A New York City civil rights leader is calling for the resignation of Gustavo Gordillo, co-leader of the city's chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), citing a series of controversies that he argues demonstrate hypocrisy within the organization.
Rev. Ken McCall, a pastor who also assists tenants in New York City Housing Authority complexes, stated that Gordillo's situation exemplifies the "Double Standards of America," a phrase he's adapted to describe the DSA. McCall's demands follow reports that Gordillo's parents purchased a renovated $1.5 million luxury row house for him in a gentrifying Brooklyn neighborhood. Further allegations include a lawsuit for unpaid rent and questions surrounding his labor credentials.
"The allegations surrounding NYC chapter co-chair Gustavo Gordillo raise troubling questions about whether he misled working-class New Yorkers about where he lived, how he obtained housing, and his labor credentials," McCall said. "DSA leaders and elected officials must answer these questions publicly and call for Gordillo’s resignation."
Gordillo, 38, was reportedly fired from his electricians' union apprenticeship program in March for failing to show up for work, according to the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 3. He therefore never qualified to become a fully credentialed electrician. Following this, the DSA provided him with a salary of $95,000.
McCall highlighted that Gordillo, who has publicly criticized landlords and the wealthy, appears to be a beneficiary of privilege rather than a member of the working class. Property records indicate that Gordillo's parents purchased the nearly 2,000-square-foot row home in Bedford-Stuyvesant in 2019 through a limited liability company for just under $1 million. Gordillo's parents, who are immigrants from Peru, have built a successful life in the U.S., with his father being a construction magnate. They own substantial properties in Florida, including a home listed for $3.1 million in Boca Raton and another $3 million home in Weston.
"At a time when NYCHA residents are living with mold, leaks, broken elevators, and apartments in desperate need of repair, it is unacceptable for a leader who claims to fight for housing justice to be connected to a luxury renovation that is reducing housing opportunities for Black residents in a historically Black Brooklyn community," McCall stated. "That is not housing justice. That is not practicing what you preach."
Additional concerns raised by McCall include the affordable housing implications of converting a two-family home into a single-family residence in a community facing an affordability crisis. He also pointed to allegations of misrepresentation regarding Gordillo's residency and property ownership, suggesting he may have occupied the property without paying rent while it was under renovation. McCall is also demanding transparency regarding the financing of the Brooklyn housing project and whether union labor was utilized. The question of Gordillo's union credentials and his prior self-representation as a union electrician is also under scrutiny.
Furthermore, McCall referenced a separate housing dispute in Brooklyn, where Gordillo is reportedly being sued for allegedly failing to pay $5,000 in rent for a Crown Heights apartment he leased during the townhouse renovations. This situation, McCall argued, raises further questions about whether Gordillo's personal conduct aligns with his public political image.
McCall indicated that if these demands are not addressed by the NYC-DSA leadership, he, along with other clergy and NYCHA members, will "organize days of action" to seek accountability. The New York Post has reached out to the DSA and Gordillo for comment.