by WorldTribune Staff, July 29, 2026 Non-AI Real World News
New York City’s Multicultural Business Coalition (MBC), which represents 50-plus chambers of commerce for Asian, African, Caribbean, Hispanic, Middle Eastern, and Jewish business owners, plans to sue Mayor Zohran Mamdani over the socialist mayor’s plan to open taxpayer-funded grocery stores in all five of the city’s boroughs.
New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani / Video Image
The coalition contends that the $70 million project creates unfair, subsidized competition that threatens independent grocers and bodegas
Mamdani recently announced new details to slash the prices of basic items such as bread, milk, and cheese by 30%.
The MBC pointed to the Harlem area know as La Marqueta, where one of the city-run grocery stores is set to open. The MBC said there are five bodegas located within a few blocks of where Mamdani’s grocery store will be constructed.
Privately owned local stores face heavy property taxes and rent, whereas the city’s municipal grocery locations will operate rent-free and property tax-free while offering a 30% discount on key staples
Businesses owners in Harlem said they fear that Mamdani’s socialist project will put them out of business.
“Having items that sell for 30% less than our prices, means nobody will go to our stores,” Radhames Rodriguez, the president of United Bodegas of America, said.
Mamdani insists the grocery stores backed by the tax-base of New York City will not hurt bodegas and small business: “We are not looking to compete with bodegas or grocery stores when it comes to their ability to survive.”
The MBC board voted to file a formal lawsuit in the coming weeks and aims to raise a $1 million war chest for legal fees and lobbying
“The mayor doesn’t seem to want to sit down with us,” MBC chairman Frank Garcia said, adding that Mamdani “won’t be able to bully these lawyers we are going to bring in.”
