Students from Leaders High School in Brooklyn gathered on the steps of the Tweed Courthouse in lower Manhattan on Tuesday, April 8, demanding that Mayor Eric Adams reverse what they described as “harmful budget cuts to critical public services.”
Leaders High School is located at 2630 Benson Ave. in Brooklyn.

The rally was part of the Fiscal Year 2026 People’s Budget Campaign led by The People’s Plan, calling for “a just and equitable city budget that centers communities instead of special interests.”

“Today, I’m proud to stand as your MC and speak on behalf of our school community,” said Marely, a student at Leaders High School, when opening the rally. “Together, with the People’s Plan, we’re fighting for affordable futures for families and real public safety for all New Yorkers.

“We reject the budget cuts and mass deportations happening under both the Trump administration and Mayor Eric Adams,” Marley added. “We demand full funding for 3K, CUNY, immigrant protections, and mental health services — because our future depends on it.”

Zara Nasir, director of The People’s Plan and the People’s Budget Campaign, emphasized the stake.
“Mayor Adams’ relentless budget cuts are not just numbers on a spreadsheet — they are direct attacks on the futures of immigrant students and families across this city,” Nasir said. “Slashing funding for education while our communities are already under-resourced is a cruel choice, not a fiscal necessity.

“As director of The People’s Plan and the People’s Budget campaign, I stand with young people demanding real investment in their schools, their safety, and their futures. New York must choose care, not cuts,” Nasir added.

The rally featured testimony from students and advocates. It was joined by Council Members Alexa Avilés, Jen Gutiérrez, Shahana Hanif, and allies from the Professional Staff Congress and Alliance for Quality Education, as well as Public Advocate Jumaane Williams.

Nasir said Leaders High School, a small, project-based public school with a diverse student body—including large immigrant communities from Pakistan, Mexico, Uzbekistan, China, and Russia—is directly impacted by these budget decisions.

Students lifted their lived experiences and called on city leadership to invest in a vision of New York City that prioritizes education from 3K to CUNY, mental health care, immigrant protections, and housing-first strategies as the foundation of proper public safety.

“This youth-led action builds on five months of advocacy through the People’s Budget Campaign, which is pushing back against an austerity agenda and demanding a budget rooted in #CareNotCuts,” Nasir said.