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Zellnor Myrie: “I had just voted for the very first time for President…”

Featuring: Zellnor Myrie, Democratic | New York State Senate, District 20

John Jay College Conversation with State Senator Zellnor Myrie and President Carol Mason

Published March 25, 2024 | Video Starts at 05:31

… a lot of my life's perspective and what I wanted to do and what my ambitions were. And so when I came back from South Africa, this was in 2008. I had just voted for the very first time for President Barack Obama. And I wanted to figure out how I could give back to the community. So I started going to my local community board. (05:31–05:37)

CLAIM

Asserts that Zellnor Myrie's first vote was for President Barack Obama.

This is an excerpt from a raw transcript. The assertions have not been audited or verified. Tap the video to view the source footage and understand the context.

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Zellnor Myrie

“We also passed something, and the law was actually signed at John Jay by the former governor that for the first time ever, imposed liability…”
John Jay College Conversation with State Senator Zellnor Myrie and President Carol Mason | Uploaded March 25, 2024 | 11:57-12:13
“At least 2.3 million people have a conviction record [in New York].”
John Jay College Conversation with State Senator Zellnor Myrie and President Carol Mason | Uploaded March 25, 2024 | 15:12-15:17
“37 other states were doing [early voting] before New York.”
John Jay College Conversation with State Senator Zellnor Myrie and President Carol Mason | Uploaded March 25, 2024 | 17:27-17:30
“If you sell guns or if you sell ammunition, you do not have an mcc.”
John Jay College Conversation with State Senator Zellnor Myrie and President Carol Mason | Uploaded March 25, 2024 | 20:48-20:54
“Young people generally don't have the opportunity to serve in elective office.”
John Jay College Conversation with State Senator Zellnor Myrie and President Carol Mason | Uploaded March 25, 2024 | 04:28-04:39
“I was born and raised in my district.”
John Jay College Conversation with State Senator Zellnor Myrie and President Carol Mason | Uploaded March 25, 2024 | 04:46-04:48
“I went to public schools in central Brooklyn.”
John Jay College Conversation with State Senator Zellnor Myrie and President Carol Mason | Uploaded March 25, 2024 | 04:50-04:54
“I went to Brooklyn Tech for high school.”
John Jay College Conversation with State Senator Zellnor Myrie and President Carol Mason | Uploaded March 25, 2024 | 04:54-04:57
“I took a public service trip when I graduated and I went to South Africa.”
John Jay College Conversation with State Senator Zellnor Myrie and President Carol Mason | Uploaded March 25, 2024 | 05:14-05:21
“I started going to my local community board.”
John Jay College Conversation with State Senator Zellnor Myrie and President Carol Mason | Uploaded March 25, 2024 | 05:40-05:44
“It was 2008, and it was the Great Recession, so I did not have a job.”
John Jay College Conversation with State Senator Zellnor Myrie and President Carol Mason | Uploaded March 25, 2024 | 05:43-05:49
“I was hired as an intern for a local city council member.”
John Jay College Conversation with State Senator Zellnor Myrie and President Carol Mason | Uploaded March 25, 2024 | 05:58-06:03
“I got my master's in urban studies, and then I went to law school.”
John Jay College Conversation with State Senator Zellnor Myrie and President Carol Mason | Uploaded March 25, 2024 | 06:14-06:20
“I graduated in 2016.”
John Jay College Conversation with State Senator Zellnor Myrie and President Carol Mason | Uploaded March 25, 2024 | 06:25-06:29
“At the time, the average age in the State Senate was 55 years old.”
John Jay College Conversation with State Senator Zellnor Myrie and President Carol Mason | Uploaded March 25, 2024 | 06:46-06:53
“We passed a bill called the Community Violence Intervention act that put that in our statutes and said gun violence is a public health…”
John Jay College Conversation with State Senator Zellnor Myrie and President Carol Mason | Uploaded March 25, 2024 | 11:29-11:40
“That bill requires $10 million to be spent a year on both of those things to address the public health crisis of gun violence.”
John Jay College Conversation with State Senator Zellnor Myrie and President Carol Mason | Uploaded March 25, 2024 | 11:49-11:57
“After we passed the law, seven other states passed a similar law, and we have three other states contemplating passing the law as well.”
John Jay College Conversation with State Senator Zellnor Myrie and President Carol Mason | Uploaded March 25, 2024 | 12:54-13:04
“The Clean Slate act was signed into law last November.”
John Jay College Conversation with State Senator Zellnor Myrie and President Carol Mason | Uploaded March 25, 2024 | 14:51-15:10
“We are up to right now over the past six years and made 120 changes to the election law.”
John Jay College Conversation with State Senator Zellnor Myrie and President Carol Mason | Uploaded March 25, 2024 | 17:07-17:13
“We were the strongest state level voting rights act in the country [at the time].”
John Jay College Conversation with State Senator Zellnor Myrie and President Carol Mason | Uploaded March 25, 2024 | 18:09-18:15
“There are a group of Latino voters utilizing this law [John R. Lewis Voting Rights act of New York] to say, we have never been able to elect…”
John Jay College Conversation with State Senator Zellnor Myrie and President Carol Mason | Uploaded March 25, 2024 | 18:27-18:27
“The international organization responsible for MCC said, we're going to make one for ammunition and gun shops.”
John Jay College Conversation with State Senator Zellnor Myrie and President Carol Mason | Uploaded March 25, 2024 | 20:59-21:06
“I've introduced a bill that would mandate MCC codes for the gun industry so that we can pick up suspicious activity.”
John Jay College Conversation with State Senator Zellnor Myrie and President Carol Mason | Uploaded March 25, 2024 | 21:10-21:19
“What we have introduced is something that would end the mandatory component of [sentencing].”
John Jay College Conversation with State Senator Zellnor Myrie and President Carol Mason | Uploaded March 25, 2024 | 22:24-22:30
“We have some reporting requirements and one we there there's an extra requirement that the court make clear why they're making the decision…”
John Jay College Conversation with State Senator Zellnor Myrie and President Carol Mason | Uploaded March 25, 2024 | 23:55-24:08
“In the first iteration of the [clean slate] bill, we called for expungement.”
John Jay College Conversation with State Senator Zellnor Myrie and President Carol Mason | Uploaded March 25, 2024 | 25:15-25:20
“I've been a big, big advocate for expanding [TAP] and allowing them to take advantage of it.”
John Jay College Conversation with State Senator Zellnor Myrie and President Carol Mason | Uploaded March 25, 2024 | 27:35-27:42
“Expanding TAP, figuring out how we can get more resources to the organizations that are doing this work, is really a smart way to go about…”
John Jay College Conversation with State Senator Zellnor Myrie and President Carol Mason | Uploaded March 25, 2024 | 28:04-28:14
“We are aiming to treat mental health issues with incarceration and just saying, let's put these people out of sight and out of mind instead…”
John Jay College Conversation with State Senator Zellnor Myrie and President Carol Mason | Uploaded March 25, 2024 | 32:35-32:46
“I've sponsored bills, but also working with our mental health chairs on how we can bring those services to folks who are incarcerated.”
John Jay College Conversation with State Senator Zellnor Myrie and President Carol Mason | Uploaded March 25, 2024 | 32:48-32:57
“It took me months and months and months to find someone that was going to be I think suitable for the needs that I had.”
John Jay College Conversation with State Senator Zellnor Myrie and President Carol Mason | Uploaded March 25, 2024 | 33:21-33:29
“I can't imagine what it's like for my constituents, what it's like for regular New Yorkers trying to get mental health assistance.”
John Jay College Conversation with State Senator Zellnor Myrie and President Carol Mason | Uploaded March 25, 2024 | 33:31-33:40
“We go through a once in a century pandemic and then we all just try to carry on like it didn't happen.”
John Jay College Conversation with State Senator Zellnor Myrie and President Carol Mason | Uploaded March 25, 2024 | 33:49-33:54
“I think it needs to be a broader conversation of how we can make mental health accessible to everybody and affordable to everybody.”
John Jay College Conversation with State Senator Zellnor Myrie and President Carol Mason | Uploaded March 25, 2024 | 33:54-34:04
“When it's time to put the money up for our institutions, for our programming, for our students, we are slow to act.”
John Jay College Conversation with State Senator Zellnor Myrie and President Carol Mason | Uploaded March 25, 2024 | 35:06-35:16
“A call, an email to your representative in the state about this year's budget and what you want to see, I think is going to make a world of…”
John Jay College Conversation with State Senator Zellnor Myrie and President Carol Mason | Uploaded March 25, 2024 | 36:25-36:37
“This has been an interesting time to be a public servant.”
John Jay College Conversation with State Senator Zellnor Myrie and President Carol Mason | Uploaded March 25, 2024 | 50:29-50:32
“There is a lot happening in our world and a lot more to happen.”
John Jay College Conversation with State Senator Zellnor Myrie and President Carol Mason | Uploaded March 25, 2024 | 50:32-50:37