Dear friends,
I’m sad to report that the situation on Rikers Island continues to devolve. You may have seen the truly alarming account in the Times of the anarchic violence in the jails. On Tuesday night, one man tried to escape, but ended up trapped on a roof.
There is little evidence that meaningful steps are being taken to address the crisis. Yesterday, the governor and mayor agreed to move 230 women and transgender people from Rikers to Bedford Hills, a prison just north of the city. Since the great majority of those being relocated are “pre-trial detainees” — presumed innocent while awaiting adjudication — moving them to prison seems wholly inappropriate.
One corrections officer is facing charges for smuggling in a weapon, which he gave to someone detained in the facility. The officer has been suspended and faces multiple charges, including a felony charge for promoting contraband and a misdemeanor charge for misconduct. Ironically, the judge is allowing him to await trial at home.
Of course, no one should be locked up under the conditions that prevail at Rikers: pervasive violence, chaos, and a lack of medical and psychiatric care. Representatives AOC, Carolyn Maloney, and Ritchie Torres have again called on both the governor and the mayor to
begin the ‘decarceration’ process, support individuals’ return to their communities, and work with the courts to reduce pretrial sentencing and to expedite hearings for those currently incarcerated.
Tell the mayor and the governor (again!) to take immediate action to release people from Rikers. The messages have been updated to reflect new developments.
Congress managed to temporarily raise the debt ceiling. If only ordinary people had a similar mechanism for dealing with mounting debt. Instead, there are Americans living without hot water and other basic utilities because they are unable to pay their bills.
Millions more Americans fell behind on utility bills during the pandemic. Utility debt increased from around $12bn before the pandemic to an estimated $32bn by the end of 2020, according to the National Energy Assistance Directors’ Association.
New York is one of just three states (NJ and Wyoming), along with Washington DC, that has maintained a utility shutoff moratorium, while other statewide efforts to avert utility shutoffs during the pandemic have expired.
More than one in four Americans report their households are struggling to cover usual expenses, while assistance funds have been slow to reach those in need.
Even with the advantages of working utilities, I am finding life in the US sufficiently challenging right now.
Call on Congress to stop shutoffs and cancel debt for water, power, and broadband services.
It’s Thursday, a day for tenacity in the face of unfinished business. The battle against fossil fuel projects takes many forms. One way is to choke off the money that funds them.
Call Citibank’s CEO and tell her to Defund Climate Chaos. There’s a script!
Another approach is to whack every mole by fighting every pipeline and power plant.
Tell Governor Hochul & DEC to Stop National Grid’s Greenpoint Liquefied Fracked Gas (LNG) Expansion. This takes 30 seconds.
If you’ve ever played whack-a-mole, you know that it’s a frantic, exhausting, and violent game. In other words, it’s pretty hard to sustain.
In New York State, our legislators passed the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, which should obviate the need to whack every individual fossil fuel project.
Remind the Climate Action Council that they need to honor New York’s commitment to prioritize frontline communities and invest in renewable energy. This is a ready-made action.
It’s always a good time to remind our leaders — especially the folks we elected — to do what they promised and what the law requires.
Contact the president and let him know that we demand meaningful climate action and respect for Indigenous peoples and the land they belong to.
Every single thing we’re fighting for depends on maintaining a functional democracy. Here it is, mid-October, and Congress still hasn’t passed voting rights legislation. Our approach is eclectic: we try everything until something works.
Many organizations are coming together to show support for massive federal investments to protect voting, promote climate action, and invest in our communities.
Come out on Sunday, 10/17, 2-3pm to Grand Army Plaza to demand action on the Freedom to Vote Act!
Some weekend reading: here’s an interesting take on the state of worker resistance.
Finally, an invitation to a fun weekend event, because we deserve bread AND roses:
My favorite living artist is holding an open studio this weekend in Gowanus, along with lots of other folks. Look at art, see friends.
with love,
L