TESTIMONY
Testimony: Christopher Leon Johnson, Member of the Public, on the Need to Address Racial Disparities in MWBE Contracting
3:36:01
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164 sec
Christopher Leon Johnson offers testimony emphasizing the essential focus on African American businesses in MWBE contracting. He critiques the manipulation of the system by certain organizations to bypass MWBE requirements, highlighting the common practice of nominating female relatives in the paperwork to fulfill the 'W' aspect of MWBE. Johnson urges the City Council to investigate these racial disparities and shell business practices within nonprofits, suggesting collaboration with the controller's office and various departments to ensure equitable contract distribution.
Speaker 23
3:36:01
Ready?
3:36:03
Hey.
3:36:03
Good afternoon.
3:36:04
Got a new chair.
3:36:05
Got a new chair.
3:36:06
My name is Christopher Leon Johnson.
3:36:08
So that was a great meeting that you had with the first two panels, the agencies and the controller.
3:36:15
My testimony is this, you know, as a chair of transportation infrastructure and a black woman, you have to really start pushing more for African American businesses to get these contracts and be more up in the queue to get these contracts.
3:36:34
The issue is is that when it comes to MWE, The way these organizations get around is is by using the w, and this usually goes to the nonprofits that are using Red Box whites.
3:36:47
And what they do is they will it'll be like a white owner or a Greek owner or a I'm not a a Turkish owner because Eric Adams on the best game with Turkey, and they'll put a female owner.
3:37:02
They'll put a female on the paperwork to get around the n w b e requirements.
3:37:06
Now what that does is it undermines the the the application process and it gives all the organizations usually all to the people that usually don't listen to these campaigns, basically the mayor's office.
3:37:21
So what I say, what needs to start happening is Yeah.
3:37:24
You need to start ordering these nonprofits.
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You need to start really looking to the racial disparages of these nonprofits.
3:37:31
And start doing more investigations on the organizations that you could tell they are ran by white folks and Greeks and Italians.
3:37:41
But what they do is they add they they get around the process of adding their wife or their sister or their sister-in-law to get the contract.
3:37:50
So that needs to happen a little more.
3:37:52
I know the city council don't have that that much power, but they need to start making that inquiry with the controller's office.
3:37:58
And the DCC and NYCE DC and the DOT because it's a trevitation infrastructure.
3:38:04
So that means to have a little
Speaker 1
3:38:07
Thank you for your testimony.
3:38:08
And as you heard earlier today, that is a concern in terms of shell businesses, and we looking to root those out and make sure that, you know, they are removed from those spaces.
3:38:20
But thank you.
Speaker 21
3:38:21
You're welcome.
Speaker 3
3:38:28
We'll now move on to remote testimony on Zoom.
3:38:30
We'll begin with Jessica Walker.
Speaker 18
3:38:44
You may begin.