A well-known Brooklyn pastor is calling for the resignation of an NYC-DSA co-chair over questions regarding his family’s real estate holdings, housing practices, and union credentials, raising broader questions about whether the organization applies the same standards to its own leadership that it demands of others.
The controversy centers on Gustavo Gordillo, a 38-year-old co-chair of the Democratic Socialists of America’s New York City chapter. Gordillo receives a salary of approximately $95,000 from the organization, according to available reports.
Rev. Kevin McCall, a Brooklyn-based activist who works with residents of New York City Housing Authority properties, outlined five specific concerns about Gordillo’s personal housing arrangements and public positions.
What Happened
Gordillo’s parents purchased a roughly 2,000-square-foot row house in Brooklyn’s Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood in 2019 through an entity called Chucuito LLC for just under $1 million. The property has since been valued at approximately $1.5 million, according to reporting. Property records also show that Gordillo’s parents own two additional residences in Florida—one in Weston and another in Boca Raton—with combined values around $6 million.
McCall has alleged that the Bedford-Stuyvesant property was converted from a two-family home into a single-family residence, a change he argues reduces housing availability in a historically Black neighborhood experiencing an affordability crisis. He has also questioned whether Gordillo has been transparent about his residency at the property and whether he has been paying rent to his parents while living there.
Court filings reveal that Gordillo is facing a housing court lawsuit over three unpaid rent payments of $2,500 each related to a Crown Heights apartment he rented while the townhouse underwent renovation. Additionally, McCall raised questions about whether Gordillo’s public image as a union electrician aligns with his actual credentials, noting that union records show he never completed the requirements to become a fully credentialed electrician.
The Reaction
“The Democratic Socialists of America have become the Double Standards of America, demanding transparency, fairness, and accountability from everyone else while ignoring serious questions about one of their own,” McCall said in a statement. “The allegations surrounding NYC chapter co-chair Gustavo Gordillo raise troubling questions about whether he misled working-class New Yorkers about where he lived, how he obtained housing, and his labor credentials.”
McCall has also questioned whether union labor was used during renovations to the Bedford-Stuyvesant property and demanded that DSA leadership address what he characterized as a fundamental contradiction between the organization’s stated mission and Gordillo’s personal practices. “At a time when NYCHA residents are living with mold, leaks, broken elevators, and apartments in desperate need of repair, it is unacceptable for a leader who claims to fight for housing justice to be connected to a luxury renovation that is reducing housing opportunities for Black residents in a historically Black Brooklyn community,” McCall said.
McCall has indicated he plans to organize “days of action” with clergy members and NYCHA residents if the DSA does not respond to his concerns. Neither Gordillo nor representatives of NYC-DSA have publicly addressed McCall’s allegations.
What This Means
The dispute raises questions about internal accountability within organizations that prioritize social justice messaging. The contrast between Gordillo’s position as a co-chair of an organization focused on housing equity and his family’s substantial real estate holdings presents a test case for how activist organizations manage potential conflicts between their public positions and members’ personal circumstances.
For NYC-DSA, which has expanded its influence in local and national Democratic politics in recent years, the controversy may prompt internal discussions about transparency and leadership standards. The unresolved questions about Gordillo’s union status, his family’s property holdings, and the pending housing court case remain central to the dispute and may determine how the organization responds to McCall’s public call for his resignation.
