Khalil Williams
Policy and You: Why Your Voice Matters
When living in an urban environment such as New York City, you will come face-to-face with people from different cultures, identities, and economic backgrounds every day. Such a dense, close-knit yet expansive community must be able to cater to the needs of all its citizens. This is where the idea of local policy and community aide comes in. In the world we currently live in, the wealth gap has never been so extreme. In the 1990s, the United States only had around 60 billionaires; as of 2026, that number is up to around 800. This change reflects the change in priority from local issues and workers to the demands of the ultra-wealthy. This economy seeps into every aspect of our lives and is particularly important when it comes to our governments.
I live in Brooklyn, specifically around the Bedstuy area, and we have community fridges that are mainly run by one non-profit organization called One Love. A community fridge is a fridge that is left outside and frequently stocked with free food that anyone can have access to as they need it. This company was founded in response to a growing food instability in our city. In Brooklyn alone, it is estimated that around 500,000 people are facing food insecurity because of the higher cost of living and systemic inequality.
This is all happening because of the shift in priority and power that I previously stated. In the United States, federal spending continues to increase, while state spending does not. This leaves holes to be filled in our communities by programs such as One Love, food pantries, and shelters. In order to fix this, our governments need to increase spending on aid and programs for lower-income and vulnerable individuals. In New York City, we have seen some of this through Zohran Mamdanis’ time as the Mayor. Mamdani is currently working on opening city-owned supermarkets that can afford to offer food to citizens at lower prices to combat this food insecurity. Initiatives like this, that support our communities, are necessary to ensure that citizens do not go hungry and without their basic needs met. These social safety nets are beneficial for the prosperity of our country as they lift up citizens, which in turn boosts our economy by creating a strong and healthy workforce. Unfortunately, the United States has so many billionaires who can supply funding to government officials and campaigns to artificially boost the economy. This is why our country can have the highest Gross Domestic Product (GDP) while also having the highest poverty rates and food insecurity when compared to other countries with high GDP.
It all comes back to state and local-scale politics. Countries with such high stability achieve this by implementing strong social safety nets, ensuring a balanced cost of living, and having affordable healthcare. These are the things it takes to lift up a country and its people, and the US lacks them. That is why initiatives made by the people and for the people go so far, because when you live in an unfair system, you can not rely on your government to supply all that you need to flourish.
