NYC Italian Community Rips Mayor Mamdani Over Map Omission
NYC Italian Community Rips Mayor Mamdani Over Map Omission
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is facing new criticism from a storied ethnic group that helped build the Big Apple.
Observers note members of the group don’t appear to be in any mood to embrace the mayor anytime soon.
An Italian American advocacy organization is strongly criticizing Mamdani after Little Italy was omitted from a city neighborhood map created as part of a tourism campaign tied to the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The map, titled “New York City Immigrant Enclaves,” was developed by New York City Tourism + Conventions for its NYC Neighborhood Passport campaign and has been promoted by the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs at events across the city.
The guide encourages visitors to explore 30 immigrant neighborhoods, including Chinatown, Little Palestine and Little Haiti, but does not include Little Italy.
The Italian American Civil Rights League (IACRL) accused the city of overlooking the historic neighborhood and criticized the omission in a statement posted on social media.
“Zohran Mamdani wants to ERASE Italian Americans. First, he denied our permit for Unity Day 2026. Now, he is excluding Little Italy as a recognized location all together on the map,” wrote the Italian American Civil Rights League (IACRL) on X along with a press release.
In a controversial post, the group added: “Italian Americans BUILT NEW YORK CITY. Not third world Ugandans, We stand AGAINST COMMUNISTS.”
IACRL President Mike Crispi said Little Italy represents an important part of New York City’s immigrant history and argued that the neighborhood deserved recognition in a campaign highlighting the city’s diverse cultural communities.
According to the Library of Congress, more than 4 million Italians immigrated to the United States between the 1880s and 1924, with roughly one-third settling in New York City, making Italians the city’s largest immigrant community during the early 20th century.
The tourism map also does not identify neighborhoods associated with Irish American or Jewish communities.
Mamdani has advocated for sanctuary city policies and expanded protections for immigrants, though critics argue he does not advocate for all immigrants.
Detractors claim he is also a big advocate for Palestinian rights over those of American Jews.
“Mamdani’s City Hall can find room for every fashionable progressive constituency, but somehow it cannot find Little Italy,” Crispi said in the press release.
“Our culture is good enough for their photo ops, our food is good enough for their fundraisers, and our neighborhoods are good enough for tourism dollars — but when it comes time to recognize Italian Americans, they erase us,” he added.
“Little Italy is sacred ground. It is where Italian immigrants came with nothing, worked like hell, opened shops, raised families, built churches, fed the city, and helped make New York what it is,” said Crispi.
The dispute is not the first time Mamdani has drawn criticism from Italian American organizations.
In 2020, he posted a photo on X showing himself raising his middle finger toward a statue of Christopher Columbus in Queens, a gesture that prompted backlash from some Italian American leaders and advocacy groups.
Vice President JD Vance traveled to New York City over Independence Day and gave a speech that supporters described as worthy of praise.
It followed one the previous day by Mamdani, and commentators noted the contrast couldn’t be more stark.
Critics argue Mamdani used the occasion – sitting behind George Washington’s desk – to disparage the country, while Vance’s speech focused on what he described as all the good that America has done for its citizens and for the world.
“We celebrate 250 years of America facing the future without fear. We celebrate 250 years of proving what a free people can achieve by the providence of our almighty Creator,” Vance said.
Vance went on to urge the country to unite on America’s 250th birthday and remember exactly why and how it was founded.
“We are a people formed by generations of self-governance and personal industry. We are formed by Frontier Assembly Hall and Congregation, by River Valley and Prairie and Factory Floor,” Vance shared.
Trump Says Newsom ‘Not Qualified’ To Be President Over Claimed Disability
Democrats and the Left exploded again at President Donald Trump following remarks he made to reporters in the Oval Office about California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom on Tuesday. Trump, referencing Newsom’s self-described dyslexia, said such a learning disorder should disqualify him from becoming president.
“Gavin ‘Newscum’ has admitted that he is a — that he has learning disabilities,” Trump said. “Honestly, I’m all for people with learning disabilities, but not for my president. I don’t want — I think a president should not have learning disabilities, OK?”
“And I know it’s highly controversial to say such a horrible thing. The president of the United States — Gavin Newscum admitted that he has learning disabilities, dyslexia,” Trump continued. “Everything about him is dumb.”
Newsom took to Twitter to fire back at the president: “To every kid with a learning disability: don’t let anyone — not even the President of the United States — bully you. Dyslexia isn’t a weakness. It’s your strength.”
Newsom drew the ire of those on the left and right for the way he framed his disorder during a book tour stop last month. Speaking to a group of black Americans, he said, “I’m a 960 SAT guy,” that he “couldn’t read,” and added, “I’m just like you.”
Many critics took those remarks as Newsom racially insulting black Americans and talking down to them while simultaneously trying to patronize them in order to win their support.
Jennifer Siebel Newsom, his wife, made headlines last month when she criticized reporters at her husband’s Planned Parenthood press conference, claiming they weren’t asking enough questions about what she termed a “war on women.” Now, the California “first partner” is facing some uncomfortable scrutiny herself.
IRS filings reviewed by the Daily Mail reveal that Siebel Newsom has paid herself and her company, Girls Club LLC, a significant portion of the annual revenue from her nonprofit, The Representation Project. In some years, these payments amounted to nearly one-third of the charity’s total income, adding up to more than $3.7 million over the past decade, the Daily Mail reported.
Siebel Newsom, 51, oversees The Representation Project, a nonprofit organization that claims to combat “intersectional gender stereotypes” and “harmful gender norms.”
Financial records indicate that the charity generally receives between $1 million and $1.7 million annually in grants and donations, with roughly $300,000 in recent years directed toward Siebel Newsom and her company.
The latest filings, covering up to March 2024, show a salary of $150,000 for Siebel Newsom and an additional $150,000 paid to Girls Club LLC.
These filings categorize the payments to the LLC as a “writer/director/producer fee.”
They also note that the company owns the copyright to Siebel Newsom’s documentary, Miss Representation, and has licensed the film to the nonprofit for at least seven years, covering distribution and public performance rights.
Charity watchdogs criticized the compensation as unusually high for an organization of its size. A conservative transparency group cautioned that it could raise eyebrows as Gavin Newsom continues to build his national profile.
“As Governor Newsom continues his national rebrand tour, the fact that he and his wife put one third of their ‘charity’ revenues into their own pockets will undoubtedly raise red flags in the eyes of middle-class Americans,” Caitlin Sutherland, executive director of Americans for Public Trust, told the Daily Mail.
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The Daily Mail’s report also revealed that there are approximately 23,000 nonprofits in the IRS database with revenues between $1 million and $2 million, and fewer than 5% of them pay their executives more than The Representation Project, particularly when including Siebel Newsom’s salary and the LLC payments.
The report also highlighted additional salaries listed in the nonprofit’s filings, including $150,000 for Executive Director Caroline Heldman and $131,942 for CFO Debra Garber. The charity’s total compensation costs for the year ending in March 2024 were just under $1 million, with $153,691 allocated to fundraising.
