00:00Now, almost exactly a year and a half ago, on October 23rd of 2024,
00:06we launched a campaign that conventional wisdom suggested would not work.
00:12And yet 104,000 people showed up.
00:16104,000 people knocked on more than 3 million doors.
00:19104,000 people chose to view politics not as something that is done to them,
00:25but something they do.
00:28104,000 people went to work to win a more affordable city.
00:33And they did it in New York City, where you will always hear from everyone all the time.
00:38Now, on our second day in office, we kept up this momentum
00:41with the creation of New York City's first ever office of mass engagement.
00:45Because the political process does not, cannot, and must not end just on Election Day.
00:51We want the voices of working class New Yorkers to be the driving forces
00:56behind the decisions that shape their lives.
00:58That is why we are here to announce that the Office of Mass Engagement
01:02is launching a powerful initiative called Organize NYC
01:06to keep New Yorkers involved in the work of shaping the future of our city.
01:11Organize NYC will begin its work with a push to make sure that New Yorkers' voices are heard
01:16at the Rent Guidelines Board hearings this June.
01:19The timing of this launch, frankly, could not be more important.
01:23This is a consequential decision that is coming up.
01:26In June, the Rent Guidelines Board will decide whether or not the rent will go up
01:30for more than 2 million New Yorkers who live in rent-stabilized homes.
01:34The board has heard from experts.
01:36Now, there are a number of hearings across many of our boroughs
01:39where they will need to hear from you.
01:41Over the coming months, the board will be holding public hearings across the city
01:45for tenants and owners to testify directly about how a rent adjustment would affect them.
01:51To put it into context, this is a decision that will impact more than 2 million New Yorkers.
01:57Last year, only 400 New Yorkers testified at these hearings.
02:03That is 0.02% at best.
02:08If we want New Yorkers to believe in these processes,
02:11we must make it as easy as possible for them to be a part of these processes.
02:16And that is why we need to get the word out to as many New Yorkers as we can.
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