{"id":832,"date":"2025-08-12T23:27:51","date_gmt":"2025-08-12T23:27:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/multi.nycnewsnetwork.com\/nycbusinessdaily\/east-new-york-calls-for-accountability-landers-statement-deemed-racist-and-damaging-to-black-community\/"},"modified":"2025-08-12T23:27:51","modified_gmt":"2025-08-12T23:27:51","slug":"east-new-york-calls-for-accountability-landers-statement-deemed-racist-and-damaging-to-black-community","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/nycbusinessdaily\/east-new-york-calls-for-accountability-landers-statement-deemed-racist-and-damaging-to-black-community\/","title":{"rendered":"East New York Calls for Accountability: Lander’s Statement Deemed ‘Racist’ and Damaging to Black Community"},"content":{"rendered":"

Recent statements from New York City Comptroller Brad Lander have caused uproar in East New York, where prominent voices claim he wrongly accused a celebrated Black and Veteran-owned eatery of \u201cwasting $750,000 in taxpayer funds\u201d through Department of Education\u2013approved catering. Fusion East, the business at the center, is now contending with threats and suffering reputational damage, despite years spent serving healthy, cost-effective meals to over 100 public schools, many in lower-income neighborhoods.<\/p>\n

A Request for Aid Becomes Public Criticism
\nFusion East owner Andrew Walcott says the issue arose when he sought Lander\u2019s help to collect almost $20,000 owed by the DOE. Rather than support, he was redirected to the Department, and soon his request was referenced in a city Comptroller statement that framed his business as an example of wastefulness.
\n\u201cIt is infuriating that a city official, whose office has promoted MWBE partnerships and professes to care for our communities, would attack a respected MWBE company with overstated waste claims\u2014distorting a record of stellar service across numerous agencies,\u201d Council Member Chris Banks said via NYC Newswire<\/a>. \u201cFusion East\u2019s contribution includes tens of thousands of nutritious meals for students, teachers, and emergency responders\u2014at rates below limits set by Directive 6. The Comptroller\u2019s perspective shows a lack of cultural sensitivity to community food values, already resulting in a security threat. Such irresponsibility is unacceptable from an elected citywide official.\u201d
\nBanks remarked that these actions carry the appearance of being \u201cracially tinged.\u201d<\/p>\n

Councilman Chris Banks, Assemblywoman Nikki Lucas and Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce CEO, Randy Peers at Press Conference – photo credit: NYC Newswire
\nPolitical Undertones Noted by Leaders
\nAssemblywoman Nikki Lucas, who represents District 60, said, \u201cBrad Lander\u2019s wrongheaded statement is disgraceful. It seems to have ignited a racist backlash that\u2019s targeted a successful Black-owned business in East New York with hate, misinformation, and threats. It feels orchestrated to undermine Fusion East\u2014a restaurant serving my district and providing affordable food to over 100 schools.\u201d
\nLucas clarified, \u201cWe must champion\u2014not vilify\u2014our community\u2019s businesses. Fusion East generates local jobs and serves as a much-needed dining spot. Yet Lander\u2019s words misled people to think the business took in $750,000 from one school\u2014absolutely untrue. This undercuts the MWBE philosophy he claims to support and exposes hypocrisy\u2026 In the end, Brad Lander benefits from Black hardship.\u201d
\nShe hinted these actions were designed to politically target Mayor Eric Adams for perceived \u201cMayoral oversight,\u201d disregarding the damage to her district\u2019s businesses. \u201cWhen you hurt a business here, you hurt the people here,\u201d Lucas said.<\/p>\n

Lucas Criticizes Lander Again
\nThis incident marks the second time in recent weeks Assemblywoman Lucas has confronted the Comptroller. She had earlier denounced Lander for comments made on Errol Louis\u2019s NY1 broadcast, suggesting Mayor Adams could be on the Jeffrey Epstein list; Lander later said the comment was a joke, but Lucas rejected this, emphasizing that making such allegations \u201cin the open\u201d can be harmful. She notes that while the earlier incident was framed as humor, the Fusion East situation resulted in targeted attacks on a local Black-owned business\u2014clearly not a joke.<\/p>\n

Wider Impact: Disparity in Contracts
\nDespite New York City\u2019s annual budget of over $115 billion, Black-owned companies are awarded less than 2% of the city\u2019s contracts. According to Lucas and other community leaders, this makes the public demeaning of a thriving minority-owned company even more concerning.
\n\u201cFusion East is just the kind of minority and Veteran-owned business we should be elevating,\u201d said Randy Peers, Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce President & CEO, \u201cWith their positive history supporting DOE and steady investments in Brownsville and East New York, they did not deserve this negative spotlight which only serves to discourage their valuable work.\u201d<\/p>\n

Success Built on Sweat, Not Favors
\nWalcott expresses frustration at being criticized after building his success through diligence. \u201cI\u2019m out there making deliveries myself across boroughs,\u201d Walcott explained. \u201cIt\u2019s tough to have all this work overshadowed by baseless criticism. Isn\u2019t business supposed to grow? I was never given any handouts\u2014my business grew from hard work alone.\u201d
\nAccording to Walcott, Lander left a voicemail expressing regret over the threats Fusion East received, explaining his remarks were meant to highlight the lack of \u2018Mayoral oversight,\u2019 not wrongdoing by Fusion East. Yet, Walcott says, \u201cThere was no proper apology for the damage caused. You can\u2019t have it both ways.\u201d<\/p>\n

Community Demands Apology
\nAssemblywoman Lucas calls for a direct apology to Fusion East, Andrew Walcott, and the community of East New York. \u201cThis restaurant represents our community\u2019s achievements,\u201d she stated. \u201cGoing after Fusion East is an attack on East New York.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Recent statements from New York City Comptroller Brad Lander have caused uproar in East New York, where prominent voices claim he wrongly accused a celebrated Black and Veteran-owned eatery of \u201cwasting $750,000 in taxpayer funds\u201d through Department of Education\u2013approved catering. Fusion East, the business at the center, is now contending with threats and suffering reputational […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5777,"featured_media":833,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-832","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-retail-news-nyc"],"yoast_head":"\nEast New York Calls for Accountability: Lander's Statement Deemed 'Racist' and Damaging to Black Community - NYC Business Daily<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/nycbusinessdaily\/east-new-york-calls-for-accountability-landers-statement-deemed-racist-and-damaging-to-black-community\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"East New York Calls for Accountability: Lander's Statement Deemed 'Racist' and Damaging to Black Community\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Recent statements from New York City Comptroller Brad Lander have caused uproar in East New York, where prominent voices claim he wrongly accused a celebrated Black and Veteran-owned eatery of \u201cwasting $750,000 in taxpayer funds\u201d through Department of Education\u2013approved catering. 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