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\n\t\u201cWhen you get elected you get disconnected,\u201d Mamdani said. He explained that leaders can become cut off from the people they serve, and that the environment can turn into tinted SUVs and private hotel rooms. He gave examples of things he does \u201cintentionally\u201d to stay connected, like biking around the city. \u201cInstitutions change slower than people,\u201d and too much patience sometimes inadvertently leads to complacency. \u201cThe more you stay with the people the more you stay impatient. You have to keep [them] around you,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
\n\tChuwi pointed out how skeptical many citizens are about politicians, and how cynicism has become the prevalent feeling, especially in a Puerto Rico that has been suffering economically for almost two decades, even before Hurricane Mar\u00eda dealt a blow to its infrastructure in 2017.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\tMamdani acknowledged that feeling, and said Puerto Ricans might be skeptical because \u201cthey know about history.\u201d He said he\u2019s aware of the gap between what politicians promise and what citizens actually expect them to deliver on. \u201cHow do you collapse that separation?\u201d he said, sharing that he feels \u201cinspiration\u201d is a stronger force than \u201cdisillusionment\u201d and that he tries to wake up every day \u201cready to fight\u201d and to \u201cuse pressure in a productive way.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tAware of how heated things can get in politics, and having been on the receiving end of a fair share of criticism, Willy asked how the mayor deals with mud-slinging and negative rhetoric in politics. Mamdani said that treating people who disagree with him harshly or with judgment leads to both sides feeling like there has to be a winner or loser in the debate. He stressed the importance of speaking to people who aren\u2019t just \u201cthose who feel comfortable with you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tMamdani then pivoted to asking Chuwi about their future plans. The band said that they\u2019ll be returning to cities they visited over the summer, hinting at a big tour of their own. Mamdani playfully reminded them he used to be an artist as well \u2014 as an indie rapper going by the alias Mr. Cardamom \u2014 and reminisced about how rough it was the first few years. \u201cI was the opener to the opener to the opener,\u201d he joked. \u201cI once performed at 5 p.m. for a band that was playing at 9 p.m. I was singing to the seat savers.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said he was delighted by the possibility of Chuwi going to different countries with their music, because as he put it, \u201cthrough that, others will hear and see their own struggles.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tLor\u00e9n thanked the mayor for meeting with them, sharing that their grandparents were one of the families that moved to New York City during the post-WWII migration wave, and in fact got married in the city. Mamdani stressed the importance of Puerto Ricans in the history of New York, especially in organized labor movements. Lor\u00e9n shared that her grandfather worked at a textile factory in the city.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\tWilly capped off the meeting by thanking Mayor Mamdani for meeting with the organizations working on the ground in P.R. He stressed how important their goals were when it came to pushing for the abolition of Puerto Rico\u2019s tax haven status, protecting the coastal maritime-terrestrial zone<\/a>, and trying to stop large developments that threaten Puerto Rico\u2019s habitats like Esencia in Cabo Rojo and Moncayo in Fajardo, among other causes. \u201cPoliticians [in Puerto Rico] won\u2019t meet with them unless it\u2019s in a court room or public hearings,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n
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\n\tAfterwards, Chuwi told Rolling Stone they <\/em>felt inspired by the mayor\u2019s words. \u201cBeing that he\u2019s the mayor of New York, and New York has significant importance in Puerto Rico, it was super important to be able to discuss these matters with him,\u201d says Wester.<\/p>\nThey also pushed back on critics who might accuse Mayor Mamdani of wading into issues outside his jurisdiction. \u201cMy counterargument is that we\u2019re a colony of the United States, and New York is \u2014 and has always been \u2014 extremely important in Puerto Rico. We\u2019re linked,\u201d says Wester. \u201cThe rest of the world is watching what\u2019s happening here on the island, yet our own politicians aren\u2019t addressing it. I think it\u2019s fair game.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cIt\u2019s important to understand that this isn\u2019t like the Financial Oversight Board<\/a>. Just because people from outside \u2014 rather than locals \u2014 are addressing these issues, it doesn\u2019t mean they\u2019re coming here to exert control or anything like that,\u201d Adri\u00e1n says. \u201cPeople hear \u2018the United States is coming here to do things in Puerto Rico\u2019 and immediately think, \u2018Oh, Junta de Control Fiscal.\u2019 No, it\u2019s not [necessarily] that. It\u2019s about creating a dialogue between the two sides.\u201d<\/p>\nAs the meeting wrapped up and Chuwi said their goodbyes, the mayor snuck in one last question: are they doing a show in New York in the near future? Chuwi let Mayor Mamdani know they\u2019ll be seeing each other again soon.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n