U.S. Chamber of Commerce Targets City-Run Grocers in East Harlem

Neil Bradley, the Chamber’s chief policy officer, will stand alongside 103 Deli & Grocery owner Pharsu Ram Panthi at 3:00 p.m. to argue that public sector competition undermines private enterprise. The event, part of the broader "New Fight for Free Enterprise" initiative, seeks to leverage the visibility of local shop owners to push back against city-led retail projects. Joining the discussion is Mark Jaffe of the Multicultural Business Coalition, who will represent the regional chamber’s stance against government intervention in the retail market.

This stop is one of many in a six-week, multi-state tour designed to influence the national conversation on economic development. By choosing a specific New York bodega as the backdrop, the organization aims to ground its ideological defense of free markets in the tangible struggle of a single storefront. The group intends to use these localized media availabilities to build a coalition of business owners against state-subsidized commercial competition.