Rochester Fighters still rise from streets too many leaders have written off. Peter Vazquez sits down with Monroe County Legislator Mercedes Vazquez Simmons and Jay Gonzalez for a raw conversation about poverty, public trust, election integrity, youth violence, patriotism, socialist influence, and the future of America at 250.
This is not a partisan hour. It is a civic gut check rooted in God, Country, Family, truth, service, and the hard work of rebuilding neighborhoods before the next generation inherits decline.
Rochester still has fighters.
Not the kind made by cameras, committees, or campaign mailers. The kind made by streets that remember your name.
The kind made by mothers who reached for the belt before the state ever reached for a program. The kind made by church basements, block clubs, boxing gyms, front porches, public markets, old bakeries, Puerto Rican kitchens, police warnings, second chances, and the stubborn belief that a neighborhood is not dead just because too many leaders have treated it like a managed failure.
This conversation carried the smell of North Clinton Avenue, the memory of St. Michael’s, the shadow of Doña Belén Colón, and the sound of a people asking whether America still has enough moral backbone to remain America.
With Mercedes Vazquez Simmons in studio, Monroe County Legislator for District 22, and her brother Jay Gonzalez beside her, the issue was never simply one campaign, one party, one ballot line, or one local dispute.
The deeper issue was whether Rochester, and the nation behind it, can still tell the truth without breaking apart.
Rochester is not suffering from a shortage of speeches. It is suffering from a shortage of earned trust.
The city has about 206,108 residents, a poverty rate of 27.8%, and a median household income of $47,213. Nearly one in five residents is Hispanic or Latino.
This is not a city of statistics on paper. This is a city of families trying to survive the numbers.
The New York State Comptroller has warned that child poverty remains a severe crisis, with Rochester, Buffalo, and Syracuse carrying some of the heaviest burdens in the state. When children grow up surrounded by poverty, violence, weak schools, fractured homes, and political theater, the crisis does not stay private. It becomes public policy. It becomes crime data. It becomes school failure. It becomes addiction. It becomes hopelessness. It becomes the quiet theft of a generation.
That is why the conversation had to begin with God, Country, and Family. Not as a slogan. As a rescue plan.
The old neighborhoods understood something the modern political class keeps forgetting.
You cannot program your way out of a broken culture while mocking the foundations that once held families together.
You cannot tell young men they are victims forever and then act shocked when they never become builders.
You cannot preach compassion while keeping people dependent on systems that require their poverty to justify someone else’s paycheck.
There is money in poverty, and too many people have learned how to dress that ugly truth in beautiful language.
Mercedes said it plainly: some people want communities to remain poor because it justifies their agenda.
That is the nerve. That is the wound. That is where the Vanbōōlzalness Crisis shows its face.
It is not only deception. It is deception wearing the clothes of concern. It is calling dependency empowerment. It is calling political control community service. It is calling silence unity. It is calling a managed neighborhood a represented neighborhood. It is telling people they are seen while keeping them stuck exactly where they are.
Yet this hour did not come from bitterness. It came from love. Love for Rochester. Love for America. Love for a people whose identity is larger than party registration.
The broadcast pushed back against the small, insulting idea that Puerto Rican identity, Black identity, Hispanic identity, patriotism, conservatism, Democratic registration, or faith must fit into someone else’s approved box.
Jay Gonzalez said it with clarity: Puerto Ricans have been American citizens since 1917. The bloodline is Puerto Rican. The civic inheritance is American. The faith is real. The family is real. The patriotism is real.
That matters because America is approaching 250 years, and the question is no longer ceremonial. The question is not whether we can hang flags, sing songs, or stage public events. The question is whether we are still raising citizens who understand what the flag requires.
One caller remembered 1976, when the Bicentennial seemed to touch everything. Signs, roads, stores, windows, homes, a nation conscious of its own story. Now, with America’s 250th upon us, too many public spaces feel quiet, confused, or ashamed of the inheritance.
That silence is not neutral. When good people stop teaching the meaning of America, hostile ideologies do not politely wait outside. They walk in and teach something else.
That is why the socialist influencer clip mattered. Not because one internet personality is the whole threat, but because he revealed the method: organize the frustrated, flatter the angry, name the establishment as useless, promise a better future, and declare that a new politics is coming. He was not merely celebrating a win. He was preaching momentum.
Meanwhile, the old establishment tries to start chants from a podium and wonders why the room does not respond.
The people are not hungry for more political theater. They are hungry for truth with a spine.
Rochester’s crime numbers tell the same complicated story. WXXI reported that every category of crime fell in 2025, with some reaching 10-year lows. That is good and should be acknowledged.
But the gun related violence state of emergency continued. A falling number does not erase the fear of a grandmother on the porch, a business owner closing early, or a child who knows what gunfire sounds like before learning what civic peace feels like. Progress is real. So is pain. Leadership must be mature enough to hold both truths.
The broadcast also confronted election trust, because public confidence is sacred. Mercedes described what she believed was electioneering and why she filed a complaint. Her point was bigger than personal disappointment. It was about whether people still believe the process is honest. Once citizens think insiders bend rules, interpret laws for convenience, or use access as advantage, the system loses more than votes. It loses legitimacy.
That is why the answer cannot be rage. It must be renewal.
Rochester does not need more people who know how to use poverty. It needs people who know how to defeat it. It does not need more leaders who visit neighborhoods during campaigns and vanish after Election Day. It needs representatives who still walk into the laundromat, the church, the youth center, the shelter, and the street-level conversation.
It does not need young men managed by crisis systems until they turn eighteen and meet consequences too late. It needs mentors, trades, sports, fathers, mothers, pastors, business owners, veterans, and neighbors who step in before the street does.
This hour was not left versus right. It was roots versus rot.
It was a call to remember that America’s next 250 years will not be saved by slogans, influencers, resentment, or managed decline. It will be saved, if it is saved, by people willing to rebuild the old virtues in real places: faith over fear, family over fragmentation, work over dependency, courage over silence, truth over theater, and service over self.
Rochester still has fighters.
The question now is whether those fighters will stand early enough, speak clearly enough, and build faithfully enough for the next generation to inherit more than ruins.
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Peter Vazquez: Mira la izquierda, mira la derecha, ¿qué ves? In a world that seems to change daily, what will you do next?
Welcome to The Next Steps Show with Peter Vazquez, a starting point for discussion and a new direction.
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to The Next Steps Show. You know why? Because we seem to be walking around sometimes wondering what in the world is going on. That is why we have The Next Steps Show on the Voice of Liberty.
Mira aquí, mi gente. We are here to have discussions with you, whether you speak español, whether you speak English, whether you speak whatever it is you speak. You know why? Because it all begins in dialogue.
Republican, Democrat, Working Families, Conservative Party, you name it. It does not matter. If we are not talking, what are we really doing? Are we advancing only our personal agendas and political beliefs? Or are we saying, “Mira, I have a path forward. It does not quite align with yours, but let us talk”?
Some people may call that a political party. Here at home, and in our God, Country, and Family framework, we call that dialogue. We call it coming together.
Ladies and gentlemen, for today’s show, the lines are open. Call 585-346-3000 or toll-free 866-552-1009. For those of you down in the Southern Tier and way up north where the 585 area code does not reach, your perspective matters.
Somebody told me something once when I said, “Can we just pack up our bags and move out of the city to someplace quiet, surrounded by trees and birds?” A lot of people did that. But those trees and birds are now being drowned out regardless of where we are.
Ladies and gentlemen, freedom, God, Country, and Family. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson said yesterday, in essence, are we going to allow what we have built in this nation for nearly 250 years to be taken down by people whose interests are themselves or political agendas?
We are on social media: Facebook, YouTube, Rumble, X. You should definitely be calling in. You should definitely be asking questions.
Now check this out. Rochester, my hometown, where I grew up, where I walked the streets, where I was a knucklehead, where I hung out, maybe once in a while doing something naughty here and there, over on North Clinton Avenue, which in some cases has become a war zone.
But that city, the city that has changed so much in my 54 years, is still producing fighters.
Some of these fighters wear uniforms. Some raise familias. Some open businesses and serve in churches and shelters, helping people who just need that little extra. Some say, “Mira, we are going to change policy that impacts our neighborhood.”
Many of us grew up here. Some of us carry the weight of old neighborhoods on our bones and still believe those neighborhoods are worth saving, unlike some people in office who seem to say, “Let us just throw money in their direction to stop them from robbing the rest of us.” Is that really politics?
I invited somebody I have been talking about all week. She happens to be an extended family member of mine. We grew up together in Rochester. We hung out at St. Michael’s Church when I was an altar boy. We were around the same community circles. My mom and dad and her mom, the late Doña Belén Colón, were shaping our community.
Even after elections, Republicans and Democrats would come together and have conversations about the comunidad. Right now, people are not even talking.
Mercedes Vazquez Simmons is the legislator for District 22. She represents a district that includes historic neighborhoods such as the Public Market, Upper Falls, Marketview Heights, La Avenida, Grove Place, the Neighborhood of Play, and the East End. These are historic areas and economic generators in a city that seems to have forgotten that, regardless of how we register to vote, our hearts are still in the community.
Mercedes is on a phone call right now, sitting in the parking lot, handling business as she is supposed to be. With me today is somebody who knows her better than I do. He did not just play with her at St. Michael’s or hang out on La Avenida. This man has been by her side since she was born.
Hermano, I am excited to introduce you.
Jay Gonzalez: Gracias, gracias.
Peter Vazquez: Mercedes Vazquez Simmons’s brother, Jay Gonzalez. Older or younger?
Jay Gonzalez: Older.
Peter Vazquez: Older? A lot older or a little older?
Jay Gonzalez: A lot older.
Peter Vazquez: Well, you look good. Mercedes and I are around the same age. I know how old I am, which means she is a couple of years older.
Jay Gonzalez: Really?
Peter Vazquez: Yes, really. That Puerto Rican blood, huh?
I also have another gentleman here with us who is just hanging out, representing and wearing a War on Terror memorial shirt, volunteering on the campaign and providing strategy. But you are dark-skinned though.
Jay Gonzalez: Well, that is the beauty of the Puerto Rican community, is it not? You could be as blond as someone from Germany or Europe, or you could be as dark as someone from Africa. The Puerto Rican community consists of three races: the Spanish, the Indian, and the African. We carry that with pride, whether you are dark, blond-haired with green eyes, or mulatto as I am.
Peter Vazquez: Why do Puertorriqueños here in the United States, on the mainland, and Puertorriqueños on the island see things differently sometimes? We are all American citizens.
Jay Gonzalez: Culturally, there are some differences because living on an island creates a different cultural experience.
Peter Vazquez: Absolutely. On the mainland, especially here in New York, you do not hear as much about the three different cultures. You are either Black or white. More recently, people started using “Black and brown people.”
Jay Gonzalez: Yes, and I am a culprit of that. I use it too. But I do not like it because I did not come out of a box of crayons. That is always my response. I did not come out of a box of Crayolas. I am proud to be an American of Puerto Rican ethnic background. That is how I look at it.
Peter Vazquez: So am I. Mira, I am about the same color as you.
Jay Gonzalez: And my mother wielded that belt like a sword. When she stood up and went for that belt, all of us looked at each other and said, “Man, we messed up.” It is a common thing among Hispanic households. The mother wields a sword.
Peter Vazquez: Yes, she does. Dad does not know anything until she says it.
Let me quote Mercedes, and I want your opinion. You grew up here. I think this is the first time we have met.
Jay Gonzalez: Yes, it is.
Peter Vazquez: Mateo, her other brother, is a phenomenal guy.
Jay Gonzalez: Yes, he is. I used to take him to school every day.
Peter Vazquez: Another guy who loves God and loves our country. You look at everybody we grew up with, and again, these are the circles.
Before I read this quote, I think it is funny. We all grew up in the same neighborhood. We walked the same streets. One day, I grew up and said, “I believe more in a philosophy and ideology centered in the Constitution, more conservative, more focused on God, Country, and Family in that order.”
Jay Gonzalez: Hispanics and Blacks are conservative for the most part. If you look at the households, they are God-fearing people. They are conservative people. Some have strayed from those beliefs, but for the most part I would say Hispanics, including Puerto Ricans, are very conservative cultures.
Peter Vazquez: Jay, I worked with just about every leader in the city of Rochester over 54 years on great projects and community efforts. I never stopped. Then one day I announced that I was a registered Republican. All of a sudden, I was not Puerto Rican anymore.
Jay Gonzalez: Apparently. That is very sad. I am sorry for that.
Peter Vazquez: One of my friends even said, “Now you are just a white guy stuck in a Puerto Rican boy’s body.” I said, “What changed? I am still Peter Vazquez. I am still the knucklehead from Clinton Avenue that RPD had to remind had a mom and dad. They would say, ‘Do I need to call your mom and dad?’ That was all that was needed back then.”
Jay Gonzalez: That was all that was needed.
Peter Vazquez: Then I became a Republican, and suddenly I am no longer Puerto Rican according to them. I am just a white guy stuck in a Spanish body. But your sister is dealing with similar issues, and she is not a registered Republican. She just cares about her community.
She said this: “I was born here and have lived here my entire life. It is my honor to continue to serve my neighbors and our community with commitment and pride.”
That is a leader.
Ladies and gentlemen, soy yo, Peter Vazquez, right here on the Voice of Liberty, WYSL and WLEA. The lines are open: 585-346-3000. Social media is hot. Give us a call. We will be right back.
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Peter Vazquez: Peter Vazquez, The Next Steps Show on the Voice of Liberty. Mira, ladies and gentlemen, I hope you are dancing un poquito on this Friday. Tonight at 7:30, set all worries aside. Crank up the show when you replay it.
God is good. Welcome back to The Next Steps Show, amigos y amigas. Guys, we have a caller. We have Keith. Keith, thank you for calling.
Keith: Good afternoon. In the words of Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, we have some bad people from the New York City area going in, true Marxists and Islamists. You have a couple of guys there, Peter, who are of Hispanic background like yourself?
Peter Vazquez: Yes, straight from the island. They are here in the studio.
Keith: People should understand something about Hispanic males and the word machismo. The United States Marine Corps is now 26% Hispanic. That means if you see four U.S. Marines walking down the street, in all probability one may be Hispanic or Latino.
In past generations of Americans, we did not have to put up with and be fed all of this communist claptrap. People do not want to pick up the gun. I want to ask all of you Hispanic males, with your strong family values, what are we going to do here?
I have advocated before, and people have laughed, saying I am going nuts because I am advocating an open shooting civil war. I want to know from Hispanic males with strong family values: are you going to sit back and allow communists and Islamists to take over the United States of America?
As the Hispanic population grows, Hispanics like Marco Rubio are rising. We have a Cuban-American as Secretary of State. Every Hispanic should know that your participation in American society is only going to grow. Are you going to sit back, or will you join people like me who want to pick up the gun and fully take out the left before they destroy our country?
Peter Vazquez: Keith, I appreciate the call. Let me explain this a little bit, because sometimes when we hear language like that, people say, “Here we go, ultra-conservative,” or it sounds crazy. But what Keith is saying, and he is not wrong in the broader concern, needs to be addressed carefully.
Jay Gonzalez: I understand. I am Latino. I am Puerto Rican, and I served in the Army for four years and in the Marine Corps for thirteen. I will answer your question.
I do not think you were speaking literally about taking up arms. We have to be clear about that. We are talking about people coming into the country who have dual loyalty. That is where the problem arises. When you come into this country, you should become part of the fabric of the great United States of America. That is why you came here. You wanted the liberties afforded to Americans, the benefits, and the American dream.
I do not think we are going to take up arms in the literal sense and start shooting people. I think we are talking about educating people who are here: native-born American citizens or naturalized Americans. Puerto Ricans have been American citizens since 1917, so we are already part of the fabric of the United States of America.
What we need to do is educate our voters and not allow the nonsense taking place in the United States today to take hold. Patriotic people in the United States need to stand up. We have become complacent.
Peter Vazquez: When I started this show almost four and a half years ago, I looked at every station and every platform. I wanted to have an impact in the community that changed hearts and minds, a balance of faith, politics, and entrepreneurship. I chose this station because we are the Voice of Liberty. It is not left or right here. It is the yellow flag with the snake that says, “Don’t Tread on Me.”
That gets me, because if BLM were real, that would have been their flag. It literally says, “Get your foot off my neck.”
Let me ask you a tough question that I know Keith and my listeners want to know. Based on what you just said, a lot of people find this almost an oxymoron: can a Democrat be truly patriotic?
Jay Gonzalez: Of course. People have forgotten the Kennedy Democrats. They loved this country. People have forgotten about that.
Peter Vazquez: I agree with you. That is why I bring people like you, your cousin, and your sister on, because people need to know what is happening on the left.
The Mamdanis and the socialists are part of this conversation. I coined a phrase here called the Vanbōōlzalness Crisis. Mercedes and I, in our political experiences, have seen it. What happens is that people sit there and do very little while using race and skin color as their path to power.
Jay Gonzalez: I have had the opportunity to participate in some of those sessions, and I have seen how it takes hold.
Peter Vazquez: Let me bring up a number here. New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli reported that New York’s child poverty rate was 18.8%, representing about 735,000 children in New York State.
There is also a Cuban man here legally named Joseph Hernandez who is running as a Republican. He is wealthy enough to fund his own campaign so taxpayers do not pay. Worth looking at. These are people getting beat up by other Hispanic groups because we say we stand behind Latinos, but some will not stand with him simply because he is Republican.
Jay Gonzalez: You would hope Latinos stand behind Latinos, but that is not always the case.
Peter Vazquez: It should not be just because someone is Latino.
Jay Gonzalez: Right. But if you have a Latino who meets the other criteria and is in the best interest of my children’s future, party lines do not matter.
Peter Vazquez: Your sister represents one of the poorest communities in New York State.
Jay Gonzalez: Correct. Legislative District 22 is the poorest district in New York State.
Peter Vazquez: It is also about 30% Hispanic.
Jay Gonzalez: Yes.
Peter Vazquez: Tell me about the 137th District. Both of you worked strategy in this campaign. What is the demographic breakdown there?
Jay Gonzalez: The 137th is predominantly Black, but it also includes Gates. Once Gates comes into the fold, it becomes a whole different ball game.
Peter Vazquez: That has been a stronghold for a long time. How do we change that?
Jay Gonzalez: You can attribute much of it to low voter turnout.
Peter Vazquez: We have covered that a lot. But what about voter integrity?
Jay Gonzalez: There is always something to see.
Peter Vazquez: Explain that.
Jay Gonzalez: They play games. It is called la maquinaria. When you are up against an incumbent or la maquinaria, all kinds of things tend to happen. Mercedes came up with a second ballot, Mercedes Cares, and she got on the ballot after a long battle. Statistically, it was very hard to believe that 50% of her signatures were not correct.
Peter Vazquez: Ladies and gentlemen, I leave you with this question before break: Can a Democrat, as we know them today, truly be patriotic? Jay says yes. We will be right back on The Next Steps Show on the Voice of Liberty, WYSL and WLEA. Do not forget to call.
Peter Vazquez: Peter Vazquez, The Next Steps Show on the Voice of Liberty.
Rochester produces fighters. They always have. Mira, look at me out here. Peter Vazquez is a fighter. Open up that bathroom door, take a look in that mirror, and say, “I am a fighter.”
If you were born and raised in the city of Rochester and happen to have darker skin, look in that mirror and say, “Soy Americano.” That is it. All day. Peel the skin off and what do you have? A bunch of people walking around with the same colored muscles and the same blood.
“I was born here and have lived here my entire life.” Ladies and gentlemen, Jay Gonzalez, brother of Mercedes Vazquez Simmons, thank you for coming in today.
Jay Gonzalez: You are welcome.
Peter Vazquez: We have a caller. Mike, thank you for calling.
Mike: Good afternoon, gentlemen. How are you?
Peter Vazquez: Pretty good.
Mike: I love Keith’s spirit. I will give him that. There is something that can be done right now. Post our American flags. Show these communists and liberals that we are out here.
This is the 250th anniversary of America. I am older. I remember 1976. The whole year, 1776 was literally on everything you saw going down the roads, in stores, everywhere. Nothing this year. This is the 250th anniversary. No wonder these people think they can get away with this.
Peter Vazquez: They are getting away with it because we are letting them.
Mike: Correct. People are leaving. They are not going out and voting. They are not protesting. They have these “No Kings” rallies. Let us have a pro-American rally. Fly the American flag.
Peter Vazquez: A patriotism rally.
Mike: There you go. Patriotism to the United States of America.
Peter Vazquez: Mike, I appreciate your call. I always do. Lines are open at 585-346-3000.
Jay, I saw something funny. July Fourth, the 250th birthday of this nation. You know what Democrats in Rochester are doing?
Jay Gonzalez: I have no idea.
Peter Vazquez: They are having a “No Kings” rally.
Jay Gonzalez: That is interesting.
Peter Vazquez: It is interesting to do that on the 250th anniversary of a nation that does not have kings. If we did have kings, we would not be having a Fourth of July, and we surely would not be having a “No Kings” protest.
Mercedes Vazquez Simmons is here, representative for LD22, the poorest district in this great state of ours, whose motto is “Ever Upward.” Her brother Jay Gonzalez is here. Two Vazquezes and a Gonzalez walk into a radio studio. What do you get?
Jay Gonzalez: Greatness. Conversations. That is what is missing in government: conversations and dialogue. We can agree to disagree, but as long as the eye is on progress, that is where we win as a community.
Peter Vazquez: What I love about Monroe County is that many people looked at our voting process and said, “I am not going to register Republican and I am not going to register Democrat.” That group of people represents Monroe County and decides what happens. We just have to make sure they come out to vote.
Mercedes, you walked in at the perfect time because I am going to play a cut. We talked earlier about understanding God, Country, and Family. I explained to Jay that I coined a phrase here called the Vanbōōlzalness Crisis.
I do not think people like Meeks are the true problem. I think they are just pigs at a trough. There are Republicans who fit that bill too. The real problem is the influence falling on our young people. The real problem is social media influencers shaping America in a way that does not even jibe with you as a Democrat today.
This clip shows an influencer who reaches millions in the United States saying that Democrats like you are the problem. Bob, play cut three.
Audio Cut 3 — Hasan Piker: They are calling it a sweep. They are calling it the sweep that the Knicks could not make. That is what they are saying. That is what I have heard. We were able to go out. We were able to turn out. We were able to knock on doors. And we were able to get voters to realize that a better future is possible.
Those do-nothing Democrats that have spent decades upon decades sitting on their comfortable thrones, collecting paychecks from corporate donations and foreign lobbies, better recognize that a new politics is coming to the rest of the country, because every single victory that Americans see gives them confidence that a better future is possible.
Peter Vazquez: Mercedes, I have played that clip three or four times this week because that underlines the problem we are facing as a nation that understands God, Country, and Family. You and I have talked, and your brother affirmed earlier, that God, Country, and Family is part of our DNA in Black and brown communities. It is part of being Americano.
The Democratic Socialists of America surpassed 100,000 people in early 2026. The problem is that people are not coming together after elections anymore, regardless of who won, regardless of party lines, especially in the district you represent, which is the poorest district and completely ignored because of politics.
You and I grew up in the same neighborhood. It was not until one day I said, “Yes, I am a Republican and I am running for office,” that all of a sudden I was not Puerto Rican anymore. You are dealing with similar things, and you are not a registered Republican. You believe in your community, God, Country, and Family. This is a problem.
Mercedes Vazquez Simmons: I think what we are seeing now in our community is political apathy. People have lost faith in the process. People have seen things at the poll booths, and I do not know whether you talked about what occurred and what my claim is.
Peter Vazquez: Very little. I wanted to leave it to you.
Mercedes Vazquez Simmons: We definitely need to talk about that because it adds to the distrust we are seeing in our communities. I am seeing Republicans changing their registration to blank. I am seeing Democrats changing their registration to blank. That itself is the message. People have lost trust in us as elected officials.
My commitment has been, and will always be, that I am going to be as honest as I am. It does not matter who it is.
Peter Vazquez: I have seen that. Last year, even the county executive was cutting you out of circles because you are honest.
Mercedes Vazquez Simmons: Here is the thing: I am my own circle. I came into politics unplanned, unsponsored. I came in as a voice.
Peter Vazquez: As a mother. That is the only one you need.
Mercedes Vazquez Simmons: That is right. I came in trying to be as honest as I can be. These are the needs in our communities, and they are not being addressed. I spoke directly to the people, which rarely happens in my district. You have to get down and stay at street level, having conversations with people about their needs. I am not going to tell people what their needs are or what their concerns should be. I want to hear directly from them. That is called representing.
Peter Vazquez: Imagine that.
Mercedes Vazquez Simmons: It is going door to door. It is going to the wash house. It is going to churches and being where people are. As you mentioned, we are one of the poorest districts and one of the poorest ZIP codes. I know what that is. I was born and raised in it. I know what poverty is. But I also see another side: how do we uplift this community? Sadly, many people want to keep us in poverty because it justifies their agenda.
Peter Vazquez: There is a lot of money in poverty. We have a call. Stan, thank you for calling The Next Steps Show.
Stan: Gracias. Is this Peter?
Peter Vazquez: It is.
Stan: This is Stan May. How are you doing?
Peter Vazquez: All right. Stan from Rochester, New York.
Stan: You told the guy you are conservative, and all of a sudden you are not Puerto Rican anymore. I was laughing. How ridiculous is that? That seems to be the era we are living in now. Because you are a grown man and believe in common sense, suddenly you are not your nationality. I am sure your roots go back to Puerto Rico or Spain, but because you believe in common sense, you are not Spanish?
Peter Vazquez: Stan, you have called before and shared similar sentiments. Before I let you go, can a Democrat be patriotic?
Stan: I personally think anybody can be patriotic. Democrats seem to be angry. Truth being told, I trace it back to insecurity, boredom, and entitlement.
Peter Vazquez: I trace it back to the leftist agenda, Stan. I grew up right there on La Avenida. I grew up around Joseph and Hudson, and I saw a thriving community with Andy’s Candies. Every corner had a bakery, comida Latina, alcapurrias, morcilla, everything. What do we see now? We saw the Puerto Rican parade threatened last year with bloodshed, and Mayor Malik Evans canceled the parade.
We will be right back, right here on The Next Steps Show.
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Peter Vazquez: Peter Vazquez, The Next Steps Show on the Voice of Liberty.
Welcome back. Aquí en studio tengo Jay Gonzalez, hermano, brother to Mercedes Vazquez Simmons, legislator for LD22 in Rochester. Guys, welcome.
Mercedes Vazquez Simmons: Thank you for having us.
Peter Vazquez: I want to play a quick cut. This is more entertaining than anything. I am going to pick on your party for a minute because you are here, and I figured it would give it a little more punch. Bob, when you are ready with cut one.
Audio Cut 1 — Kathy Hochul: Let’s go, Buffalo. Let’s go, Buffalo. Let’s go, Buffalo. All right, seriously? Men and women of labor, you know what I am talking about. All right, we have to give this place some good karma, right?
Peter Vazquez: I am sorry, Mercedes, but hocus pocus does not bring karma anywhere she goes. She was at a press conference, and when she did that, nobody responded.
Mercedes Vazquez Simmons: That is interesting. That is the first time I am hearing that clip, so you are catching me off guard. In politics, as I mentioned, I went door to door, and I had Republicans and Democrats tell me they hate both parties. They hate everything because of the nonsense and craziness happening. We have to get ourselves back in order as a country because right now we are divided. We are going to fall as a country if we continue this division. We have to figure out how to get back on track.
Peter Vazquez: The first thing we need to remember, regardless of party affiliation, skin color, or any of that nonsense, is that we need to work hard and play hard. You and I grew up in the poorest neighborhood that you represent today, but we are not stuck there.
What I do not understand is why so many people keep telling the people we represent, and their children and grandchildren, that dependency is the way to go. There is money in poverty. I ran for office, and I know what happens when Vanbōōlzalness happens behind the curtains. I have been talking about it all week. The Board of Elections told you, essentially, “Nothing to see here. Keep moving.”
I had a guest yesterday who showed that election integrity is still an issue.
Mercedes Vazquez Simmons: I experienced it firsthand. As your listeners may know, I ran for New York State Assembly in the Democratic primary. What we witnessed was a classic case of electioneering. This was an elected official who was on the ballot. Not only was she on the ballot, her boss was on the ballot, and she was also an elected official in the district where she was helping or assisting.
Peter Vazquez: But the Board of Elections said she did not do anything wrong, even though they discourage it.
Mercedes Vazquez Simmons: The laws are written, and people often say, “It is vague.” It is vague because that is their opinion. Everyone is putting in their own interpretation. But the law is very clear.
Peter Vazquez: You called me. The law is very clear.
Mercedes Vazquez Simmons: That is why I filed a complaint with the Attorney General’s Office. I do not care what party you are in or what nationality you are. If you are doing something illegal, that does not fit how I am going to operate. I will call it out.
We have to be very careful. In politics, everyone wants to be the rubber stamper. I am not that person. I was elected by the people. They placed their trust in me, and I will not let them down.
We can look at ARPA. People say, “Well, you are the ARPA person.” Yes, absolutely.
Peter Vazquez: That is what you got shut out over.
Mercedes Vazquez Simmons: That is okay. If being in those circles means I have to turn a blind eye to fraud, that is not going to happen. Do not count on me for that. That is not what I signed up for.
Jay Gonzalez: ARPA is what kicked over the apple cart. Everyone was fine until the curtain was pulled on that ARPA funding.
Peter Vazquez: That kind of language kept me at arm’s length from Republicans when I held them accountable too, because they were in charge at the time and we asked questions. That is happening to you.
This elected person, Rose Bonnick, is your counterpart. You both represent similar districts.
Jay Gonzalez: I want to piggyback on something Mercedes said. Her excuse went through many stages. First it was, “You are attacking a Black lady,” and all these things. Then one explanation was that she was helping her community with a language barrier.
Peter Vazquez: The Jamaican community.
Jay Gonzalez: The Jamaican community. They have been speaking English for hundreds of years.
Peter Vazquez: And again, this is me saying this, not you. The White House identified the Jamaican community in Rochester as a community with fraud concerns, similar to Minneapolis with the Somalis.
Mercedes Vazquez Simmons: I am not going to say anything like that. Rochester has a beautiful, diverse community. Jamaicans are beautiful people. They are hardworking, just like Latinos. I do not like generalizing.
Often when I knock on doors, people say, “Democrats want to take away my Second Amendment rights.” I say, “Wait a minute. I am a gun owner.” Those generalizations do not help anyone.
Peter Vazquez: You are a gun owner? How can you be a gun owner?
Mercedes Vazquez Simmons: Exactly. Those are the comments.
Peter Vazquez: Can a Democrat be patriotic?
Mercedes Vazquez Simmons: Of course they can. I have someone on social media who says they cannot, ideologically. That is ridiculous. Those stereotypes hurt us as a nation. You cannot say everyone is this or that because that is not the case.
I believe in law and order. I support law enforcement. I care about the impact of bail reform on our community. I see the positives and the negatives. But I live in this environment. No one can tell me it is okay for a person with a gun to be running around our streets. No one wants that. And who are you going to call when you see it?
Peter Vazquez: Let me get your opinion on a quote from Willie Lightfoot, quoted by Gino Fanelli at WXXI News. Willie Lightfoot said, “People’s perception does not match the numbers.” He was referring to homicide numbers. Talk to me, because you do not just represent one of the poorest districts with high crime. You still live there.
Mercedes Vazquez Simmons: Yes. I am right off La Avenida on Glen Avenue. I stayed in the city. About five or six years ago, I moved back in with my mom to help her with her health issues. I moved back not only for my mother but for the community, and decided I would run in that community and stay there.
There is so much to unpack. We see it and live it. We see the crimes. The numbers do not match what is happening in our communities. The shootings are increasing. We are losing our youth. The youth need mentorship. They need programs that help with mentorship and educate young people about accountability. At some point, once they turn eighteen, reality will hit.
Peter Vazquez: I have one last question. Then I want you to tell people how they can get a hold of you and help.
Is the goal, as a legislator, regardless of where you are and maybe even as mayor someday, fewer shootings, or a city where young men never reach for a gun in the first place unless it is a legal gun?
Mercedes Vazquez Simmons: Absolutely the latter. I run a youth center right off North Clinton Avenue. Every day I deal with impacted young people. We try to steer them toward sports. If it is vocational or trades, let us get them into something. Let us change the narrative and the stereotype of our community.
Peter Vazquez: What is your website?
Mercedes Vazquez Simmons: Mercedes2026.com.
Peter Vazquez: And you are going to be on the ballot for the 137th?
Mercedes Vazquez Simmons: Absolutely.
Peter Vazquez: And the ballot line is?
Mercedes Vazquez Simmons: It is an independent line: Mercedes Cares.
Peter Vazquez: Ladies and gentlemen, be a leader. Be a leader. Be a leader. God bless these United States of America, and never let a second go by where you are not a voice for liberty.
Monroe County Legislator for the 22nd Legislative District and Assistant Minority Leader
Assistant Minority Leader Mercedes Vazquez Simmons proudly serves the 22nd Legislative District in the Northeast Quadrant of Rochester, her birthplace. Her district encompasses historic areas such as the Public Market Neighborhood, Upper Falls, MarketView Heights, La Avenida, Grove Place, the Neighborhood of Play, and the East End. These areas boast assets like El Camino Trail, Eastman School of Music, Genesee Brewery, Rochester Public Market, and the Strong Museum.
Deeply aware of her district's challenges, Mercedes focuses on career and economic development, and addressing housing disparities. She serves on the Ways and Means Committee and the Recreation and Education Committee, and is also a member of the Fire Advisory Board and the Consortium for Safe Communities Committee.
Her years of service include roles as Vice-President of Friends of St. Michael’s, Treasurer of the Afro-Latino Dance Group, President of The New York Immigration Coalition, Vice-President of the North Clinton Ave Business Association, Treasurer of Center City Boxing Club, and Co-Founder of Latino Voter Protection, Inc. and Los Flamboyanes Book/Literacy Club. She has also been the Secretary of the Fien Street Block Club, a member of the North Clinton Ave Block Club, a Board Member of Hope Dealers and the National Society of Hispanic MBAs, and a volunteer outreach coordinator for the Hispanic Community Center for Seniors.
Previously, she was the President of the School of the Arts PTSA. Professionally, Mercedes teaches at Franklin High School RCSD, is a licensed Combat …Read More