Zellnor Myrie

Zellnor Myrie (born 1986) is an American politician from the state of New York. A member of the Democratic Party, he is a member of the New York State Senate for District 20, based in Brooklyn.

Zellnor Myrie
Member of the New York State Senate
from the 20th district
Assumed office
January 1, 2019
Preceded byJesse Hamilton
Personal details
Born (1986-11-02) November 2, 1986
Brooklyn, New York City
Political partyDemocratic
ResidenceBrooklyn, New York
Alma materCornell Law School (JD) Fordham University (BA, MA)
WebsiteOfficial website
Campaign website

Early life and education

Myrie was born in Brooklyn, New York City to Costa Rican-born immigrant parents and raised in Prospect Lefferts Gardens.[1] He graduated from Brooklyn Technical High School, and attended Fordham University, earning his undergraduate and master's degrees in urban studies.[2][3] After graduate school, he earned his Juris Doctor from Cornell Law School where he served as student government president, prison law instructor, and pro bono scholar.[4][5]

Early career

Before law school, Myrie worked for the New York City Council as a legislative director where he helped draft the Tenant Bill of Rights.[6] After law school, he joined Davis Polk & Wardwell where he worked pro bono to fight police brutality, help special education students get services owed them by the Department of Education, aid victims of domestic violence, and assist asylum seekers.[7]

Political career

In the 2018 elections, Myrie ran for New York State Senate in the 20th district. He challenged Jesse Hamilton, a former member of the Independent Democratic Conference, in the Democratic Party primary election.[8] Myrie defeated Hamilton in the September primary, capturing 54% of the vote.[9][10] Hamilton remained on the ballot in the November general election where Myrie defeated him again, capturing over 92% of the vote.[11] Zellnor is also a member of the Senate's consumer protection committee, condemning Optimum/Altice chief Dexter Goei for hidden fees slipped into bills since early 2019.[12]

Myrie is chairperson of the Elections Committee in the New York State Senate.[13] He supported the Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act of 2019.[14][15]

On May 30, 2020, Myrie was pepper-sprayed and handcuffed while taking part in protests over the death of George Floyd.[16][17]

References

  1. King, Nelson A. "Young lawyer wants Sen. Jesse Hamilton's job". Caribbean Life. Archived from the original on December 9, 2018. Retrieved December 26, 2018.
  2. "Brooklyn Tech Alumni". www.facebook.com. Retrieved December 26, 2018.
  3. N, Miah Md. "Success Stories". www.fordham.edu. Archived from the original on December 26, 2018. Retrieved December 26, 2018.
  4. Technologies, Instructional and Web Services, Cornell Information. "Zellnor Myrie '16 Success Story". www.lawschool.cornell.edu. Archived from the original on December 26, 2018. Retrieved December 26, 2018.
  5. Technologies, Instructional and Web Services, Cornell Information. "Recent Grad Zellnor Myrie '16 Wins New York State Senate Race". www.lawschool.cornell.edu. Archived from the original on December 26, 2018. Retrieved December 26, 2018.
  6. Board, The Editorial (August 28, 2018). "Opinion | The New York Times Endorses Alessandra Biaggi, Jessica Ramos and Zellnor Myrie for State Senate in Thursday's Primary". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on January 17, 2019. Retrieved December 26, 2018.
  7. "Amsterdam News Primary Endorsements, Part 2". amsterdamnews.com. Archived from the original on December 26, 2018. Retrieved December 26, 2018.
  8. "Primary Election Results - BKLYNER". bklyner.com. September 14, 2018. Archived from the original on September 15, 2018. Retrieved December 26, 2018.
  9. "Archived copy" (PDF). vote.nyc.ny.us. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 26, 2018. Retrieved December 26, 2018.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  10. d_evers (September 27, 2018). "Zellnor Myrie's fight is not over". Archived from the original on November 7, 2018. Retrieved November 9, 2018.
  11. "Archived copy" (PDF). vote.nyc.ny.us. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 26, 2018. Retrieved December 26, 2018.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  12. https://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/ny-optimum-network-enhancement-fee-lawsuit-attorney-general-20191223-4gl2diyeerew7hoffeebhygr7y-story.html%7Ctitle=State lawmaker slams Optimum over hidden fee, demands refund for customers|website=nydailynews.com|access-date=December 23, 2019|url-status=live}}
  13. "Brooklyn Dems Win, Felder Does Not - BKLYNER". bklyner.com. December 11, 2018. Archived from the original on December 26, 2018. Retrieved December 26, 2018.
  14. Lennard, Natasha (May 14, 2019). "Across the Country, Progressives Are Pushing for Universal Rent Control — and New York Is Next". The Intercept. Archived from the original on July 20, 2019. Retrieved July 20, 2019. The proposals are being sponsored by progressive freshman Democrats like state Sens. Julia Salazar and Zellnor Myrie, and born of tenants’ rights organizing around the state by the Upstate/Downstate Housing Alliance.
  15. Slattery, Denis (June 14, 2019). "New York enacts pro-tenant rent law overhaul as landlords plan legal challenge". New York Daily News. Archived from the original on July 20, 2019. Sen. Zellnor Myrie (D-Brooklyn), a freshman lawmaker and vocal supporter of strengthening tenant protections, wiped tears from his eyes before addressing a crowd of advocates.
  16. "State senator says he was pepper sprayed, handcuffed at Barclays protest". May 31, 2020. Archived from the original on June 1, 2020. Retrieved June 1, 2020.
  17. Gay, Mara; Gale, Jordan (May 31, 2020). "Opinion | The Nation's Largest Police Force Is Treating Us as an Enemy". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on June 1, 2020. Retrieved June 1, 2020.
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