build the new housing. No. 2, contribute to the infrastructure of the neighborhood. Morningside Gardens has been designated as a retirement community, that means the majority of residents are 65 and above, and an elevator at the 125th Street 1 train station is nowhere to be found, so accessibility is an issue. Also, College Walk [through the Columbia campus between Broadway and Amsterdam] is supposed to be open as an agreement with the Morningside community. If Columbia is a private institution, then it has to contribute to the community that is affording it to be in the community.

WSR: When it comes to public safety, what approaches would you take to make people in the community feel safe?

Okporo: We know New Yorkers feel unsafe, no matter what the statistics might say. That’s why we need to outline clear plans to address their sense of safety. If people are saying they feel unsafe to go into the subway or walk at night, and we are saying look at the stats, who cares about the stats? We care about the reality of the situation.

Our plan is to provide mental health services to people that are emotionally disturbed — long-term traditional housing into supportive housing. The 988 crisis line has been defunded by the city. But the police are even saying that they don’t have the capacity to deal with quality of life issues, and when police are dealing with quality of life issues, they are not dealing with larger crime. Our program is more supportive housing, more mental health services, intensive mobile treatment that will meet people where they are, and add a social worker to each police precinct to help officers understand how to deal with people who are experiencing crisis.

WSR: Electric vehicles are part of the public safety conversation. Are you in support of expanding bike lanes, but also enforcement possibilities?

Okporo: At this point, the issue of electric vehicles and bike lanes is an “and,” not an “either/or.” What I mean by that is by building more protected bike lanes, we ensure that cyclists are able to move around the city safely.

If we want to be a 21st century city, we have to include cycling as part of our infrastructure, so we are not overburdening our roads and our public transit system. But, I am also in favor of licensing and holding the delivery companies accountable.

Experts that have studied this have stated that blanket criminalization is going to worsen the problem, rather than provide a roadmap. That’s why I support Councilmember Gale Brewer’s bill that will reduce the speed of bikes. And we cannot allow the biggest perpetrators, which are delivery companies, go scot-free. We have to hold them accountable for the standards of safe streets. Because we want pedestrians to feel safe, bikers to feel safe, older adults to feel safe, motorists to feel safe. Everybody has to have that sense of safety.

WSR: Bikes intersect into the topic of parks. What do you see as the government’s role of supporting parks in District 7, both large and small?

Okporo: I am a gardener. I’m planting my salsa ingredients for the summer, the tomatoes, pepper, cilantro, herbs. I also garden with a group at West 150th Street, a team garden. I think gardens help us find a sense of community. I don’t think we should depend on conservancies as a way to take care of our parks alone; there is a lot of responsibility on our shoulders, too. I volunteer at Sakura Park on 122nd Street as well to help the gardener there. I believe that green spaces are going to help us meet our climate future. That’s why I got the endorsement of Sunrise Movement, because they believe I will protect New York’s future by funding green spaces and parks, and contining to ensure we preserve our green spaces inside this concrete jungle.

Along with the Organization of Public Service Retirees, Okporo has been endorsed by Our Revolution, Sunrise Movement NYC, New American Leaders, former candidate for Assembly District 69 Eli Northrup, and former City Councilmember Ben Kallos. Okporo has raised $44,766 from 765 donors, the largest number of individual contributors of any candidate in the race.

WSR: If elected to Council, what issues would you look to champion and do you have a first piece of legislation in mind?

Okporo: Going into this election I’ve already been a champion of retirees’ healthcare. On day one, I would sponsor legislation that our retired city workers get the medical care they deserve. Also, I’m a champion of universal pre-k, because I think for us [to make the city more affordable] for families, we have to provide infrastructure. And for a working mother, childcare is infrastructure. No longer can many people afford to keep families here. I am an immigrant. I came here searching for a better life. Many people come here for that same opportunity, and who the Trump Administration does not want to be part of this narrative? People like me. That means at City Hall I’m going to be standing against the Trump administration.

Those are my priorities: ensuring older adults can live in the city they love, ensuring that we can provide childcare for working families, and championing migrant issues at city hall.

WSR: What would you say to a voter who might express some anxiety about you not holding public office before?

Okporo: I’ve been in the political world but I have not been a politician. This moment deserves someone who is a fighter, who knows how to problem solve. When I came to New York City, I discovered that there was no shelter for people coming here to seek safety, and I created the first shelter, working with the de Blasio Administration to make sure that every migrant who came to New York City has a roof over their heads at night. That is the kind of political willpower we need right now, people that don’t represent special interests, but represent the community.

In New York politics, it protects its own self. That’s why, when newer faces and newer voices come into the political landscape, you hear the same political question: “How are you going to navigate the system?” I am a friend to Councilmember Gale Brewer. I am a friend to State Senator Robert Jackson. I am a friend to Assemblymember Al Taylor. All of these elected officials, I speak with them all of the time. It is the same relationship I am going to bring to City Hall, to fight for our community. I’m not chasing after institutional endorsements because of the kind of campaign I wanted to run from the first place, all about the voters, that’s who I care about. And if the voters believe I can represent their interests, that’s all that matters to me.

WSR: Favorite places on the Upper West Side or in Morningside Heights?

Okporo: I feel like I was born on the Upper West Side, even though I wasn’t. When I came out of the immigration center, my first home was on West 100th Street. I also lived on West 103rd Street, so I love Arco Cafe. My husband is Italian-American and they make their fresh pastas themselves. One of my favorite things to do is play soccer Sunday morning at Booker T. Washington on 108th Street, and during the pandemic I also played in Riverside Park at 103rd Street. I also play tennis at the clay courts in Riverside and also in Riverbank. Straus Park is a favorite. I also like Smoke on 106th because I go to New Orleans every year for jazz. I like jazz music a lot.

My favorite thing every summer is during the Open Street on Columbus and Amsterdam BID, I bar hop from The Ellington into Dive, into Amity Hall, into the gay bar Suite. I end there, order food from Roti Roti, and then head back home, exhausted and happy.

You can find out more about Okporo on his campaign website — HERE.

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