Photo by Síle Moloney
After Independent U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) was the keynote speaker at a recent Bronx “Tax the Rich” rally organized by the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) at Bedford Park’s Lehman College on March 29, Norwood News caught up with some of the attendees to get their take on the “Tax the Rich” proposal.
At the event, held Sunday, March 29, two days before the April 1st deadline to agree the next State budget, the message from Sanders, a former presidential candidate, the progressive wing of the New York Democratic Party, members of NYC-DSA, labor unions, and advocates was clear, and was directed at New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and New York lawmakers: “Tax the Rich” and wealthy corporations to fund the current gap in the City budget.
As reported, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani had already outlined two paths to closing the current City Budget gap during a press conference held last month – tax the rich or have the middle class foot the bill. Sanders highlighted the importance of raising taxes on the rich, standing up to U.S. President Donald Trump’s economic and political agenda, and decried the disparity of wealth distribution in America. Organizers of the rally said the wealthiest New Yorkers will save $12 billion dollars this year due to Trump’s tax cuts for the wealthy.
Photo by Síle Moloney
“What the mayor is proposing is popular,” Sanders said in part during his remarks after he was greeted at the event by thunderous applause and cheers. “The widely respected pollsters at Siena [a polling company] found that 54% of New York State voters supported Mayor Mamdani’s tax increase, and the numbers were much higher in New York City. Today, I would ask Gov. Hochul to listen to where people are at,” he said.
Other elected officials, trade union leaders, and more also spoke at the rally, with local State Sen. Gustavo Rivera (S.D. 33), who broadly represents the northwest Bronx along with Fordham, Belmont, Morris Park, Morris Heights, Pelham Parkway, Van Nest, and Little Yemen, also highlighting how the “Tax the Rich” policy was politically popular.
The senator later said, “I am incredibly grateful to Senator Bernie Sanders for joining us in The Bronx to amplify our call for revenue raising measures in the final budget that will make the ultra wealthy and corporations pay their fair share. Hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers are on the brink of losing health coverage because of Republicans in Washington. If we want to make New York affordable, we need to stop coddling the ultra-wealthy while leaving working class New Yorkers footing the bill.”
Photo by Síle Moloney
Rivera emphasized the 450,000 people who are set to lose health insurance under H.R.1 by the end of the year. H.R. 1, the so-called “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” [described by Democrats as “The Big Ugly Bill”] was signed into law July 4, 2025, and was a major federal budget package that means significant cuts (in 2026) to Medicaid and SNAP programs, while simultaneously providing tax breaks to certain wealthy groups.
Key provisions of the act include 80-hour monthly work requirements for Medicaid recipients (ages 19–64) and permanent tax cuts for certain wealthy groups in line with those first introduced in 2017 under the first Trump administration.
The senator said his Capital Gains bill (S.1439) would fairly tax long-term capital gains for the top 1% and serve as a key component in funding universal childcare in New York State. He is also a supporter of the Invest in Our New York (IONY) campaign, a series of proposals designed in a way that would make billionaires and corporations pay their fair share. Watch more of Rivera’s remarks in the attached videos.
TAX THE RICH rally with Independent U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt) at Lehman College, Bedford Park, Bronx, Sunday, March 29, 2026. V1 Video by Síle Moloney
Among the other elected officials who spoke at the event were Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, who said in part that taxing the most wealthy shouldn’t be so hard. He thanked what he said was over 90% of Black women and the over 80% of Black men who he said had voted to progress an affordability agenda.
“I am also tired of having to tell Democrats to stop trying to act like baby Republicans, because acting like baby Republicans is the reason why we have Donald Trump in the first place,” he said in part and in reference to his colleagues who align with the Democratic Party center. He went on to say that Democratic leadership had not learned the lessons that brought about a Trump presidency.
Among other elected officials who spoke at the event in addition to Williams and Rivera, were State Sen. Kristen Gonzalez (S.D. 59), who represents parts of Queens, Manhattan and Brooklyn, Assemblymember Diana Moreno (A.D. 36), who represents parts of Queens and who succeeded the current mayor in representing the district. Other Bronx elected leaders joined Rivera on stage during his remarks.
TAX THE RICH rally with Bernie Sanders at Lehman College, Bedford Park, Bronx, Sunday, March 29, 2026. V2 State Sen. Gustavo Rivera (S.D. 33) addresses those gathered. Video by Síle Moloney
They included Assembly Member George Alvarez (A.D. 78), who broadly represents Kingsbridge Heights, Fordham, Bedford Park and Belmont, City Council Member Pierina Sanchez (C.D. 14), who broadly represents University Heights (South)-Morris Heights, Mount Hope, Fordham Heights, University Heights (North)-Fordham, Bedford Park, Kingsbridge Heights-Van Cortlandt Village, Kingsbridge-Marble Hill, and City Council Member Althea Stevens (C.D. 16), who broadly represents Morrisania, Claremont Village-Claremont (East), Concourse-Concourse Village, Highbridge, Mount Eden-Claremont (West), Yankee Stadium-Macombs Dam Park, Claremont Park, University Heights (South)-Morris Heights, and University Heights (North)-Fordham.
Additional non-elected speakers included New York State Nurses Association President Nancy Hagans, PSC-CUNY President James Davis, and 1199SEIU leader Avia Agababa.
For her part, Agababa said, “Right now, healthcare workers like me are constantly being asked to do more with less, at the expense of our bodies, our backs, and at the expense of our nursing home residents. The problem is about to become so much worse. Trump and the Republicans cut $1 trillion in healthcare to give tax breaks to the ultra-rich and to pump more money into ICE.”
Tax the Rich Rally with Bernie Sanders at Lehman College, Bedford Park, Bronx, Sunday, March 29, 2026. V3 State Sen. Gustavo Rivera addresses those gathered and talks about H.R. 1, the so-called “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” [described by Democrats as “The Big Ugly Bill”]. It was signed into law July 4, 2025, and was a major federal budget package that means significant cuts (in 2026) to Medicaid and SNAP programs, while simultaneously providing tax breaks to certain wealthy groups. Key provisions of the act include 80-hour monthly work requirements for Medicaid recipients (ages 19–64) and permanent tax cuts for certain wealthy groups in line with those first introduced in 2017 under the first Trump administration. Video by Síle Moloney
The 1199SEIU leader who is also a CNA at a Bronx nursing home, added, “New York, it is time to do better. We can do better by standing up to the billionaires and oligarchs who believe healthcare workers and our patients are disposable. My nursing home residents, the elders of this neighborhood, need the rich to pay their fair share. By taxing the rich we can help ensure that nursing home residents, other seniors, and all New Yorkers can get the vital services that they need and that they deserve.”
Later, NYC-DSA Co-Chair Gustavo Gordillo said of the event, “Senator Sanders’ message to Governor Hochul is clear – we need a united front against Trump and the billionaires he serves. If Bernie can fight Trump in D.C., Hochul and the rest of us can fight him from Albany by taxing the rich and funding the services working people rely on.”
Meanwhile, NYC-DSA Co-Chair Grace Mausser said Sanders’ involvement at the event showed that New York’s budget fight wasn’t just a local issue. “Governor Hochul has a chance to stand up to Trump while backing the working class, and she can do that by taxing the rich,” she said. Throughout the event, the crowd shouted, “Tax the Rich!”
Screenshot by Síle Moloney
After the rally, Norwood News spoke to Sarah, a public health student at Columbia University, and Nathan, both residents of Manhattan, and asked them for their reaction to the event. “I would say that we need a tax system that’s similar to nations that can provide more welfare services because we know that an equitable society is a happier society,” Nathan said. It was his third time to see Sanders in person. “More people are content with this kind of society,” he said. “Inequality breeds all other social ills, crime, dissatisfaction, polarization so solving the equity crisis is solving all other crises in a sense.’
We asked the two what they believed was the reason for pushback against taxing the wealthy [among middle-class Americans] and if it was a question of better understanding the tax system, for example. “Hmmm…it seems as if people are buying the myth that they will achieve the level of wealth that they [millionaires] will, so therefore, you don’t want to tax the people because you, yourself, want to achieve this, when in reality, the ‘American Dream’ is more unachievable here than it is in Norway, Sweden, Finland, Switzerland, what have you,” Nathan said.
He added, “I think we’re the 25th most likely to achieve the ‘American Dream’ out of all developed nations.” Sarah then said, “I once read something that said the American Dream is better when you’re sleeping,” Nathan added, “Otherwise, work or don’t get paid.” Asked for their reaction to Sanders as a speaker, Sarah said, “I’ve heard him before but never in person so seeing him in person was so surreal. We only caught the last 7 minutes [they arrived late] of it but you can feel his passion so deeply just even in those 7 minutes, and if there was another rally, I would travel earlier so I could feel that passion throughout the whole thing.”
Tax the Rich Rally with Bernie Sanders at Lehman College, Bedford Park, Bronx, Sunday, March 29, 2026. V4 New York State Nurses Association President Nancy Hagans addresses the crowd. Video by Síle Moloney
“The Bronx has so much untapped potential and it’s really become a hotbed for organizing,” Bowman said. “We really want to get the people of The Bronx involved and engaged so to have the rally here is a big deal, to be able to turn out 4,000 people for a rally in The Bronx is huge and we hope it reverberates throughout The Bronx and gets people excited to do what we need to do to win.”
Asked for his reaction to the event itself, the former congressman said, “I’m fired up and having a good time because socialism, as an ideal’s time has come. The majority of American people realize the way things have been haven’t worked out for them, and for the majority of us, whether it’s this American dream or American opportunity. People can barely afford to pay their rent, pay their utilities, childcare, schools, all of the above and to have a country where wealth is so concentrated in the hands of a few, the majority of the American people are realizing that that’s bullsh*t and that there’s something we can do about it.”
Tax the Rich Rally with Bernie Sanders at Lehman College, Bedford Park, Bronx, Sunday, March 29, 2026. V5 Video by Síle Moloney
In reference to his congressional seat loss, which based on various reporting at the time was at least in some respects linked to his support for Gaza, and tying in with the DSA movement generally, we asked Bowman if now, years later, he believes Americans across the board have a better understanding of why he was so vocal on Gaza at the time.
He said in part, “I think polling shows that. National polling shows that the majority of the American people sympathize with the Palestinians and so that’s a big deal. That’s a big shift from five years ago or ten years ago. What’s happening isn’t right.” He continued, “I think Democratic leadership has to catch up because there’s a huge disconnect. Let’s say you don’t want to say ‘genocide.’ It’s been deemed an apartheid state so do we want our tax-paying dollars supporting an apartheid state? No.”
He added, “It’s a military occupation for decades.” He said this could not be ignored and he talked about the documented human rights violations against both adults and children over many years. Asked if he would rule out running for office again, he said, “No, not ruling that out. That could happen. I could also do ten thousand other things. That’s one of the benefits of America. We got options!!”
Tax the Rich Rally with Bernie Sanders at Lehman College, Bedford Park, Bronx, Sunday, March 29, 2026. V6 Video by Síle Moloney
Norwood News also spoke to Drew Warshaw, candidate for State comptroller, who was also in attendance and who called out incumbent State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli for not commenting publicly on the proposal to Tax the Rich.
“Somehow, the chief financial officer has no opinion on whether or not we should tax the rich,” Warshaw said, referring to DiNapoli. “The State comptroller has no opinion on whether or not we need more revenue. He says it’s not his job. I think it is precisely his job because he’s supposed to be able to tell us whether we need more [revenue] or we don’t, and we must have more revenue because we have to pay for more housing. We have to pay for more healthcare and as New York State comptroller, I would be very clear and very loud that we need to tax the wealthiest among us. Tom di Napoli can’t even say that and after 19 years, it is time for him to go.”
Former City Comptroller Brad Lander, who is currently running for Congress in New York’s 10th congressional district, the seat currently held by the aptly named, it would seem, Congressman Dan Goldman, was also at the rally. Lander alleges Goldman is a quarter billionaire and according to reporting by The New York Times, is heir to the Levi Strauss & Co. fortune, and has an estimated net worth of approximately $250 million to $253 million. We mentioned to Lander what Warshaw had said about DiNapoli allegedly not saying anything publicly about the proposal to Tax the Rich and asked for his reaction.
Photo by Síle Moloney
He continued, “The way to do it is with a modest increase on the millionaires and the wealthiest corporations as Bernie laid out so clearly and I think the more people that get on board, the better. Most people here today, don’t have a direct involvement with the vote but the more we fuel the movement, the better chance we have.” He added that he wished the current city comptroller (Mark Levine) had attended the rally.
Norwood News reached out to both the State comptroller’s office and the City comptroller’s office for comment on the above and will share any feedback we receive. [Due to an unprecedented number of sequential local homicides, among other time-sensitive, local news events this week, we only managed to contact them for comment on March 31.]
Photo by Síle Moloney
Norwood News also asked Lander if, in his experience as comptroller, the Tax the Rich proposal was fiscally sound/prudent/feasible and for the City of New York to remain standing thereafter. “Yes, it is,” he said. “We did some analysis of this when I was comptroller and the proposals that [NYC Mayor] Zohran [Mamdani] has put forward and that the State assembly and the State senate have put forward are fiscally prudent policies. What makes New York thrive is not that billionaires can pay low tax rates.”
He added, “What makes New York thrive is that working class people can afford to live here and that we have good healthcare and good housing and good education and good childcare and then people’s creativity and hard work and energy makes it the best place on the planet. Nobody says, ‘You know why I want to live in New York? For the low taxes.’ They want to live in New York for the extraordinary people, culture, energy, vitality, creativity, the entrepreneurial spirit and that takes investment.”
The rally was emceed by filmmaker and comedian Julio Torres, and featured musical performances by Cleo Reed, Allegra Krieger, and DJ Saphe.
Photo by Síle Moloney
When Norwood News previously reached out to the governor’s office for comment on pending law, “The NY Health Act,” we were informed that her office does not comment on pending legislation. We have since reached out to her office once again to ask if she has any comment on Sunday’s rally, and will share any feedback we receive.
On Tuesday, March 31, Assembly Republican Leader Ed Ra (R-Franklin Square), issued a statement in response to the passage of a budget extender, which keeps the government funded for a week, saying, “We’ve reached a point under Gov. Hochul where the ghosts roaming the State Capitol are more realistic than the April 1st budget deadline. For the sixth consecutive year, New York will have a late state budget. The only credit Democrats deserve is that, weeks ago, they stopped pretending they were ever capable of delivering a spending plan on time.”
Ra said the extender epitomized what he called the dysfunction that surfaces whenever Albany Democrats are forced to complete the most important part of their job. “While New Yorkers are demanding relief from cost-of-living pressure, high taxes and runaway spending, Democrats delivered an extender rather than an answer.”
Tax the Rich Rally with Bernie Sanders at Lehman College, Bedford Park, Bronx, Sunday, March 29, 2026. V17 Video by Síle Moloney
He added, “It’s anyone’s guess how long closed-door budget negotiations will drag on. To date, there’s been little reason to believe a deal is imminent. Let’s hope in the immediate future New Yorkers receive a budget that shows a commitment to fiscal discipline and improving affordability, not another week of kick-the-can politics from the governor and Albany Democrats.”
Parkchester resident, Nat Weiner, later shared his reaction with Norwood News of our initial coverage of the rally, writing, “I find obscene your coverage of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders speaking at Lehman College on taxing the rich. Sen. Sanders is from Vermont. I couldn’t care less about what Sanders has to say here in The Bronx.”
Weiner continued, “Second, in addition to his $174,000 yearly salary, Sanders is worth approximately $2.5 million from his best-selling book. Bernie Sanders lives the kind of life the people in his audience can only dream of. I, personally, after years of struggle, am at least paying my bills, but there was a time when I was struggling desperately to make ends meet. Sanders will never know what that is like.”
Weiner concluded, “I am not saying Bernie Sanders should take a vow of poverty. I am saying that a senator who does not know what it is like to be poor should stop telling other people what will lift them out of poverty.”
During the recent Tax the Rich rally, Sanders spoke of his own Brooklyn upbringing saying that he grew up in a working-class, Flatbush household in a rent-controlled apartment, and that, despite this, both he and his brother went to high quality public schools and the family were able to survive on his dad’s sole salary. He was making the point that this was not possible today and added that he was certain the economic stress endured by families today is far more than what it was when he was growing up.
See attached videos for more of the various speakers’ remarks from Sunday’s rally, or visit our YouTube channel.
Read our story on Sanders’ remarks at the rally here and here to read our latest Inquiring Photographer article where we asked constituents for their take on the proposal.
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Welcome to the Norwood News, a bi-weekly community newspaper that primarily serves the northwest Bronx communities of Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham and University Heights. Through our Breaking Bronx blog, we focus on news and information for those neighborhoods, but aim to cover as much Bronx-related news as possible. Founded in 1988 by Mosholu Preservation Corporation, a not-for-profit affiliate of Montefiore Medical Center, the Norwood News began as a monthly and grew to a bi-weekly in 1994. In September 2003 the paper expanded to cover University Heights and now covers all the neighborhoods of Community District 7. The Norwood News exists to foster communication among citizens and organizations and to be a tool for neighborhood development efforts. The Norwood News runs the Bronx Youth Journalism Heard, a journalism training program for Bronx high school students. As you navigate this website, please let us know if you discover any glitches or if you have any suggestions. We’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mails to norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org or call us anytime (718) 324-4998.