October 26th
Dear ones,
It’s important to look beyond the US — not for somewhere else to live in the event of an electoral disaster, because this is our responsibility — but to see how people in other places are facing similar dangers. Last week, you probably read about the widespread protests against the Nigerian Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), which is responsible for “torture, ill-treatment and extrajudicial executions.” Anti-SARS demonstrations erupted this month after a video circulated showing SARS officers killing a man without provocation. The protesters have broadened their focus from police brutality to corruption and the mishandling of the Covid crisis. Stand with the people of Nigeria to demand an international inquiry into the Nigerian government’s mass killing of peaceful protesters on October 20th. A democracy cannot thrive if government violence against peaceful protests goes unchecked.
Now that the president’s chief of staff has admitted that this administration has no plans to fight the pandemic, it is up to local and state officials to do the work. That’s exactly what volunteers were doing outside a polling place in Red Hook, when NYPD officers removed a table where volunteers were distributing face masks and fliers. The Twitter storm that followed was likely responsible for the officers returning the PPE and public health information and allowing volunteers to set up their table again. In Flatbush, uniformed officers were using vehicle loudspeakers to provoke residents by repeating “Trump 2020” while flashing their emergency lights. The NYPD patrol guide states that “officers on-duty or in uniform cannot endorse or publicly express personal views on political parties or candidates for public office.” One officer has been suspended and the Mayor has tweeted. The stakes are high, however, since police officers are entrusted to deliver ballots from poll sites to the Board of Elections.
Early voting has begun in NY and I am reminding you once again to vote on the Working Families Party ballot line.
with love,
L