November 6th
Dear ones,
What a week it’s been! As I’m writing, I see that PA just flipped.
Here’s some pressing work to be done. The NYPD continue to aggressively over-police protests, except when they are made up of Trump supporters. Last night, hundreds of cops charged into a protest of about hundred Black Lives Matter and trans activists. Eighteen people were arrested for failing to follow orders to step onto the sidewalk. On Monday, protesters who were near Madison Square Park to face down a Trump caravan were pursued by police down 23rd Street. The arrests included photographers. Contact the mayor and your city council representative to investigate the behavior of the NYPD. Furthermore, renew Comptroller Scott Stringer’s call to suspend the NYPD’s role in issuing press passes to journalists. This power belongs in the hands of our Public Advocate, Jumaane Williams, who was roughed up by the police last night.
The NY Working Families Party garnered more than double the 130,000 votes that was set as a threshold to maintain its party line in NYS. This is great news and we should celebrate our victory. Please read and sign the WFP People’s Charter. It is a concise and important document that clearly outlines many of the justice goals we have been working toward. As long as the likes of Jared Kushner still walk the streets freely and pursue evictions, we need tools, like this Tenant’s Guide for those threatened with eviction, and a principled defense of housing as a right, especially during a pandemic.
I love when my news-reading gets me to some inspiring victories in elections I wasn’t attending to: Los Angelenos passed a measure, opposed by the LA Deputy Sheriffs with millions in advertising, to redirect hundreds of millions of county dollars “to social services and jail diversion programs.” Although there are reasoned objections to budgeting by ballot, this is what we mean by defunding the police.
Two Black sheriffs were elected in GA, pledging to reject a “racist and flawed agreement with ICE that deputizes local law enforcement to act as mass deportation agents.” I heard about this on The Frontline call Wednesday night, but my notes were muddled and I wanted to get the details right.
Four out LGBTQ candidates were elected in Puerto Rico. In addition, a non-binding referendum on statehood passed by a narrow margin.
It’s Friday. I’m looking ahead to next Saturday’s Post-Election Community Sit for Racial Justice at Columbus Circle (we really need to rename that traffic circle). Maybe you’ll come too.
I’ll have a brief action update after tomorrow morning’s call!
with love,
L