Outside Assemblymember Amanda Septimo’s district office at 505 Brook Avenue in the Bronx, Conservative Party District Leader and 84th Assembly District candidate Tyreek Goodman gathered with party members, advocates, and local residents on the campaign trail to protest New York State Assembly Bill A9284, legislation that would bring hard liquor and wine sales into neighborhood grocery stores.
Introduced by Septimo in the Assembly Economic Development Committee on January 7, 2026, Assembly Bill A9284 seeks to expand state licensing to allow grocery stores to sell liquor and wine for off-premises consumption.
Standing outside the assemblymember’s office, Goodman argued that flooding Bronx blocks with additional alcohol outlets ignores the actual needs of local families.
“Our communities do not need more access to liquor,” Goodman said. “We need more access to opportunity, mental health resources, youth programs, jobs, and support for families.”
Supporting Small Businesses Without Expanding Alcohol Access
Throughout the rally, Goodman pushed back against the argument that grocery stores and bodegas need liquor licenses to stay afloat or generate state tax revenue. Instead, he laid out an economic alternative focused on helping neighborhood grocers become profitable without relying on alcohol sales.
To keep local stores open, Goodman called on Albany to provide small businesses with tax credits, grants, microgrants, tax reductions, financial education, technical assistance, and business development programs. He also questioned how allowing supermarkets and corner stores to sell liquor and wine under Assembly Bill A9284 would hurt existing state-licensed liquor stores that play by current rules, while weakening safeguards designed to keep alcohol out of the hands of minors.
As the speeches continued on Brook Avenue, passersby stopped on the sidewalk to listen, clapping and cheering before stepping into the line to join the protest. Within minutes, the crowd broke into chants of “Books and jobs, not more booze!” and “Save our youth, kill the bill!” outside the legislative office.
Fellow Bronx District Leaders Join the Line
Joining Goodman on the sidewalk was Emmanuel Findlay Jr., the Conservative Party District Leader for the 79th Assembly District, who warned that neighborhoods in the Bronx are already saturated with corner stores.
“We will not be pacified!” Findlay shouted to the crowd.
Findlay argued that if state lawmakers need revenue, they should cut government waste and practice fiscal responsibility rather than expanding liquor access. With multiple bodegas operating on nearly every block, he noted, putting liquor on grocery shelves would place hard alcohol too close to schools and within easy reach of children.
Gary Lutz, the Conservative Party District Leader for the 78th Assembly District, also joined the protest in support of Goodman, saying he had not met a single resident who wanted the bill passed. Lutz added that the borough already has too many liquor outlets and needs community centers and safe after-school spaces where teenagers can stay active. While residents walking down Brook Avenue stopped to applaud the speakers, Lutz noted that the politicians inside the building did not appear to be listening.
A Broader Push Against Crime and Political Neglect
For Goodman, the demonstration on Brook Avenue was one stop in a string of rallies he has held across the Bronx at crime scenes and domestic violence vigils as neighborhood conditions worsen. He expressed frustration with elected officials who stay silent on daily street violence and only show up once a tragedy makes the news.
Although the general election concluded on November 3rd with Septimo winning reelection by a wide margin, Goodman said he has no regrets about stepping up to run. Noting that the Bronx Republican Party did not field a candidate in the 84th District or endorse his campaign, Goodman said he ran on the Conservative Party line to show Septimo and other local incumbents that residents will not sit quietly on the sidelines.
Goodman added that he never had the chance to debate his platform face-to-face with Septimo during the campaign because the assemblymember declined to debate him and did not step out of her office to address the protesters during the Brook Avenue rally.
Even with the election behind him, Goodman is continuing to campaign against Assembly Bill A9284 while pushing for legislative amendments and his own neighborhood platform, which includes his NYCHA Stability Act, his 10-Point Bronx Plan, and measures targeting teen gun violence.
“I’m putting all the Bronx politicians on notice,” Goodman said. “If you guys don’t pick it up, I’m going to put more candidates against you, hold more rallies, and just know that you may not see us, but we are coming. If I don’t take you down, better believe I’m training the next leader to.”
Goodman emphasized that his opposition to Assembly Bill A9284 and his broader activism come not out of aggression, but out of deep frustration over shootings and killings that seem to claim another life in the Bronx every week. Between recruiting new challengers for upcoming election cycles and organizing neighborhood rallies, he plans to keep pressing local lawmakers for immediate action before more lives are lost.
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