The video surfaces just as New Yorkers prepare to cast their votes on Tuesday.

Although Sliwa’s remarks about Parramatta may have spotlighted the western Sydney locale, they also highlight lingering outdated stereotypes, according to local community members.

“Today, Parramatta is a vibrant, inclusive, and progressive area, far removed from the negative perceptions suggested. It’s a community where diverse individuals come together to build businesses, raise families, and shape Australia’s future,” they assert.

Shuoyan Zhu, founder of the Parramatta Multicultural Community Association, expressed that comments like those from Curtis Sliwa can be “frustrating” for residents of western Sydney who continue to contend with these stereotypes.

Parramatta Multicultural Community Association founder Shuoyan Zhu said comments like Curtis Sliwa’s can be “frustrating” for western Sydney residents, who still struggle with stereotypes. Source: Supplied

Zhu said the area has “changed dramatically” in the last decade and has a strong culture of innovation, education and community engagement.

“They can be frustrating for residents who know how much this area has evolved. For our multicultural community, these misconceptions can make people feel overlooked or misunderstood.”

“If Mr Sliwa spent a little more time here, he’d see what our community is really about.”

Trumpet of Patriots candidate Ganesh Loke (right) said Parramatta was a beautiful and culturally diverse city. Source: Supplied / Ganesh Loke

Ganesh Loke, who was a Trumpet of Patriots candidate for Parramatta in the 2025 federal election, has lived and worked in the area for the past 25 years. He said Sliwa’s comments reflect how “outsiders” perceive Parramatta.

“We have people from diverse cultural backgrounds, which makes Parramatta a beautiful and culturally diverse city in the world,” Loke told SBS News. “Curtis probably did not know that.”

‘Parramatta has radically changed’

“Parramatta has radically changed since then,” McCrindle told SBS News. “It’s different to what it was even a decade ago.”

“It’s changed dramatically and that’s where I think the comments are a bit perplexing for modern Sydneysiders, particularly those from western Sydney,” McCrindle said. “The negative comments made about Parramatta do not resonate at all.”

“It’s a bustling, thriving place rather than the stereotype that people used to have.”

‘He doesn’t know our community’

He said Sliwa’s statements are “immature”, but said there’s a silver lining in them.

Turbans 4 Australia founder Amar Singh has invited Curtis Sliwa to Harris Park for a curry and naan, in hopes it will help him better understand his city. Source: Supplied / Amar Singh

“Parramatta doesn’t have a gang problem. I’ve never seen it,” Singh told SBS News. “But on a positive note, for somebody from the US to notice Parramatta as part of Sydney is quite a big achievement.”

“The Parramatta community is very wide and multicultural and robust. I think not many people will pay attention to these comments because we know what our community is like,” he said.