By:  Hadassa Kalatizadeh

New York State Senator Julia Salazar, a Democratic Socialist, has introduced a bill that would prevent landlords from rejecting ex-cons as tenants.

As reported by the NY Post, the far-left senator is working to keep ex-cons from being discriminated against for “criminal legal system involvement”.  The 32-year-old took office in 2019, as senator for the 18th district, which covers northern Brooklyn, centered around Bushwick.  She became the first member of the Democratic Socialists of America to serve in New York’s state legislature.  Salazar previously attracted national media attention for her support of sex workers’ rights– in which she contended sex work should be decriminalized and destigmatize to ensure fair treatment for all.

She is now working on this legislation which would bar NYS landlords from denying housing to persons who were former convicts.  The proposed bill claims that criminal history “is often used” as an alternative way of wrongly rejecting people of color from getting apartments, being that the legal system “disproportionately impacts” them compared to white persons. The legislation doesn’t make any exceptions for people convicted of serious or dangerous crimes.  “The PLAN Act is one of two bills I’m proud to sponsor that would reduce the burden on people with prior criminal legal system involvement. The HERO Act (S3251) would prohibit housing discrimination on the basis of criminal legal system involvement,” Salazar Tweeted on Thursday.  “New Yorkers are relying on us to pass the PLAN Act and the HERO Act to affirm that discrimination based on criminal legal system involvement is never acceptable,” she added.

State Assembly Minority Leader Will Barclay was quick to slam the bill.  He told The Post that Salazar’s legislation is the latest in an “ever-growing list of delusional Democratic ideas designed to help lawbreakers and strip law-abiding citizens of their basic rights.”  The Republican, who has served as NYS assembly member since 2003, fumed: “Small landlords who rent their property should determine the criteria for prospective tenants — not be forced to ridiculous terms dictated by Albany’s socialist, cancel-rent crowd.”

Salazar defended the bill, saying “people … need a place to live after they’re released from jail or prison.”  She added, “It is objectively bad for public safety if they are homeless.”  As per the Post, Salazar also garnered criticism on Twitter on Thursday for calling the bill the “HERO Act”, an acronym for Housing for an Equitable Reentry and Opportunity Act.

Salazar’s legislation is not a novel idea. Last summer, Councilman Keith Powers (D-Manhattan) had proposed a similar controversial bill. Powers’ bill specifically bars NYC landlords from doing criminal background checks on prospective tenants.  Known as The Fair Chance for Housing Act, it makes no distinction for persons convicted of murder and other high-level atrocities.  “Our city is facing an urgent housing crisis, with thousands of people sleeping on the streets and in our shelters every night,” Powers had said, promoting his bill. “It’s more important than ever that we use every tool we have to lift New Yorkers out of homelessness, prevent recidivism, and ensure safe communities — and that starts with stable housing.”    He added, “Public safety needs to be a priority but denying people and their families housing never makes anyone safer.”

NYC Council Member Inna Vernikov (R-Brooklyn) was one of the fierce opponents to Powers’ bill.  “To not even allow a landlord the option, the opportunity, to see what kind of crime somebody has committed in the past is completely unreasonable and all it does is it puts the lives and safety of law-abiding citizens in danger,” Vernikov said.