The latest remarks made by New York City Comptroller Brad Lander have ignited a firestorm in East New York, where community leaders assert he falsely charged a respected Black and Veteran-owned establishment with “wasting $750,000 in taxpayer funds” through Department of Education–sanctioned catering. Fusion East, the accused restaurant, now faces threats and damage to its reputation—despite years of delivering wholesome, affordable meals to more than 100 public schools, many in under-resourced areas.
Seeking Payment Led to a Public Allegation
According to Andrew Walcott, Fusion East’s owner, the situation began when he reached out to Lander’s office for assistance concerning close to $20,000 in unpaid DOE bills for one of over 100 schools Fusion East services. Instead of support, he was referred back to the DOE, only to later see Lander’s office release a public statement that construed his business’s efforts as “wasteful”.
“It’s infuriating that an official, whose office touts championing MWBE contractors and local communities, would go after a well-respected MWBE with inflated waste claims, mischaracterizing the impact of a business with a strong record serving multiple agencies,” said Council Member Chris Banks as stated in a press release shared on NYC Newswire. “Fusion East furnished tens of thousands of healthy meals for children, educators, and first responders, all well below the maximums allowed. Comptroller Lander’s statements reveal a gap in understanding the culture around community foods, and have already spurred at least one threat. Such actions are deeply irresponsible for an elected official of his standing.”
Banks also remarked that the language gave the “appearance of a racial motivation.”
Councilman Chris Banks, Assemblywoman Nikki Lucas and Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce CEO, Randy Peers at Press Conference – photo credit: NYC Newswire
Political Motives Suspected by Local Leaders
Assemblywoman Nikki Lucas of the 60th District called Lander’s words “disgraceful,” blaming them for stoking a “racist firestorm” against a successful Black business. “It’s as though there was a deliberate attack to take down Fusion East—an anchor restaurant in my district serving good and affordable school meals,” said Lucas.
She added, “We must back our small businesses, not demonize them. Fusion East provides employment and fills a vital community need. Lander’s wording had people believing the restaurant pocketed $750,000 from a single school—flatly untrue. This is damaging to the MWBE program he claims to back, exposing his duplicity… Brad Lander simply profits from Black people’s struggles.”
Lucas suggested there could be political motivation centered around “Mayoral oversight,” with the real consequences falling on local businesses. “To hit a district business is to hit everyone in the district,” she explained.
Second Recent Criticism of Lander
Lucas’s public criticism of Lander is not new, this marks the second time in weeks. She previously called him out for comments on Errol Louis’s NY1 show, suggesting Mayor Adams was linked to Jeffrey Epstein, though Lander later said he was joking, Lucas considered the statement harmful. Now, she contrasts that incident with the Fusion East matter, noting that the latter directly resulted in targeted threats against a district business, a far cry from humor.
A Broader Issue: Disparities in Contract Awards
Black-owned enterprises in New York City win less than 2% of city contracts, despite a budget exceeding $115 billion. For Lucas and her allies, that makes undermining one such business particularly alarming.
“Fusion East stands out as precisely the type of minority and Veteran-owned business New York should lift up, not tear down,” said Randy Peers, President & CEO of the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce. “From outstanding DOE work to steady investment in Brownsville and East New York, Fusion East and its owner didn’t deserve this negative press meant to undermine their achievements over the years.”
Built Through Determination
Walcott says the ordeal is especially agonizing given his own hard work. “I’m running around, covering multiple boroughs, sometimes making deliveries myself. After all this effort, it hurts to be put down for growing. A business is meant to grow. I built this from scratch, nobody handed me anything,” he said.
Walcott also mentioned Lander phoned him to express regret over the threats, saying the remarks targeted the Mayor’s oversight, not Fusion East. But, according to Walcott, “he stopped short of apologizing for the allegations. You can’t play it both ways.”
Demanding Public Accountability
Assemblywoman Lucas insists on a thorough apology to Fusion East, its owner, and East New York residents. “This business symbolizes our district’s success,” she said. “When you attack Fusion East, you attack East New York.”
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