Akeem Browder, the brother of Kalief Browder, is throwing his hat into the ring to run for mayor of New York City against Mayor Bill de Blasio.
“We have a problem with the way New York is being run – especially by de Blasio,” Browder, who is running as the nominee of the Green Party, said.
Specifically, he said that de Blasio’s promise to close Rikers Island, the prison where his brother was held for three years without being convicted of a crime, was simply “lip service” during an election year when he knew promises like that would garner support.
“He knew that would get the people to cheer him,” he said. “He doesn’t have a plan to shut it down.”
Browder offered himself as an alternative, saying that his own personal experience made him the perfect candidate because he could relate to what people in the community have been through.
“You can’t be far removed from the problem,” he said. “What does running as a mayor include, talking fancy? What it actually involves is knowing the people, and I’ve done that…I’ve marched in the streets with the people in every borough.”
His platform includes a campaign to address homelessness, fix schools, and redo taxpayer spending.
“When it comes to finances in New York, I don’t think there’s proper accountability for how money is being spent,” he said.