By Dustin Brown
Advocacy groups representing the borough’s South Asian communities lashed out against the state Legislature’s redistricting proposal at a public hearing last week, claiming many of the new boundaries split apart ethnic populations with like interests, diluting their strength as voters.
Certain features of the plan found strong support among the speakers at the March 13 Borough Hall hearing, most notably the creation of an Asian-majority assembly district in Flushing, one of two new assembly seats that will be added in the borough.
But the proposal faced harsh scrutiny for taking one state senate seat out of Queens despite rapid population growth, a move that reduces representation in a borough with a high concentration of minorities.
The state Legislature is required to redraw the boundary lines of voting districts every 10 years to account for population changes recorded in the U.S. Census.
The redistricting plan now being considered by the Legislature may be revised based upon testimony given in forums like that at Borough Hall, which was conducted by the New York State Legislative Task Force for Demographic Research and Reapportionment.
Glenn Magpantay, a staff attorney with the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund, said the boundary lines that cut through two of the borough’s Asian communities “dilute the voting strength of Asian Americans” by dividing them up.
“In these neighborhood areas, Asian Americans shared many tangible interests and concerns,” Magpantay said, basing his statement on a survey conducted by his organization. “Yet, many of the proposed district boundaries divide these communities of interest.”
The area of Richmond Hill and Ozone Park, which has a high population of Indo-Guyanese people and South Asians, is now divided into four assembly districts — which would be increased to five under the new proposal.
“Disbelief, shock, outrage and frustration are some mild sentiments expressed by our South Asian and Indo-Caribbean community in Richmond Hill,” testified Taj Rajkumar of Richmond Hill.
Rajkumar proposed shifting the now-vacant seat in Assembly District 31, which was held by the late Pauline Rhodd-Cummings, into Richmond Hill and South Ozone Park.
Similar criticism was leveled by representatives of the South Asian community in Floral Park, Bellerose, Glen Oaks and Queens Village, which is cut into two assembly districts under the proposal.
“Please keep the communities and their institutions together,” pleaded Sachi Dastidar of Bellerose, the first person of Indian origin to be elected to a city school board. “Back in the subcontinent our parents suffered what historians call British ‘divide and rule’ policy. Let us avoid that.”
But the creation of the new Assembly District 22 in Flushing, which would have a 53 percent majority of Asians, was met with enthusiastic approval.
“Asian Americans, mostly Chinese and Koreans, in this newly proposed district in Flushing share many common interests and concerns,” said Sungkyu Yun, the executive director of the National Korean American Service and Education Consortium. “We commend the task force for proposing a new and Asian majority district in Flushing.”
Magpantay also praised the smaller population base of the city’s assembly districts, which means fewer people are represented by a single legislator — increasing the voting power of each individual and counteracting the tendency of census figures to under count minorities.
But he said the senate boundaries do the opposite, putting a disproportionately large number of people in each district, thereby reducing minorities’ political voices.
“This exacerbates the underrepresentation of racial and ethnic minorities in New York City,” he said in his testimony.
Reach reporter Dustin Brown by e-mail at Timesledger@aol.com or call 229-0300, Ext. 154.
