Census Subway Series pits Canarsie against Jamaica

August 19, 2020 David Brand And Raanan Geberer

Eric Gonzalez (right, in white) was joined by U.S. Rep. Nydia Velásquez, Assemblymember Jo Ann Simon and others in Sunset Park on Aug. 2 for a march through Southern and Central Brooklyn to encourage people to fill out the 2020 census. Photo courtesy of the DA’s Office

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It’s a new “subway series” between Brooklyn and Queens. This one, however, has nothing to do with sports. It’s for bragging rights — and billions of dollars in federal funding.

The city’s Census 2020 agency is kicking off its own contest, pitting neighborhoods across the five boroughs against one another to see which community can generate the highest Census response rate.

The first match up pits Canarsie, Brooklyn, against Jamaica, Queens. According to Census Bureau officials, 47.9 percent of Canarsie households have completed their census forms. Jamaica currently clocks in at a 49.4 percent response rate.

Both neighborhoods are far below the national response rate of 63.8 percent.

Residents of the competing neighborhoods are eligible for a $1,000 Seamless gift cards (six people win that), a $50 Lyft credit and annual Citi Bike membership (100 people get those) and an annual membership to The Museum of Modern Art and MoMA PS1 (there will be 25 recipients). Anyone who completes the Census can register to receive a prize.

Brooklyn elected officials wasted no time in declaring themselves on board with the contest.

“Getting counted is about more than just one person — it’s about making sure our communities have what they need. Kudos to the city for this competition to help ensure every New Yorker, no matter who they are, gets counted in the census,” said State Sen. Andrew Gounardes (D-Southwest Brooklyn).

“Everybody needs to fill out the census by phone, computer or by paper form. 10 minutes for 10 years of benefits. Help make sure our neighborhoods get the funding it deserves! Without your participation, our schools, hospitals and roads will suffer,” said Assemblymember Felix W. Ortiz (D-Red Hook-Sunset Park).

President Donald Trump recently cut the census time frame by a month, making it even more difficult for outreach workers to connect with millions of New Yorkers and encourage them to fill out their short forms. These workers are now traversing the boroughs, knocking on doors of people who haven’t submitted their forms yet.

“The 2020 Census will be a critical component of New York City’s recovery after COVID-19,” said NYC Census 2020 Director Julie Menin. “That means we must do everything we can to achieve a complete and accurate count, and fight Donald Trump’s attempts to steal the census.”

The census takes less than ten minutes to complete and is available online at 2020census.gov.

New York needs a complete count to obtain as much federal funding as possible and to maintain the state’s Congressional delegation.

Fill out the census right now.