Black NYC politician slams DSA as ‘white supremacy’ as growing Dem feud spills onto social media

What the report says

The New York Post reported that Queens Borough President Donovan Richards publicly attacked the Democratic Socialists of America during an online dispute, saying in a social media post late Sunday that white supremacy can take different forms. The exchange followed a New York Times report, as described by the Post, about tensions between New York’s DSA-aligned left and Black and Latino political figures over race, representation and the group’s priorities.

According to the Post, the dispute intensified after DSA-backed Assemblymember Phara Souffrant Forrest criticized the Times article and a journalist responded that the story had addressed her point. Richards then amplified his criticism by sharing a Malcolm X passage about white liberals. The Post framed the episode as part of a broader Democratic rift involving Mayor Zohran Mamdani, the DSA and more established city Democrats.

The Post noted that the DSA has supported candidates of color, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Mamdani, while also citing a 2021 survey that found the group’s membership was 85% white. It also reported complaints from some minority lawmakers and operatives that DSA gains have been concentrated in gentrifying areas and have sometimes come against more experienced Black and Latino politicians.

Richards, a liberal Democrat elected Queens borough president in 2020 after serving on the City Council, endorsed Mamdani after his mayoral nomination but has since criticized parts of his agenda, the Post reported. The article linked the social media clash to wider arguments among New York Democrats over taxation, housing, homelessness policy, Israel and the influence of the socialist wing of the party.