NOTE: This piece first appeared on NYNewsPress.com.
By Rick LaRivière, M. Thomas Nast, and Frankie Pressman with Richard Luthmann and Michael Volpe
The Firestorm Ignites
Council Member Kamillah Hanks is facing the biggest crisis of her political career—and Muslim leaders are demanding she publicly apologize.
On June 18, the Islamic Leadership Council of New York, known as Majlis Ash-Shura NY, issued a blistering letter to Hanks calling out her “retaliation and religious discrimination” against Muslim staffers.
The letter doesn’t mince words: “Islamophobia has no place abroad, no place in our city, and absolutely no place in our City Council.”
It continues: “We demand an immediate public apology—both to the Muslim staff impacted and to the broader Muslim community in New York City.”
The group, representing over 90 mosques and Muslim institutions citywide, cited Hanks’s refusal to support a ceasefire in Gaza and her controversial trip to Israel “during an active genocide.”
But it was the revelations of workplace abuse that pushed community leaders to act.
On The Unknown Podcast, journalist Richard Luthmann said, “Had I known what I know now about this woman and her husband, I never would’ve gotten involved. They are despicable people.”
Luthmann was formerly their family lawyer and is suing Hanks and her husband, Kevin Barry Love, for being “deadbeats.”
Hanks’s racist and biased actions—and her silence—have enraged community leaders, voters, and former staff.
And with the Democratic primary looming, the damage may be irreparable.
Kamillah Hanks Islamophobia Outrage: The Whistleblowers That Lit the Match
Luthmann and co-host Michael Volpe unpacked devastating whistleblower interviews in a no-holds-barred segment of The Unknown Podcast. Three former and current staffers revealed a pattern of Islamophobia, retaliation, and discrimination.
“I have the staffers on tape,” Luthmann said. “I’ve handed the recordings over to the authorities. This goes far beyond ‘office drama.’”
He continued, “They mocked Staffer 1, a practicing Muslim, for his prayer schedule. Marci Bishop, the Chief of Staff, would roll her eyes and say, ‘Is he praying again?’”
When Staffer 1 missed work for Eid, Hanks texted: “UNACCEPTABLE. THIS IS WHY I CAN’T TRUST YOU.”
The abuse wasn’t limited to religious harassment. Staffer 3, a Black woman from the community and a former anti-violence organizer, was smeared as “gang-affiliated.”
Hanks’s justification? She worked with True2Life, the same group Hanks funds and whose founder, Malcolm Penn, she endorsed for District Leader.
“This is about silencing whistleblowers,” said Luthmann. “It’s about political control, not community service. It’s also probably mental illness. I believe Kamillah and Kevin are narcissists and sociopaths.”
Racial Slurs, Housing Hate, and Cuomo’s Silence
Hanks and Bishop didn’t just target Muslims. Former staff say they routinely disparaged low-income constituents, especially those in NYCHA housing and Park Hill.
“They weren’t OUR voters,” Hanks reportedly said. “They got along before WE came along. THEY will survive.”
Staff were allegedly instructed to stop providing baby formula, winter clothing, and other aid to residents in those neighborhoods.
Bishop and Hanks also used racial slurs.
“They called people in the office the N-word,” said one Staffer. “Marci once said, ‘I’m not the N-word whisperer.’ That alone should be disqualifying.”
They mocked staffer Paul Casali as a “cracker” after he was fired for drunkenness and stealing campaign funds, only to bring him back to help with Hanks’s re-election.
Autistic staffer Michael Arvanites was called “special,” “slow,” and “on the spectrum.”
Meanwhile, Andrew Cuomo, whom Hanks endorsed for mayor, has remained silent.
“Cuomo is the sexual harassment poster boy,” said Luthmann. “Kamillah Hanks runs her office the same way—with cruelty, discrimination, and total impunity.”
Kamillah Hanks Islamophobia Outrage: Investigations and Insider Fallout
Multiple investigative bodies are now circling the Hanks operation. Complaints have been filed with city, state, and federal agencies—copies of which this outlet has received and reviewed.
Hanks and her husband, Kevin Barry Love, are at the center of it all. Love posted a Game of Thrones-style threat against activist Ibrahim Kurtulus after Kurtulus supported a Muslim candidate challenging Hanks.
“You will be remembered… Winter is Coming,” Love wrote ominously, referencing Hanks’ challenger, Abou Sy Diakhate, a Muslim man.
The Staten Island District Attorney’s office and DA Mike McMahon were copied on emails where NYC agencies confirmed they are investigating the threat.
McMahon’s office has yet to confirm an independent investigation, and McMahon hasn’t publicly distanced himself from his political machine’s support of Hanks, particularly in ballot access challenges.
McMahon, a longtime Hanks ally, has been silent.
“He sent his political enforcer Carmen Cognetta to help her campaign,” said Luthmann. “McMahon’s team is propping up people under active investigation for religious discrimination, bias, threats, and more. And it gets even worse because of Hanks and Love’s ties to drug lord Ettore Mazzei, who McMahon is currently prosecuting. ”
Speaker Adrienne Adams’s office is also under fire.
Her labor counsel, Abid Hossain, blocked staffers from escalating complaints.
“They hit a wall,” Luthmann said. “It’s all politics—nobody wants controversy before the mayoral election. The irony is that the Speaker ran to stop Cuomo, but her lack of commitment to workplace safety and anti-discrimination can only be described as Cuomo-esque.”
Kamillah Hanks Islamophobia Outrage: Don’t Rank Hanks
A grassroots campaign—DON’T RANK HANKS—has exploded as early voting surges. NYC uses ranked-choice voting, and activists urge voters to leave Hanks off the ballot entirely.
A similar DON’T RANK CUOMO campaign is also underway.
“We’re asking voters not to give her any ranking at all,” said a community leader. “She doesn’t deserve it. Period. Not after how she treats people, especially NYCHA and Park Hill residents in need. If they said ‘N-Word Whisperer’ and withheld baby formula, they have to go. Today.”
With early voting open from June 14 to June 22, and Primary Day on June 24, time is running out for Hanks to respond.
Several elected officials privately say Hanks won’t survive the scandal.
“She may win the primary,” one said, “but she’ll be forced to resign. A special election is coming.”
For Luthmann, the fallout is personal.
“I regret ever working with Kamillah or Kevin. They don’t deserve public trust. They are hateful and petty people. And if they’ve been selling favors using the largesse of the office, they deserve prison. I went away for much less,” he said.
He added: “The tapes are real. The victims are real. The bias and corruption run deep. The authorities must act.”
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