Dear CRDC,
The horrifying and senseless death of George Floyd while in the custody of Minneapolis police has thrown the United States into a state of grief and turmoil. Racism is a stain on our humanity, and good people must gather peacefully together to resist and repel it. We must see and hear each other; and we must work together to rewrite the rules so that everyone, with no exceptions, can live without fear, care for their families, have their voices heard, and their rights respected.
If you are looking for ways to participate and/or support, a number of organizations and resources are listed here.
"In a racist society, it is not enough to be non-racist. We must be anti-racist." - Angela Davis
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Today, NYC will begin to open up, but what does that mean? Read about this and about other things going on locally and upcoming events, in this Newsletter. As always, whether it’s joining a Zoom meeting, filling out your census, or simply reading through our helpful resources, we hope the following will help occupy some of your time and help educate you on important local issues. Enjoy!!!
June 23 Election: All registered voters can vote by mail in June. You can confirm your address and registration status here or by calling 1-866-VOTE-NYC (1-866-868-3692). Click here to request your ballot. Voters should check the box "Temporary Illness" as the reason for requesting an Absentee Ballot. For more information, check out this article. If you plan on voting in person, make sure you look up your poll site first. Most of our locations have changed. Early voting begins on Sat, June 13th. To find your poll site, go here.
*If you live in CD-12, I (Mindy Rosier-Rayburn) am asking for your vote to be a Bernie Sanders delegate to the convention. It is understood that Joe Biden is the presumptive nominee and we (delegates) will ultimately vote for him in the general election. By electing us to the Democratic National Convention, it gives us a seat at the table to be a part of the process with the democratic party. The more votes for Bernie Sanders, the more of us delegates will be able to attend, that would be committed to protecting reforms like limiting superdelegates as well as advancing platform issues such as Medicare4All, the Green New Deal, and worker rights.
Hear from David Pepper, Head of the Ohio State Democratic Party, about "Project Battleground,” to flip two Ohio Supreme Court seats to gain the majority! Wednesday, 6/10, 1:30pm EST : (On Zoom) This year, Ohio Democrats have an opportunity to flip two seats on the State Supreme Court and secure the majority, which would all but guarantee the end of gerrymandering of the statehouse and congressional maps for 2022. As one of the most gerrymandered states in the country, Ohio Democrats won 47% of the vote at the congressional level in 2018 -- but were allotted only 4 seats (out of 16) under the current maps. Fair courts would lead to fair districts, resulting in as many as 3 new Democratic seats in Ohio, and far more competitive races across the board. In 2018, Ohio Democrats won both Supreme Court races on the ballot and are well positioned to repeat these victories in 2020, as both our candidates have been ahead or tied in recent polling, and we are investing in a robust voter education effort on the importance of these races. Website: (To access, enter this password: BrunnerODonnell2020) Register for the Zoom here
Stonewall Time Capsule Collecting; Tuesday, 6/2 - Tuesday, 6/30- New-York Historical and the Generations Project are preserving LGBTQ history for the next 50 years in a time capsule to be opened at the Stonewall 100 celebration in 2069. Explore our exhibition Stonewall 50 at New-York Historical, then donate your photos and handwritten memories, stories, and thoughts on LGBTQ life in America. Email your donations to [email protected], or mail them to: Kathleen O’Connor, New-York Historical Society, 170 Central Park West , New York NY 10024.
The Crime of Rhyme: Hip Hop History, Systemic Racism, and a Discussion of Rap on Trial, Tuesday, 6/16, 7:30pm: (Brooklyn Historic Society Online Event via Zoom) “If you believe that I’m a cop killer, you believe David Bowie is an astronaut.” —Rapper Ice-T, on the persona he adopted in the song “Cop Killer.” Explore the story of opportunistic prosecutors who have looked at rap and hip hop lyrics as justifications for perpetuating the criminalization and incarceration of men of color in this discussion. Authors Erik Nielson and Andrea Dennis place case studies of rappers in which their lyrics have become evidence against them within the greater context of hip hop history in their book Rap on Trial: Race, Lyrics, and Guilt in America. Join them for a conversation of this injustice, the stakes of persecuting artists, and more with Brooklyn Hip Hop Festival founder Wes Jackson. Register here:
NYC Council Hearings: There will be legislative and budget hearings over the next few weeks. Check the hearing calendar on the Council website for upcoming meetings.
Join HK Dems, VID and CRDC, Saturday, June 13 - ALL ARE WELCOME!
BLACK LIVES MATTER (Sat 6/13 1:30-3:00 PM): We are at a historic turning point in our nation's history where the voices of millions are raised in unison and calling for justice. As a political club we have a unique opportunity to take that momentum and turn it into real, legislative change. Congressman Nadler and the House Judiciary Committee will be holding hearings in the Capitol on Wednesday to investigate the excessive force used by the Trump Administration in their attempts to silence dissent. Here in New York State, The Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic & Asian Legislative Caucus in the legislature, along with many leaders in New York City, have put forward a package of bills to improve police transparency, collect statistics, reduce unnecessary arrests, introduce body cameras, and much more. But your voices are essential if they are to pass in the face of entrenched opposition. We need your calls and texts to legislators to get this passed. Join us at 1.30pm next Saturday, June 13th, to call our State and City representatives and press for real change. Sign up HERE to join us.
Black Lives Matter - take action any time: In addition to our resources located at the top of this newsletter, we have included a legislative action guide for people to follow any time, which includes call scripts, contact details, and background on the issues; this will be the basis of our action next Sat, 6/13.
Postcards to Michigan: (Sat 6/13 1:00-3:00): Join us as we write postcards to voters in the critical battleground state of Michigan. We'll increase turnout to voters who share our values & encourage mail-in ballots at the same time! It’s been proven that voters who receive hand-written postcards are more likely to vote. Registration is limited, so sign up HERE!
Volunteer: Senator Brad Hoylman is looking for volunteers to help with his re-election. Sign up here. Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney is looking for phone banking volunteers. Phone banking occurs everyday at 10:10 A.M., 1:00 P.M., 4:00 P.M., and 6:00 P.M., Email [email protected] for more details. You can click here to text for Jerry Nadler. You can watch a ‘how-to-text’ video here.
Vote Blue 2020: Please consider donating to Vote Blue. They are still looking for at least 51 contributions in order to become a multi-candidate PAC. You can donate here: https://votebluenyc.org/donate.
Sign this petition to tell the U.S. Senate to invest in public education and public services by passing the HEROES Act. To get our children back to school safely, we need the U.S. Senate to support the HEROES Act, which contains $1 trillion for state and local services like public safety, health care and education. The bill provides $100 billion for our public schools so they can prepare to reopen safely, test for illness, follow the guidance of medical experts and provide the academic, social and emotional supports all our children need to recover from this pandemic.
Local Electeds Tackle a Disaster of Epic Proportions: With the advent of COVID-19, the jobs of our local elected officials and their staff were turned upside down, in addressing a seemingly infinite number of needs of Chelsea and the other parts of their districts. It became a race between educating residents in the protocols of wearing masks and staying home, and a disease that was chasing the residents to their very doors. Once sequestered, it became a massive undertaking to keep people home, obtain and distribute food, masks, and hand sanitizer, and find the volunteers to deliver it all. Read about this here.
Powerful photos from the last week of protests in NYC: Striking images of the movement that swept through the city.
Massive mural of doctor who died of COVID-19 honors immigrant frontline workers in New York City: The 20,000-square-foot mural now lays on display at the Queens Museum - Flushing Meadows Corona Park.
What to Know for Phase 1 of Reopening in NYC: Read about it here. “NYS requires employers to conduct employee health screening. The staff will be reminded to monitor their health closely and stay home if sick. Staff who arrive to work sick or become sick at work will be sent home immediately. Employers should relax leave policies to encourage staff to stay home until they meet the criteria for ending self-isolation. It is also essential to promote physical distancing, good hand hygiene and regular use of face coverings.”
Donations of Blood are needed!!! - find a location near you:
For those who want to become supreme court judges:Please be reminded that the application for Supreme Court is open. You can help out by forwarding the notice linked below to your networks to ensure any potential candidates obtain their application in time. The deadline to submit the completed application is Friday, June 19th at 5:00PM.
14 notable NYC restaurants and bars that have now permanently closed: New Yorkers never had a chance to bid farewell to some of their favorite restaurants and bars.
*Check out our new Resource page. All the useful information we have posted in past Eblasts, can be located here. This Resource page will be updated often with the latest information.
MISCELLANEOUS
Women’s Prison Association (WPA) is in need of supplies. WPA empowers women to redefine their lives in the face of injustice and incarceration.They forge pathways to freedom, safety, and independence. They offer gender-responsive services to women at any stage of contact with the criminal justice system, to help them weather crises, achieve stability, and meet longer-term goals on the way to lawful community life. Please consider making a donation.
Citymeals on Wheels has created a COVID-19 Resource Guide for older adults. The guide contains information relating to food resources, healthcare, and housing.
All the best,
The CRDC Board
