Albany, NY – In response to a report in the Albany Times Union that real estate industry lobbyist Anthony Gucciardo is spending $10,000 on anti-bail reform billboards in the Capital Region, Rebecca Garrard, Housing Justice Campaigns Manager and Erin George, Civil Rights Campaigns Director of Citizen Action of New York, released the following statement:
“Anthony Gucciardo’s recent billboard stunt is clear evidence of how the white and wealthy are pulling out every stop to ensure that Black, Brown and low-income people remain unhoused and in jails. Not only is Gucciardo spending $10,000 to advance the right-wing fear-mongering campaign against bail reform, he’s also an active member of Under One Roof New York, a new group bankrolled by real estate billionaires that’s lobbying to repeal critical tenant protections which have prevented thousands of evictions since going into effect. The historic reforms that legislators passed last year are a direct threat to the power, privilege and lobbying influence of district attorneys and the real estate industry. Now these groups are using their big money on misinformation campaigns in a desperate attempt to reverse the real progress we’ve won. New York legislators should look to people directly impacted by injustice for leadership on these issues, not real estate industry lobbyists like Anthony Gucciardo. Let’s continue to build on smart reforms that address the systemic harm caused by racist housing and justice policies by ending solitary confinement and unjust evictions, expanding taxes on the wealth and income of real estate billionaires, and fully funding Black, Brown and low-income schools in 2020.”
