Horns blared and flags waved as a spirited caravan of vehicles by “New Yorkers First” wound its way from the 2049 Flatbush Avenue campaign office through eight southern Brooklyn neighborhoods on Saturday, October 11th, rallying support and “get out the vote” for mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa.
The convoy drew cheers, applause and chants of “Curtis! Curtis! Curtis!” from sidewalks and storefronts as it passed through diverse communities — even pausing along Coyle Street in Sheepshead Bay, where neighbors fight the ongoing battle against a “bait-and-switch” plan for a homeless shelter. T-shirts and other campaign goodies were distributed throughout the journey to its final destination.
The rolling show of energy culminated in Bay Ridge, where Sliwa officially opened his newest campaign headquarters at 8823 Third Avenue.
By the time Sliwa’s team arrived, nearly 200 supporters had gathered outside the freshly opened office despite early rain. The Bay Ridge office marks the tenth campaign headquarters opened across the city — a sign of what Sliwa called “a grassroots movement powered by the people, not the political elites.”
In his remarks, Sliwa thanked longtime Brooklyn GOP figures Richie Barsamian and Vito Bruno for their unwavering community support. He also praised Norman “Sayf” Ramsay, district leader in Brownsville, for establishing the first Republican headquarters ever in that neighborhood. “We are urban Republicans,” Sliwa declared, saying presence in these neighborhoods show “the real diversity and reach of our campaign.”
Sliwa For Mayor lawn signs and posters have been spotted far and wide throughout Brooklyn. According to one supporter, “The other campaigns are nowhere to be found.”
Sliwa drew sharp contrasts with his opponents, condemning “failed one-party rule that’s made this city unsafe and unaffordable.” He vowed to “back the blue,” restore NYPD’s homeless outreach units and stop the “City of Yes” rezoning plan that he argued threatens working-class communities. He further told gatherers that he is the only law and order candidate that will provide safe streets and subways and renew our quality of life for all New Yorkers.
“Don’t listen to the media or the polls,” Sliwa declared. “The momentum is in the streets — not on TV screens or in billionaire boardrooms. We’re fighting for the real New York.”
