Dear friends,
We have achieved Friday. Perhaps you are excited that it is now legal for New Yorkers over 21 to possess, ingest, vape, and smoke marijuana in public.
Even if this news isn’t personally meaningful for you, it is a huge triumph because the law will end arrests and prosecutions for marijuana possession (up to 3 oz). The enforcement of laws against possession has been profoundly biased and has brought disproportionate numbers of Black and Brown people into the criminal justice system. In addition, the new law will expand the process of expunging some prior convictions.
The Public Power NY Coalition is working toward “the shared goal of clean, renewable, affordable, accessible and democratically-controlled public power in New York State.” As long as utilities like water, power, and gas are privately controlled with inadequate oversight, we are vulnerable to bad policy, made in the name of profits. The coalition was formed to address energy insecurity and environmental racism.
Join the Public Power NY Coalition this evening for “an orientation on why we need Public Power to address the climate crisis and bring energy democracy.”
The question of what is public — what belongs to all of us — and what is private is a fundamental justice issue. MAGIC, the Metro Area Governors Island Coalition, is working to educate the public and activate us before it’s too late to save Governors Island from private developers. MAGIC warns that the Island, a
unique green urban refuge in NYC, will essentially become a backyard for a massive corporate-style facility being marketed as a climate change research center....
In reality, the Governors Island (GI) climate hub proposed by Mayor de Blasio and the Trust for Governors Island (TGI) is part of a fast track push for numerous NYC rezonings (including Flushing, SoHo/NoHo, Gowanus) to satisfy the mayor’s economic recovery plan legacy. It’s a Trojan horse for high-rise, profit-driven overdevelopment (“destination shopping, special and department stores, theaters and other commercial and office uses”).
The project’s law firm has ties to the powerful REBNY real estate lobby. The TGI chair citing “the hopeful case of Robert Moses“ and saying, “This is a nice piece of real estate” should also be red flags.
MAGIC proposes an alternative, far less costly plan that would preserve the Island’s public green space, and avoid the privatization that would result from TGI’s development plan.
Submit written testimony up to 72 hours after Monday’s City Council hearing is adjourned to to landusetestimony@council.nyc.gov.
Or submit a one-click letter to City Council members and other public officials to stop privatization of Governors Island.
I was walking with friends yesterday and discussing the merits of universal basic income, an idea all of us like. I paused to ask their opinion of Andrew Yang as a mayoral candidate. These are not single-issue voters. I mentioned that Yang regularly shows his lack of preparation for the job of mayor. One of my favorite examples was when he spitballed that it would be great to build a casino on Governor’s Island. Oy. (Note: These friends are supporting Dianne Morales, as we all should.)
And finally, a reminder of why private corporations will not save us: The CEOs of Apple, Delta, and Coca-Cola have spoken out against voter suppression in Georgia, belatedly discovering the extent to which new legislation is racist and anti-democratic. I think Stacey Abrams deserves the last word on this issue:
Since the bill’s signing, some corporate titans have acknowledged that their posture during debate on these bills puts them on the wrong side of history. They witnessed the shameful juxtaposition of Georgia’s controversial governor signing the anti-voting legislation while a young Black state representative got hauled away by state troopers for a door knock. Unfortunately, other companies continue to maintain a damning silence, hoping the furor will fade with time.
Abrams points out the risks that boycotts will harm the people they are intended to help and offers, as an alternative, a three-point plan for corporations to redeem themselves:
First, publicly acknowledge the truth of what’s happening….For corporations doing business in the other 42 states considering voter suppression legislation, speak out now when it might actually stop the bills from becoming law.
Second, corporations eager to prove their good faith can do so by putting their resources to good use. Rather than financing state legislators pushing these anti-democratic bills, refuse to fund their efforts. Instead, use those earmarked campaign dollars to support projects that help the poor, the elderly, students and the isolated get the identification they need to cast their ballots in 2022.
Third, companies must stand up for voters by endorsing the federal voting rights standards included in the For the People Act (H.R. 1 and S. 1) and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act (H.R. 4). The For the People Act would ensure that Americans’ access to democracy does not depend on the state in which they live. As proposed, automatic voter registration, in-person early voting and no-excuse absentee voting would be guaranteed for voters regardless of geography. The John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act would restore enforcement of the historic Voting Rights Act, blocking state laws that would disenfranchise voters of color in the future.
How tired Stacey must get having to explain this over and over. Someone give this woman a cameo in a Star Trek movie to reward her vision of a better future!
Support Fair Fight.
Have a good weekend!
with love,
L