Latest news with #UnitedBodegasofAmerica
New York Post
06-07-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
Republican who ran for NYC mayor backs Eric Adams, urges Trump to step in to help clear slate
A Republican who ran for mayor in 2021 is now throwing his support behind incumbent Eric Adams — as he urged President Trump to step in to help on Sunday. Fernando Mateo, who is a spokesman for the United Bodegas of America, is asking the commander-in-chief to convince Guardian Angels founder Curtis Sliwa to drop out as this year's GOP candidate to get Adams to appear on the Republican Party line. 'Of course, we need the president's help, ' Mateo said on WABC's 770 the 'Cats Roundtable' program with host John Catsimatidis. 'We need the President to basically tell Curtis Sliwa, 'Hey, drop out of the race. Give that line to Eric Adams.' 5 Fernando Mateo is asking Curtis Sliwa to drop out as this year's GOP candidate to get Adams to appear on the Republican Party line. Michael Nigro Adams, a Democrat, didn't run in his party's primary last month but is pursuing re-election as an independent. He'll face an uphill battle in the deeply blue city against Democratic Party nominee Zohran Mamdani, a democratic socialist. Also appearing on a minor party line is Democrat Andrew Cuomo, the former governor who lost to Mamdani in the primary. Mateo said Cuomo could only be a 'spoiler' in November. 'We need to make sure that Eric wins. Andrew Cuomo should not be on the ballot,' Mateo said. 5 'Of course, we need the president's help, ' Mateo said on WABC's 770 the 'Cats Roundtable' program with host John Catsimatidis. REUTERS 'He's a divider. He's a hater,' he added. 'He is someone that hates New York and loves himself. If [Cuomo and Sliwa] were to drop out, and Eric Adams had the support of every New Yorker, there's no way that we could lose.' Mateo lost to GOP hopeful Sliwa by a resounding 40 percentage points four years ago, before Sliwa lost the general election to Adams. Sliwa said he isn't going anywhere. 5 Adams, a Democrat, didn't run in his party's primary last month but is pursuing re-election as an independent. Matthew McDermott 'I crushed Mateo in the Republican primary four years ago. He hasn't been seen with a Republican since,' Sliwa quipped. 'It's over. I'm on the ballot. There's no way to get me out.' Adams is unpopular with Republicans as he is with Democrats, Sliwa said, citing polling consistently showing the mayor's high negative ratings. Catsimatidis, the billionaire WABC owner, is pushing Adams' re-election bid as an independent. He's hosted fundraisers and is trying to woo Republican support despite the fact that he has employed Sliwa as one of his radio hosts. 5 Fernando Mateo (left), spokesman for United Bodegas of America, appears at an anti-Mamdani rally with John Catsimatidis on June 30, 2025. Matthew McDermott He had no comment when asked if he's spoken to Trump about backing Adams. Meanwhile, former Gov. David Paterson said Mamdani, as the Democratic nominee, will be 'hard to beat' in the general election and likened his rise as a left wing version of President Trump. 'The support that Mamdani is receiving … the number of people he's registering, the number of people who go to his rallies … if I blinked my eyes 10 years ago, there was another person who was able to do that, and his name is Donald Trump, whose political ideology is the polar opposite of what Mamdani's might be,' Paterson said in a different segment of WABC's the 'Cats Roundtable.' 5 Former Gov. David Paterson said Mamdani, as the Democratic nominee, will be 'hard to beat' in the general election. Matthew McDermott 'I don't know to what extent Mamdani is going to attack his opponent in the election, but it gives him a real plurality now that's going to be hard to beat … He is going to be a difficult candidate to beat.' Paterson, who backed Cuomo in the Democratic primary, said he's sticking with the ex-governor as the best choice to stop Mamdani.
New York Post
30-06-2025
- Business
- New York Post
NYC bodega owners worry Zohran Mamdani will put them out of business with his city-run grocery store plan: ‘I don't want to lose my job'
Bodega owners and workers on Monday sounded the alarm over Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani's plan to launch city-owned grocery stores — claiming it'll put them out of business. 'Competing with the city having business is not going to be something that we can support,' Radhames Rodriguez, president of United Bodegas of America, said during a press conference outside a Gristedes supermarket in Midtown. Rodriguez, 62, who owns four bodegas in the Bronx, said his stores and others won't be able to compete with prices at the city-run stores — which would be exempt from paying rent or property taxes under Mamdani's plan. 7 Gristedes owner John Catsimatidis and New York City bodega owners held a press conference to raise concerns about Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani's plan for city-run grocery stores on June 30, 2025. Matthew McDermott 7 Radhames Rodriguez, president of United Bodegas of America, said bodegas won't be able to compete with the prices at the city-run grocery stores. Matthew McDermott 'Let's say they sell a dozen eggs for $1 and the cost to us is $4 … that is going to destroy our business,' he said. Miguel Valerio, 51, who owns two bodegas in the Bronx, said he worried for the welfare of his dozen employees — and pointed out government workers may not be suited to running a business like his. 'I don't want to lose my job,' Valerio, a dad of two, told The Post. 'The government doesn't want to do the same thing I do everyday. I wake up at 5:00, I go to sleep by 11:00 every day,' he added. 'What is going to happen to people running their business?' Valerio asked. 'I have 12 people working for me, that's what I care about.' 7 Bronx bodega owner Miguel Valerio said he is worried about his employees if Mamdani is elected. Matthew McDermott The pilot program is part of Mamdani's 'affordability' platform, aiming to provide New Yorkers with cheaper prices for food and other necessities to customers. But merchants complained the government-run stores could undercut the prices of privately-run bodegas that are required to pay tax and rent or mortgages, siphoning off customers. During a podcast interview Monday, Mamdani emphasized the program is a $60 million experiment — one city-owned grocer in each borough, or five total. 'If it isn't effective at a pilot level it doesn't deserve to be scaled up,' the Democratic Socialists of America candidate said on the 'Plain English' podcast with Derek Thompson. 7 Mamdani said he only is planning on creating one city-owned store per borough to start. Stephen Yang But bodega and grocery store owners and workers called it a rotten egg, Soviet-style plan that pits the government against small private sector merchants. 'It's going to be a huge problem. You can't force us to pay taxes and then be our adversary,' Rafael Garcia, owner of La Economica Meat Choice store on University Avenue in The Bronx, told The Post. In some bodegas, about two-thirds of the business is from customers with government-financed food stamps and Garcia said there was no doubt those shoppers would flock to the lower-cost, city-run grocery stores. Francisco Marte, the president of the Bodega and Business Association, said at Monday's press conference: 'Socialism hasn't been successful anywhere in the world. Even China has turned to capitalism. Come on, this is stupid.' 7 Rafael Garcia, owner of La Economica Meats Choice in The Bronx, predicted Mamdani's plan would be a 'huge problem' for his store. Stephen Yang Gristedes owner John Catsimatidis, who also spoke at the event at Second Avenue and East 40th Street said, 'City-owned supermarkets don't work. Cities do not know how to run a business.' Progressive Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson had considered launching a municipal grocery store in the Windy City after a study concluded it was 'not only feasible but necessary.' But Johnson said he put the plan on hold after companies reached out and asked to join the venture, suggesting a public-private partnership to improve access in so-called food desserts or a public market instead. Government-owned grocery stores have been tried in smaller towns in rural America that lost their last grocers — with mixed results at best. A town-owned grocery store in 1,400-resident Baldwin, Fla. opened in 2019. The store operated at a loss and closed in March. A city-owned store set up in Erie, Kan., didn't attract enough customers and sales to break even and was forced to change its approach. To lower costs, it leased out the building to a private operator to be the grocer, while the city retained ownership, Governing Magazine reported. Not every municipal grocery has gone belly up. Another Kansas town, 600-person St. Paul, bought its own store in 2013 after the last supermarket closed and nearest grocer was 17 miles away. The government-owned grocer is still operating there, a success story cited by Mamdani. 7 Fernando Mateo, the spokesman for the United Bodegas of America, speaking at the press conference. Matthew McDermott The Queens assemblyman, during the lengthy podcast interview, defended his own plan, noting that prices have skyrocketed since the COVID-19 pandemic. 'There is a sticker shock that New Yorkers tell me about all the time,' he said. 'And the most obvious examples here are eggs and milk and bread that have been cited again and again.' Every morning, the NY POSTcast offers a deep dive into the headlines with the Post's signature mix of politics, business, pop culture, true crime and everything in between. Subscribe here! Mamdani — who will face off against Mayor Eric Adams and other candidates in the November general election — said poorer residents of color suffer from living in 'food deserts' that lack access to affordable produce. 'This is a proposal of reasonable policy experimentation,' he said. The estimated price tag for the program is less than the $140 million the city spends on supermarkets for participation in the city's Food Retail Expansion to Support Health Program or FRESH to sell food in underserved areas. Mamdani, the frontrunner for the mayoralty, also claimed the city's response to the pandemic, including quickly setting up testing and vaccination sites, showed that the government could run a few grocery stores efficiently. 7 Catsimatidis said the plan won't work because the city can't successfully run the businesses. Matthew McDermott 'Food is non-negotiable. It's not a luxury item,' he said. Mamdani also took a shot at Catsimatidis. 'It's funny even to hear some of the critiques – especially from John Catsimatidis, the owner of Gristedes – is to completely miss the fact that many New Yorkers can't even afford to go into those types of stores today,' he said.
New York Post
19-06-2025
- New York Post
Heartbreaking video captures desperate pleas from bystanders as NYC shooting victim lay dying in street: ‘Keep breathing'
A heartbreaking video captured a Bronx shooting victim's last breaths as bystanders pleaded — ultimately in vain – for the bleeding man to cling to life. The footage obtained by The Post shows the final moments of the 38-year-old victim Victor Bautista's life after he was shot in the chest following a dispute with another man near Trinity Avenue and East 149th Street in Melrose around 7:45 a.m. Tuesday. 'Breathe! Breathe,' a good Samaritan frantically begs in the clip as Bautista lies on the street groaning. He lifts Bautista by the shoulder to examine the gunshot wound. 7 A street camera captured the fatal shooting of Victor Bautista on Trinity Avenue and East 149th Street in Melrose on June 17, 2025. United Bodegas of America 'It didn't go through! It didn't go through,' he shouts. 'I got you, I got you,' he says. 'Breathe!' A chorus of bystanders shouts out, 'Call 911!' The Samaritan resumes his efforts to keep Bautista from slipping away. 'Open your eyes, bro! Oh my God! Get up,' he tells Bautista. But things quickly took a turn for the worse. 'It's getting low, it's getting low,' he says, panic growing in his voice. 'His pulse is getting low, man. He's going, he's going, man. This n—a's going to die in my hands, man!' 7 The gunman in a high-vis vest runs across the street as Bautista holds his chest where he was struck by the bullet. United Bodegas of America 7 Bautista hides behind a van moments after he was shot. United Bodegas of America He starts trying to pump Bautista's chest in a desperate bid to revive him, the footage shows. A woman approaches the dying man whom she calls DaDa and clutches his hand. 'DaDa, squeeze my hand,' she says, clutching his limp hand. 'Yo, yo, stay with us, bro,' the Samaritan shouts as he continues to pump his chest. 7 The gunman attacks Bautista on the sidewalk. United Bodegas of America Moments later, police arrive and take over life-saving measures. Bautista was later pronounced dead at Lincoln Hospital, police said. A second video, security footage from a bodega, shows the moment the victim was struck by the fatal bullet. Bautista can be seen getting into an animated argument with a man leaning against a wall outside of a business. He punches the man and the two wrestle, according to the video. 7 Police investigate the homicide in the Bronx on June 17, 2025. Kyle Mazza/NurPhoto/Shutterstock Then the other man suddenly fires a gun at Bautista, striking him once in the chest, according to the clip. The shooter runs across Trinity Avenue. Bautista, in shock, reaches for his chest. He staggers along the sidewalk, briefly goes off camera, and then collapses, his head bouncing off a van as he falls to the street. Bautista's killer remains at large. Fernando Mateo, a spokesman for the United Bodegas of America, said Bautista died just steps from D'mi Muñeca Grocery, a bodega on Trinity Avenue. His violent death, he said, is another reason to install panic buttons in bodegas across the city. 'The entire incident was captured by the store's surveillance cameras. You can see the argument. You can see the shooting. It's all there,' Mateo said in a statement. 7 Police stand in the street near the scene of the fatal shooting. Kyle Mazza/NurPhoto/Shutterstock 7 An evidence marker is placed near the vehicle where Bautista was shot. Kyle Mazza/NurPhoto/Shutterstock The owners of the bodega have been in the community for a decade. 'Today, they are shaken. They are scared. They are not sure what tomorrow looks like,' he said. Mateo said that his organization will install a panic button at the store to provide the owners with 'peace of mind,' but he added that the NYPD needs to step up and provide more resources, like real-time access to bodega cameras. 'The NYPD should not be watching these videos after someone has already died,' he said. 'They should be seeing them live so they can respond before the next shot is fired.'
CBS News
05-05-2025
- CBS News
NYC to invest in SilentShield panic buttons to protect bodega workers, customers. Here's how the tech works.
Hundreds of bodegas in New York City will soon get a panic button to keep employees and customers safe. On Sunday, Mayor Eric Adams announced $1.6 million will be invested in technology that will give police direct and immediate access to the bodega surveillance video once the button is pushed during a crime. Read more: Video shows suspects disguised as NYPD officers robbing bodega in Brooklyn How SilentShield technology works In a push to keep bodegas safe, the mayor announced the city's intent to use SilentShield technology -- a button that will be installed in the bodega that staff can press. It will call police immediately during an emergency. Back in June 2018, the city was shocked by the murder of 15-year-old Lesandro "Junior" Guzman-Feliz. As the teenager sought shelter in a Bronx bodega, he was brutally killed by gang members in a case of mistaken identity. Officials say a panic button could have helped the owner call police faster. "Panic buttons is what's going to save the lives of so many. Not just the lives of bodega owners and workers; the lives of so many that have ran into a bodega seeking safe shelter and they've been killed," said Fernando Mateo of United Bodegas of America. Officials say the buttons will be installed in 500 stores in the city and you won't know which shops have them. Police say once the SilentShield button is pressed it will directly connect police to the store's surveillance. "It gives our responding officers situational awareness to keep them safe. It helps with timely apprehensions and it gives our Detective Squad great tools to catch people after the fact," NYPD Chief of Department John Chell said. United Bodegas of America will be seeking competitive bids for the SilentShield technology and officials say installation is expected in the coming months. Bodega workers, customers welcome the initiative Dario Dominguez told CBS News New York he keeps a close eye on who comes into his Frederick Douglass Boulevard bodega. "When you got outside, you never know what could happen," Dominguez said. Police say a 33-year-old was fatally stabbed just feet away from the front door on Saturday morning. "Very bad. Too much problem, you know?" Dominguez said. "Anything can happen. Somebody is having a bad day, they knock into somebody, and it spills in to a fight," a customer said. "Sure, I would feel more safe," another added.
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Yahoo
Men zip-tied by suspects wearing NYPD clothing in bodega robbery: sources
BED-STUY, Brooklyn (PIX11) – Three men were zip-tied by suspects wearing NYPD clothing during a robbery at a Brooklyn bodega on Sunday, sources and United Bodegas of America told PIX11 News. Police said the robbery happened at Tajuken Deli Grocery, located at 114 Marcus Garvey Blvd., around 8:15 a.m. A 48-year-old man, a 68-year-old man and a 40-year-old man were in the store at the time of the robbery, according to authorities. More Local News Sources said the three men were tied up as the suspects, wearing raid jackets and baseball caps with NYPD initials on them, robbed the deli. One of the victims was seen in surveillance video being forced to the ground by two of the suspects. The suspects, all believed to be men, fled the scene in a dark-colored van, according to authorities. United Bodegas of America claimed they stole lottery tickets and cash. More: Latest News from Around the Tri-State The group is asking Gov. Kathy Hochul to shell out a promised $5 million in funding to install panic buttons in bodegas located in high-crime areas, saying they've become targets largely due to 'broken bail laws.' United Bodegas of America is offering a $5,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest. Submit tips to police by calling Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), visiting downloading the NYPD Crime Stoppers mobile app, or texting 274637 (CRIMES) then entering TIP577. Spanish-speaking callers are asked to dial 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). Erin Pflaumer is a digital content producer from Long Island who has covered both local and national news since 2018. She joined PIX11 in 2023. See more of her work here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
